A Different Universe

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Evgenii Rudnyi

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Mar 27, 2010, 12:00:10 PM3/27/10
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Dear Dick,

I have read A Different Universe by R. B. Laughlin that you mentioned
sometime ago in your lecture. The book is no doubt entertaining and
worth of investment of 12 Eur. Yet, I should say that the author is
unclear in what is reductionism, emergence and collective phenomena. Do
you know some other text where these ideas are expressed more formally
with some examples on how it could be used in practice?

The book has reminded me what I have heard sometime from statisticians
in somewhat more crude form. The statisticians believe that what science
does is basically data fitting and the difference between a physical law
and an empirical model is rather subtle. Hence they say, it does not
make sense to perceive a physical law too seriously.

Best wishes,

Evgenii

William R. Buckley

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Mar 27, 2010, 1:32:57 PM3/27/10
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Dear Evgenii:

Come on now, and as I mentioned to Dick after reading Laughlin's
tome, it is devoid of meat.

Indeed, if that is the best one can expect of Laughlin, then the
Nobel committee should revoke his prize.

wrb

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Evgenii Rudnyi

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Mar 27, 2010, 2:21:26 PM3/27/10
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Well, the book is not scientific in the strict sense, it is more
infotainment. I found his considerations interesting, it was actually
fun to read the book. Yet, it seems it is a long way indeed to think
this idea up.

Evgenii

Chris Chetland [KOG]

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Mar 27, 2010, 8:08:32 PM3/27/10
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On Sun, Mar 28, 2010 at 5:00 AM, Evgenii Rudnyi <use...@rudnyi.ru> wrote:
Dear Dick,

I have read A Different Universe by R. B. Laughlin that you mentioned sometime ago in your lecture. The book is no doubt entertaining and worth of investment of 12 Eur. Yet, I should say that the author is unclear in what is reductionism, emergence and collective phenomena. Do you know some other text where these ideas are expressed more formally with some examples on how it could be used in practice?
 
Here's some I found useful [and online reading links]
 
Robert Reid - Biological Emergences 
If there are pages missing in the preview, go to [below link] and they should be there.

Roger J. Faber - Clockwork Garden: On the Mechanistic Reduction of Living Things


R Sole and B Goodwin - Signs of life - How complexity pervades biology

S Kauffman - Reinventing the sacred

It's also always worth checking out the Stanford  Encyclopedia of philosophy

Emergence

Reductionism

Hope this is of some use : )
Chris

The book has reminded me what I have heard sometime from statisticians in somewhat more crude form. The statisticians believe that what science does is basically data fitting and the difference between a physical law and an empirical model is rather subtle. Hence they say, it does not make sense to perceive a physical law too seriously.

Best wishes,

Evgenii
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