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Title: A New Kind of Science
ISBN: 1579550088
Author:
Stephen Wolfram
Publicate Date: 2002-05
Publish: 2002-05
List Price: $44.95
Average Customer Rating: 3.0
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $14.40
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $9.07
Amazon Merchant Price: $35.83
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Big, Beautiful and Formidable
I received A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram in July 2002. It sits on a shelf in a place of honor. Occasionally, I take it down and open it as one would an expensive Bible. Someday, I'll really study it. Until then I love its feel, its heft, its marvelous and painstaking creation. It promises much--almost like the Bible promising eternal life. I bought it again as a gift for a young man just graduating from the University of Memphis in Computer Science. He's already deep into its pages. I envy him in a way. Perhaps he'll explain it to me. Not that I need any explanation. With faith I already know it is worthy of eternal life on my top shelf.
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2: An Extraordinary Compendium of Research Notes
So much has been written, there is little left to add, nevertheless... Wolfram set out to find the underlying set of axioms that define all "Type 4" sets of axioms, the sets that give rise to complexity. Finding that defining set of axioms, if that's even possible, would have been an extraordinary accomplishment, but he could not crack the code. The fact that he was unable to make any progress at all is perhaps revealing about the nature of such sets of axioms. All he was left to do was to publish his research notes. He may have credited himself with more than he accomplished, but he has compiled an extraordinary compendium of notes.
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3: Excellent
This book makes you thing, of matters that you thought that are not explainable. This is accomplished by illustrating simple rules, that could actually makde our world!
It's not "a New Kind of Science". It's rather "Science of the World"
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4: Courage to push forward
"Many" (well most of what I've read) of the other reviews here (there are HUNDREDS right now, and actually, many of the reviews here are incredibly good, but I don't think I'm going to read them all...) criticize the hell out of Wolfram. And they are right to do so... yup, a lot of his material has been around in one form or another before...BUT I think you have to give him something for the courage to put it all together and say this is another way of doing, of thinking about science, and honestly, it really is.
If I thought too hard about everything in the book then I suppose I could criticize him too. But I like what I've learned so far in the book.
I hope this little review gives someone else the courage to spend the $32 (Amazon discount price at the time of writing) and get this book and learn about a different way at looking at the world around us.
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5: Not that bad
Not that bad. The Revolutionary theory is missing. But... excellent reading for the non-scientist (like me).
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