Abstract
We are entering an age of synthesis such as occurs only once every few generations. The scenario of cosmic evolution now grants us an opportunity to systematically and synergistically inquire into the nature of our existence, to mount an integrated effort to build a modern world view that people of all cultures can adopt-a big-bang-to-humankind story that traces generative and developmental change ranging from quark to quasar, from microbe to mind.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Chaisson, E J., 1989, Cosmic Dawn: The Origins of Matter and Life, W.W. Norton, New York.
Chaisson, E. J., 1997a, The cosmic age controversy is overstated, Science, 276:1089.
Chaisson, E. J., 1997b, NASA’s new science vision, Science, v275, p735.
Chaisson, E. J., 1997c, The rise of information in an evolutionary universe, in: The Quest for a Unified Theory of Information, W. Hofkirchner, ed., Gordon &Breach, Amsterdam.
Chaisson, E. J., 1998, The cosmic environment for the growth of complexity, BioSystems, 46:13.
Chaisson, E. J., 2001, Cosmic Evolution: The Rise of Complexity in Nature, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Layzer, D., 1976, The arrow of time, Astrophys. Journal, 206:559.
Marijuan, P. C., 1996, From computers and quantum physics to cells, nervous systems and societies, BioSystems, 38:87.
Matsuno, K., 1996, Internalist stance and the physics of information, BioSystems, v38:111.
Schroedinger, E., 1944, What is Life?, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chaisson, E.J. (2001). A Cosmological Imperative: Emergence of Information, Complexity, and Life. In: Ragsdell, G., Wilby, J. (eds) Understanding Complexity. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1313-1_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1313-1_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5492-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1313-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive