Textbook Revolution: A New Kind of Science

A New Kind of Science

Stephen Wolfram

Filed under: [ biology, chemistry, math, philosophy, physics ]

http://www.wolframscience.com/nksonline/toc.html

Wolfram is the man behind Science World and Math World, two of the best educational sites on the internet. In this 1200-page behemoth, he puts forth the theory that cellular automata control pretty much everything. Ray Kurzweil has an excellent review of the book and a good explanation of what cellular automata are. If you want more reviews and background info on the book, check out this site.

The book is available in its entirety online, but in an extremely user-unfriendly format, with images of each page embedded onto a separate web-page. You can’t easily skim, cut-and-paste, or skip quickly between chapters without going back to the table of contents. If you just want to browse, or are looking for a particular passage or subject, the online version will do fine. If you want to read the whole thing, however, buy the print version with a list of $44.95 and used copies available for much less. The online version isn’t entirely bad, though. Concessions to ebook decency include a searchable index, a text search, downloadable images (registration required), linked notes, and user forum.

From the book summary:

Wolfram uses his approach to tackle a remarkable array of fundamental problems in science, from the origins of apparent randomness in physical systems, to the development of complexity in biology, the ultimate scope and limitations of mathematics, the possibility of a truly fundamental theory of physics, the interplay between free will and determinism, and the character of intelligence in the universe.

Written with exceptional clarity, and illustrated by nearly a thousand original pictures, this seminal book allows scientists and nonscientists alike to participate in what promises to be a major intellectual revolution.

Link to website

Available for purchase? Yes, see site for details