1: Sophisticated, enlightening
If I had to choose one word to describe this book it would undoubtedly be "elegant". Pagels writes about a subject that few of us consider for longer that a few seconds. And it is an important one in that it seems to counter everything most humans apparently seek - perfect order.The subject is chaos, complexity and the realization that life cannot be compartmentalized, defined, divided into neat little sections - an idea to which we all adhere one way or another. The introduction of the computer has cast a new, enormous wrinkle into the mix. For the first time we can simulate reality (indeed, life itself down to the cellular structure) and make predictions of complex phenomena. He also espouses something quite original in his dicussion of that ancient brain vs mind question. He believes that until the mind is understood on a PHYSICAL basis it is useless to make conjectures on mental or even philosophical bases. Other subjects - consciousness, linear approaches, and even a historical analysis of the meaning of science - perhaps one of the best discussion in the entire book. His remarks on the great Karl Popper and how his works revolutionized the approach to the science world is worth the price of the book alone. The last chapter on historical scientific creativity is a gem that should be required reading for every high school senior.
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