A New Kind of Science

by Stephen Wolfram

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Stephen Wolfram is a little bit full of himself; this book is not nearly as revolutionary or paradigm-shattering as he seems to think. Nonetheless, this is a fascinating (if very long) book containing all sorts of interesting ideas about automata, recursion, programming, and more. (

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byorgey | Nov 2, 2009 |

A mind-blowing book of incredible density. A completely new way to think about the world and how science describes it and how it works.

james.c.robertson | Oct 19, 2009 |

What can be said? I was in awe of this book before I even opened the cover; it is huge, and self-published. Ah, but what glorious, middle-finger-in-your-face insouciance to the scientific mainstream! (

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atticusjame6 | Dec 26, 2008 |

A hard read, for all but the most dedicated. A controversial subject, the use of computer modeling to explore scientific concepts, as a replacement for the (conventional) scientific method.

dpevers | Sep 13, 2008 |

Wolfram has turned into such a crank that I can't even bear to finish reading his book. Given the conspicuous absence of proper citations, the admittedly pretty pictures are the only reason to buy the book at all. (

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szarka | Jun 9, 2008 |

I read the first 300 pages of this book and then went on to other things. It’s not that the writing was bad or uninteresting; I just got tired of the level of study that the book demanded. From the pages I did read I can say that the author is extremely thorough in his exploration, especially with respect to cellular automata where he enumerates every variety and explores every permutation in their behavior. He does an excellent job organizing and explaining the material, and the book is beautifully designed and printed. The resolution of the diagrams is the finest I've seen and it's fun just looking through them all. If you are into mathematics, computer science, or automata I would recommend getting this book. If for nothing else than browsing through the 350 pages of notes at the end. If you’re a general science reader you'll probably be disappointed. (

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gregfromgilbert | Nov 7, 2007 |

What is new in this book is not science. What is science in this book is not new. (

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chrisadami | Mar 30, 2007 |

http://bactra.org/reviews/wolfram/ (

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cshalizi | Mar 12, 2007 |

The much-noticed and -reviewed tome (1200+ pages) by the creator of Mathematica. He idiosyncratically explores the use of simple computer programs as an alternative to traditional mathematics. He expects that all the sciences will now be revolutionized, but I doubt that the world will play along. There are excerpts at www.wolframscience.com.

fpagan | Dec 28, 2006 |

Many of the reviews of this book have been quite savage, but the savageness, it seems to me, is inversely related to the fraction of the book that the reviewer had actually read. I, like many others, was aware of the marketing hype before its publication, and waited for its production with a feeling something like that of a child anticipating a Christmas, an incomprehensible number of weeks off.

I actually read a good part of this book, and found it to be something quite awesome. Moreover, I was not at all put off by its idiosyncratic style, and I much appreciated its typography, layout and the richness in its illustrations. I was awed at the scope of the work, much provoked and entertained by it. A faithful user of Mathematica (I used it to derive my first simulation of the trebuchet, described at www.algobeautytreb.com), I am awed by the number of programs that Wolfram lists.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this work is the breadth of topics that are covered. Computational hydrodynamics and thermodynamics, free will and language, cryptography and logic, quantum mechanics and Feynmen diagrams, crystallization, coarsening foams and sandpiles, evolution and embryology, traffic and financial markets. Is there any other work having a single author that encompasses such a collection?

The notes section, about 300 pages long, is wonderful to read all by itself. Each topic has its bit of history related, and there are many descriptions of things discovered and things yet to be discovered, told in a most entertaining and readable style. I could even recommend, perhaps, that some readers should read this section first.

My reaction toward the "bottom line" hypothesis, that cellular automata provide a real breakthrough in understanding the world, is a little agnostic, perhaps. Interesting in many ways, and the hydrodynamic model is clearly a fruitful one--I've seen some quite stunning movies of certain phenomena (such as two liquids of different density that are mixing). I really can't evaluate some of the claims Wolfram makes, and others seem to be a bit overblown. I guess my feeling is something like the child that woke up on Christmas morning hoping for that bicycle, but finding a chemistry set instead. While I didn't get exactly what I'd hoped for, the chemistry set is intriguing--something may come of it yet! (

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DonSiano | Oct 20, 2006 |

How can complexity evolve from simple systems? (

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hanzoganz | Jun 17, 2006 |

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Physics and computer science genius Stephen Wolfram, whose Mathematica computer language launched a multimillion-dollar company, now sets his sights on a more daunting goal: understanding the universe. Wolfram lets the world see his work in A New Kind of Science, a gorgeous, 1,280-page tome more than a decade in the making. With patience, insight, and self-confidence to spare, Wolfram outlines a fundamental new way of modeling complex systems.
On the frontier of complexity science since he was a boy, Wolfram is a champion of cellular automata--256 "programs" governed by simple nonmathematical rules. He points out that even the most complex equations fail to accurately model biological systems, but the simplest cellular automata can produce results straight out of nature--tree branches, stream eddies, and leopard spots, for instance. The graphics in A New Kind of Science show striking resemblance to the patterns we see in nature every day.

Wolfram wrote the book in a distinct style meant to make it easy to read, even for nontechies; a basic familiarity with logic is helpful but not essential. Readers will find themselves swept away by the elegant simplicity of Wolfram's ideas and the accidental artistry of the cellular automaton models. Whether or not Wolfram's revolution ultimately gives us the keys to the universe, his new science is absolutely awe-inspiring. --Therese Littleton

From Library Journal
Galileo proclaimed that nature is written in the language of mathematics, but Wolfram would argue that it is written in the language of programs and, remarkably, simple ones at that. A scientific prodigy who earned a doctorate from Caltech at age 20, Wolfram became a Nobel-caliber researcher in the emerging field of complexity shortly thereafter only to abscond from academe and establish his own software company (which published this book). In secrecy, for over ten years, he experimented with computer graphics called cellular automata, which produce shaded images on grid patterns according to programmatic rules (973 images are reproduced here). Wolfram went on to discover that the same vastly complex images could be produced by even very simple sets of rules and argues here that dynamic and complex systems throughout nature are triggered by simple programs. Mathematical science can describe and in some cases predict phenomena but cannot truly explain why what happens happens. Underscoring his point that simplicity begets complexity, Wolfram wrote this book in mostly nontechnical language. Any informed, motivated reader can, with some effort, follow from chapter to chapter, but the work as a whole and its implications are probably understood fully by the author alone. Had this been written by a lesser scientist, many academics might have dismissed it as the work of a crank. Given its source, though, it will merit discussion for years to come. Essential for all academic libraries. [This tome is a surprise best seller on Amazon. Ed.] Gregg Sapp, Science Lib., SUNY at Alban.
- Gregg Sapp, Science Lib., SUNY at Albany
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
This long-awaited work from one of the world's most respected scientists presents a series of dramatic discoveries never before made public. Starting from a collection of simple computer experiments---illustrated in the book by striking computer graphics---Wolfram shows how their unexpected results force a whole new way of looking at the operation of our universe. Wolfram uses his approach to tackle a remarkable array of fundamental problems in science: from the origin of the Second Law of thermodynamics, to the development of complexity in biology, the computational limitations of mathematics, the possibility of a truly fundamental theory of physics, and the interplay between free will and determinism. Written with exceptional clarity, and illustrated by more than a thousand original pictures, this seminal book allows scientists and non-scientists alike to participate in what promises to be a major intellectual revolution.

About the Author
Stephen Wolfram was born in London and educated at Eton, Oxford and Caltech. He received his PhD in theoretical physics in 1979 at the age of 20, and in the early 1980s made a series of discoveries which launched the field of complex systems research. Starting in 1986 he created Mathematica, the primary software system now used for technical computing worldwide, and the tool which made A New Kind of Science possible. Wolfram is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, Inc.---the world's leading technical software company. (

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