A professor of physics offers a stunning new theory of complex systems, from earthquakes to stock markets. This book, written by the discoverer of self-organized criticality, describes for general readers a concept that has become increasingly important in science. Many seemingly disparate aspects of the world, from the formation of the landscape to the process of evolution, all share a set of simple, easily described properties--which may be explained as manifestations of a single princple. 50 illustrations.

Amazon.com Review . . . In print, at least, what might seem arrogant comes across as a kind of innocent, childlike enthusiasm, a lack of concern for anything but the sheer joy of figuring things out. His ruthless simplifications of geology, evolution, and neurology pay off because, as Bak notes, his models describe behavior that is common across these domains. This universality means that trampling across others' turf is not only acceptable, but almost mandatory, if the underlying principles are to be exposed. Finally, for the most part, Bak wants the reader to grasp the basic logic of his arguments; only rarely does he try to persuade with flights of poetic language or brute intellectual authority.