RE: BISCA-97.

Mark Baker (markb@iosphere.net)
Thu, 28 Aug 1997 11:13:32 -0400 (EDT)

On Thu, 28 Aug 1997, Joe Barrera wrote:
> "Turning to modern concepts, Gould demonstrates that, even through the
> whole subject of parallels between ontogeny and phylogeny fell into
> disrepute, it is still one of the great themes of evolutionary biology."

Let me take this opportunity to recommend the following two books (in
FoRK/Amazon format) that both touch on this topic. The first from an
experimental molecular biologist's point of view, the second from a
complex adaptive systems/machine-mind/global-consciousness POV. Not
surprisingly, there's a lot of overlap between their positions - not
demonstrating parallels between the two, but instead a relationship
that looks a whole lot like one between two independant, symbiotic
species. Picture the Composite Pattern, where the composite object
(phylogeny) exhibits behaviour not attributable to any of its composite
pieces (ontogeny), aka emergent behaviour.

These two books really complement each other well, IMHO.

"At Home in the Universe; The Search for Laws of Self-Organization and
Complexity", by Stuart Kauffman of the Santa Fe Institute

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0195095995/forkrecommendedrA
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0195111303/forkrecommendedrA
(the first is hard-cover, the second paperback).

"Darwin Among the Machines; The Evolution of Global Intelligence", by
George Dyson

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0201406497/forkrecommendedrA

MB

--
Mark Baker, Ottawa Ontario CANADA.                Java, CORBA, OpenDoc, Beans
distobj@acm.org mbaker@nortel.ca               http://www.iosphere.net/~markb


   Too many dinosaurs, too few meteors - Seyma Atik