Why do we exist? For centuries, this question was the sole province of religion and philosophy. But now science is ready to take a seat at the table.According to the prevailing scientific paradigm, the universe tends toward randomness; it functions according to laws without purpose, and the emergence of life is an accident devoid of meaning. But this bleak interpretation of nature is currently being challenged by cutting-edge findings at the intersection of physics, biology, neuroscience, and information theory—generally referred to as “complexity science.” Thanks to a new understanding of evolution, as well as recent advances in our understanding of the phenomenon known as emergence, a new cosmic narrative is taking shape: Nature’s simplest “parts” come together to form ever-greater “wholes” in a process that has no end in sight. In The Romance of Reality, cognitive neuroscientist Bobby Azarian explains the science behind this new view of reality and explores what it means for all of us. In engaging, accessible prose, Azarian outlines the fundamental misunderstanding of thermodynamics at the heart of the old assumptions about the universe’s evolution, and shows us the evidence that suggests that the universe is a “self-organizing” system, one that is moving toward increasing complexity and awareness. Cosmologist and science communicator Carl Sagan once said of humanity that “we are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” The Romance of Reality shows that this poetic statement in fact rests on a scientific foundation and gives us a new way to know the cosmos, along with a riveting vision of life that imbues existence with meaning—nothing supernatural required. “What if, as Bobby Azarian argues in this magisterial account of cosmic evolution, the universe has built into its laws of nature principles of emergence that generate complex adaptive systems that include life and consciousness? What if our cosmic purpose is to create our own cosmic purpose? This book will blow your mind.” —Michael Shermer, author of Why Darwin Matters and The Moral Arc “This is truly a book for the 21st century—the ‘century of complexity.’ It is a quite remarkable synthesis of all my favorite things!” —Karl Friston, neuroscientist at University College London “What would happen if you tried answering every fundamental question about our existence? Why did life emerge? What is consciousness? Free Will? Self? Knowledge? Information? How do all these concepts fit together? Bobby Azarian’s new book is the answer to life, consciousness, cosmic complexity, and everything.” —Roman Yampolskiy, director of the Cybersecurity Lab at the University of Louisville and author of Artificial Superintelligence “Bobby Azarian's new book is an impressive tour de force on the scientific territory of the origin of life . . . This is a comprehensive book that will nourish the science hungry and will offer guidance for the young and aspiring scientist.”—Adrian Bejan, J.A. Jones Distinguished Professor at Duke University and author of The Physics of Life: The Evolution of Everything “The Romance of Reality is a scientific book with epic psychological implications: How thrilling to realize that the existential bleakness of our reductionist worldview is finally being superseded by the realization that we are in fact nested within rapturously self-organizing systems within systems, in a grand ballet of emergent complexity.” —Jason Silva, philosopher and former host of National Geographic’s Brain Games and Origins “Bobby Azarian's The Romance of Reality is an audacious state-of-the-art examination of the unfolding of our universe and our place in it using a complexity lens . . . Bobby's startling new synthesis is well-researched and provides a profoundly hopeful path forward for humanity.” —Jim Rutt, former chairman of the Santa Fe Institute and host of the podcast The Jim Rutt Show “Some of the most powerful moments in life are t
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- Editorial: Desconocida
- Autor: Azarian, Bobby
