Emergence

by John H. Holland

We are everywhere confronted with emergent systems - the Internet, the immune system, the global economy, to name a few - where the behaviour of the whole is much more complex than the behaviour of the parts. Holland shows us how a theory of emergence can predict many complex behaviours, and has much to teach us about life, the mind, and organizations. Throughout, Holland compares the different systems and models that exhibit emergence in the quest for common rules or laws.