The DOI matches its Crossref record.
The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution
Abstract
Stuart Kauffman here presents a brilliant new paradigm for evolutionary biology, one that extends the basic concepts of Darwinian evolution to accommodate recent findings and perspectives from the fields of biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics. The book drives to the heart of the exciting debate on the origins of life and maintenance of order in complex biological systems. It focuses on the concept of self-organization: the spontaneous emergence of order that is widely observed throughout nature Kauffman argues that self-organization plays an important role in the Darwinian process of natural selection. Yet until now no systematic effort has been made to incorporate the concept of self-organization into evolutionary theory. The construction requirements which permit complex systems to adapt are poorly understood, as is the extent to which selection itself can yield systems able to adapt more successfully. This book explores these themes. It shows how complex systems, contrary to expectations, can spontaneously exhibit stunning degrees of order, and how this order, in turn, is essential for understanding the emergence and development of life on Earth. Topics include the new biotechnology of applied molecular evolution, with its important implications for developing new drugs and vaccines; the balance between order and chaos observed in many naturally occurring systems; new insights concerning the predictive power of statistical mechanics in biology; and other major issues. Indeed, the approaches investigated here may prove to be the new center around which biological science itself will evolve. The work is written for all those interested in the cutting edge of research in the life sciences.
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In the citing paper
“As it has been proposed by several authors, complexity can be seen as balance between order and disorder (Langton, 1990; Kauffman, 1993; Lopez-Ruiz et al., 1995)”
From Information Measures of Complexity, Emergence, Self-organization, Homeostasis, and Autopoiesis (2013) · cites this paper as Kauffman, 1993
In the citing paper
“On the other hand, our previous examples suggest that self-organization and emergent phenomena are as relevant as selection [382].”
From Fundamental constraints to the logic of living systems (2024) · cites this paper as [382]
In the citing paper
“Other transitions involve the jump to novel properties associated with increased network connectivity. This would be the case of the emergence of autocatalytic cycles out of random chemical reactions (figure 10c) once the number of possible reactions crosses the percolation threshold (a non-equilibrium phase transition) [381–384].”
From Fundamental constraints to the logic of living systems (2024) · cites this paper as [382]
In the citing paper
“The L-C transition line lies at the heart of the crystallization of genomes that may occur during evolutionary walks [13] in sequence space.”
From Thermodynamic Basis for the Emergence of Genomes during Prebiotic Evolution (2012) · cites this paper as [13]
In the citing paper
“It is then argued that a catalytically closed network is endowed with self-reproduction capacities, but homeostatic growth is not directly addressed (see §5.1).”
From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [37]
In the citing paper
“These will have the property of ‘catalytic closure’, whereby the formation of every molecule is endogenously catalysed.”
From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [37]
In the citing paper
“It is then shown that when a system reaches a sufficiently large diversity of molecule types, autocatalytic sets would appear spontaneously.”
From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [37]
In the citing paper
“It has been argued that computation and life require this balance to be able to compute and adapt (Langton, 1990; Kauffman, 1993).”
From Information Measures of Complexity, Emergence, Self-organization, Homeostasis, and Autopoiesis (2013) · cites this paper as Kauffman, 1993
In the citing paper
“As it has been proposed, adaptive systems require a high C in order to be able to cope with changes of its environment while at the same time maintaining their integrity (Langton, 1990; Kauffman, 1993).”
From Information Measures of Complexity, Emergence, Self-organization, Homeostasis, and Autopoiesis (2013) · cites this paper as Kauffman, 1993
In the citing paper
“Organisms “live” in extended critical phase transitions [43] or on the edge of order and chaos in the region of criticality [44,45], which disavows homeostatic stability as the core feature of living systems.”
From The Free Energy Principle: Good Science and Questionable Philosophy in a Grand Unifying Theory (2021) · cites this paper as [44]
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SHENHAV, B., SEGRÈ, D., & LANCET, D. (2003) · Advances in Complex Systems · doi:10.1142/s0219525903000785 · Cited by 37
Hidden Concepts in the History and Philosophy of Origins-of-Life Studies: A Workshop Report
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Polymer Gard: Computer Simulation of Covalent Bond Formation in Reproducing Molecular Assemblies
Shenhav, B., Bar-Even, A., Kafri, R., & Lancet, D. (2005) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-005-5578-z · Cited by 33
An evolutionary process without variation and selection
Gabora, L., & Steel, M. (2021) · Journal of The Royal Society Interface · doi:10.1098/rsif.2021.0334 · Cited by 23
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Perry, R. S., & Kolb, V. M. (2004) · International Journal of Astrobiology · doi:10.1017/s1473550404001892 · Cited by 24
Molecular Diversity Required for the Formation of Autocatalytic Sets
Hordijk, W., Steel, M., & Kauffman, S. A. (2019) · Life · doi:10.3390/life9010023 · Cited by 24
Self-citationHow to Solve Problems with Crowds: A Computer‐Based Simulation Model
Vuculescu, O., & Bergenholtz, C. (2014) · Creativity and Innovation Management · doi:10.1111/caim.12059 · Cited by 22
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The Free Energy Principle: Good Science and Questionable Philosophy in a Grand Unifying Theory
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Mutations and Lethality in Simulated Prebiotic Networks
Inger, A., Solomon, A., Shenhav, B., Olender, T., & Lancet, D. (2009) · Journal of Molecular Evolution · doi:10.1007/s00239-009-9281-y · Cited by 14
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García-Valdecasas, M., & Deacon, T. W. (2024) · Synthese · doi:10.1007/s11229-024-04705-w · Cited by 13
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Metadata
- Authors
- Kauffman, S. A.
- Affiliations
- Santa Fe Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kauffman, Stuart A
- ORCID
- Kauffman, Stuart A
- Publisher
- Oxford University PressNew York, NY
- Published
- 1993-06-10
- OpenAlex
- W2105291362
- Cited by
- 7,855
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 292 · 2025: 246 · 2024: 236 · 2023: 165 · 2022: 175 · 2021: 205 · 2020: 237 · 2019: 233 · 2018: 231 · 2017: 234 · 2016: 231 · 2015: 278 · 2014: 292 · 2013: 355 · 2012: 322
- FWCI
- 34.65
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Oxford University Press eBooks
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Complex Systems and Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy of Biology and Scientific Explanation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Keywords
- self-organization, origin of life, complex biological systems, evolutionary theory, natural selection, molecular evolution, order and chaos, adaptation, Stuart Kauffman
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