The pursuit of complexity
The utility of biodiversity from an evolutionary perspective
Language: Dutch - 120 pages
€15.37
Synopsis
What use is biodiversity, and does it matter if species die out? These controversial questions arouse considerable debate. Most people believe they represent a moral dilemma, but 'The Pursuit of Complexity' shows that it is possible to explore them in a scientific way.
Author Gerard Jagers op Akkerhuis takes us back to the underlying fundamental questions: What actually is usefulness, or utility? What is evolution? What is life? What is biodiversity? And how important are human beings in all this? According to him we have to look at evolution in an entirely different way. If we do that we see that it follows predictable patterns, and that it is possible to anticipate the next stage in the evolutionary process.
His surprising answers and provocative predictions keep the reader in suspense. He invites us to engage in a new type of discussion, one that encompasses not only the scientific and philosophical issues, but also their practical implications for nature conservation.
'The Pursuit of Complexity' is written in clear terms for a broad audience,from biologists and nature conservationists, philosophers,futurists, researchers and students to politicians and policymakers.
About Gerard Jagers
Gerard Jagers op Akkerhuis works as a scientist at Wageningen University and Research center. His research ranges from entomology (insects), and eco(toxico)logy to functional biodiversity, evolution and system science.
In 1993 he finished a PhD in ecotoxicology at Wageningen Agricultural University ("Physical conditions affecting pyrethroid toxicity in arthropods").
Between 1996 and 1999 he worked as a guest scientist at the National Environmental Research Institute in Denmark.
In 2010, his passion for system theory led to a second PhD at the Radboud University Nijmegen ("The operator hierarchy, a chain of closures linking matter, life and artificial intelligence"). Using closure as a simple rule for analyzing hierarchy, the operator hierarchy offers a general framework for particle evolution, from quarks, via hadrons, atoms. molecules, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and multicellular organisms to neural network organisms.