At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity

This book is considered the go to reference for Stuart Kauffmans exploration of complexity and systems theory as it applies to the origins of life and evolutionary development. He lays the foundation of a future of cross disciplinary exploration of network science and complexity theory to understand, analysis, design, and develop the myriad of complex systems we humans take part in. It’s a dense read, I’ll admit, with mathematics and diagrams to back up the framework he is putting together. I read this as a part of deeper research into complexity science and network theory and I’ve found it a valuable exploration and reference guide for applying the science to complex problems in aerospace and in my thinking about other challenges facing other industries. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the science of complexity but also evolutionary development and design principles and for engineers looking to broaden their understanding if this unfolding field.