The Web of Life: A New Understanding of Living Systems by Fritjof Capra
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(Paperback)
- Pub. Date: September 1997
- 347pp
- Sales Rank: 175,137
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: September 1997
- Publisher: Random House Inc
- Format: Paperback, 347pp
- Sales Rank: 175,137
- ISBN-13: 9780385476768
- ISBN: 0385476760
Synopsis
The vitality and accessibility of Fritjof Capra's ideas have made him perhaps the most eloquent spokesperson of the latest findings emerging at the frontiers of scientific, social, and philosophical thought. In his international bestsellers The Tao of Physics and The Turning Point, he juxtaposed physics and mysticism to define a new vision of reality. In The Web of Life, Capra takes yet another giant step, setting forth a new scientific language to describe interrelationships and interdependence of psychological, biological, physical, social, and cultural phenomena--the "web of life."
During the past twenty-five years, scientists have challenged conventional views of evolution and the organization of living systems and have developed new theories with revolutionary philosophical and social implications. Fritjof Capra has been at the forefront of this revolution. In The Web of Life, Capra offers a brilliant synthesis of such recent scientific breakthroughs as the theory of complexity, Gaia theory, chaos theory, and other explanations of the properties of organisms, social systems, and ecosystems. Capra's surprising findings stand in stark contrast to accepted paradigms of mechanism and Darwinism and provide an extraordinary new foundation for ecological policies that will allow us to build and sustain communities without diminishing the opportunities for future generations.
Now available in paperback for the first time, The Web of Life is cutting-edge science writing in the tradition of James Gleick's Chaos, Gregory Bateson's Mind and Matter, and Ilya Prigogine's Order Out of Chaos.
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Web of Life: A New Understanding of Living Systemsby Anonymous
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February 12, 2006: I had two weeks to read this book for my 'Science Writing' class, and I certainly had no trouble sleeping those two weeks. Capra's book, especially the first three sections, are utterly boring and 'textbook.' However, the pace picks up in the fourth section, as he gives an overview of the origins of life from the simplest cell to the homo sapien. Several points are interesting, such as the Gaia theory and his deep ecology theory, but his use of terminology and definitions are confusing. Overall, unless you have a background in the sciences, I do not recommend this book to the average reader.
Web of Life: A New Understanding of Living Systemsby Anonymous
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November 29, 2005: Fritjof Capra?s ?The Web of Life? is a wealth of erudite thoughts and ideas about how we?ve been looking at the world entirely in the wrong way. Capra seeks to deconstruct our current, discrete worldview by basically asking ?why?? over and over again, trying to get more exact answers from inexact sciences this much I was able to pull from the book. He asserts that current ideas of scientific method will never be able to answer the questions they were develop to answer, because they treat everything as separate, individual, unchanging elements of life, the universe, everything, etc. The thing is, I understand that. I think I understood that before I ever opened this book, and I?m not even a scientist (far from it, actually). The science that was used to explain that science could not answer these questions was lost on me and served only to confuse me about what the author was trying to say. Near the beginning of the book, the author presents some world-views that we?re expected to set aside in favor of a more ?holistic? and ?environmental? approach to understanding the world. The concepts include heavy scientific theories like quantum physics, chaos theory, systems design and the like. However, the explanations of what these theories really mean are sparse at best. Expecting me to have a concept of quantum physics with little more than a page of explanation is a bit much to ask. Reading this book, I felt as thought I was expected to know a lot about the ideas in the book before reading it. Covering algebra, geometry, physics, thermodynamics, biology, chemistry and philosophy in 300 pages is fine if the reader understands the basis for discussion. If he or she does not, though, it makes for a very painful read. I?m not saying this is a bad book, because I am not in a position to judge the validity of the ideas Capra presents. I?m at fault for not being a more enlightened scholar ? not having a working understanding of areas of advanced physics. However, the book is marketed as being something ?we can all understand? on the front cover. In truth, there was a lot of this book that I simply did not understand. The insight contained in its pages was lost on me. Things were not explained in a way ?we can all understand.? That phrase must only be meant for people who know a lot about some very dense scientific principles.
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