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tygaribay's review
2.0
i picked up this book by Murray Gell-Mann because i thought i would get some interesting discussions on particle physics...after all, Gell-Mann won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1969...he named the "quark"...
and maybe the middle 3rd of the book did discuss this sort of thing, along with cosmology, astrophysics and such. the 1st third focused mainly on Gell-Mann's theories about complex adaptive systems and his attempts to show that self-organizing structures, like galaxies, stars, planets, etc. are really similar to cells, ants, mammals, societies and economies. an interesting thesis, but somewhat beat to death over the course of 100+ pages.
Gell-Mann uses the final 3rd of the book to muse on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the debunking of paranormal activities, to environmentalism, to evoloution, to learning computing models, ad infinitum.
basically, this was a tough read...kind of like getting your fiber by eating the Cheerios...and the box. not recommended unless you are looking to improve your sleeping habits.
and maybe the middle 3rd of the book did discuss this sort of thing, along with cosmology, astrophysics and such. the 1st third focused mainly on Gell-Mann's theories about complex adaptive systems and his attempts to show that self-organizing structures, like galaxies, stars, planets, etc. are really similar to cells, ants, mammals, societies and economies. an interesting thesis, but somewhat beat to death over the course of 100+ pages.
Gell-Mann uses the final 3rd of the book to muse on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the debunking of paranormal activities, to environmentalism, to evoloution, to learning computing models, ad infinitum.
basically, this was a tough read...kind of like getting your fiber by eating the Cheerios...and the box. not recommended unless you are looking to improve your sleeping habits.
aranthe02's review against another edition
3.0
Murray Gell-Mann is a hero of mine - he was one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century - or any century. However while I agree with the basic ideas - sometimes you need to take a crude look at everything around you and not just focus on the details. He makes this point mostly through physics - with a basic, but poorly worded, description of quantum mechanics (circa 1994)
I also enjoyed how the last section dealt with humanity and how we need to look at the big picture; pulling in people from many different disciplines and work together to find a solution (or solutions).
However the writing wasn't quite up to snuff. Arguments and discussions were repeated and areas outside of physics were very high level gloss.
I also enjoyed how the last section dealt with humanity and how we need to look at the big picture; pulling in people from many different disciplines and work together to find a solution (or solutions).
However the writing wasn't quite up to snuff. Arguments and discussions were repeated and areas outside of physics were very high level gloss.
briangodsey's review against another edition
5.0
I got this book as a prize from the math department of my college when I was a freshman or a sophomore. Though I liked the idea of learning more about quarks, I had a habit of not reading anything that wasn't required of me. So, The Quark and the Jaguar sat on my shelf for almost a decade before I took it seriously, and I'm glad for that---both that I took it seriously and that I waited so long.
I'm glad that I [finally] took the book seriously because there's a ton of good information and ideas in there. I'm glad that I waited because I think that even a couple of years ago I would not have fully understood or appreciated most of it. Four years ago, I had only basic knowledge of physics, biology, genetics, evolution, machine learning, probability, and political science, all of which are discussed in this Nobel Prize winner's book. In these last four years, I've learned a lot about all of these topics, not that it's really necessary for understanding the book; it definitely helps appreciate its importance, though.
Strictly speaking, The Quark and the Jaguar is about learning, albeit three distinct types of learning: (1) humans learning about our world and universe, (2) our world and universe learning what laws, rules, and configurations can function in the long run, and (3) computers designed by humans learning from data. Learning type (1) is obviously what Gell-Mann has done for most of his lifetime as a theoretical physicist and general applied scientist. Learning type (2) is what Gell-Mann has discovered in his lifetime as a scientist: that every system in our universe---from quantum physics to genetic evolution to economics---is an example or result of that system having tried many possibilities and settling on the few that work. The theory and literature on learning type (3) provide the necessary framework and terminology with which we can discuss learning types (1) and (2), since, in essence, all three types are one and the same, but with different physical objects at the center. Gell-Mann calls these objects "complex adaptive systems" and demonstrates how a machine learning algorithm can be very much like the process of evolution, the training of a dog, or even the settling of our cosmos into the physical laws we know and accept today.
The breadth of this book is incredible---especially since it's less than 400 pages---and what's even more amazing is that my only complaint about this book is that it was sometimes redundant and written at a level below my current scientific knowledge. It's clearly a book written for people who are not experts in any of the aforementioned fields, but Gell-Mann manages to make it relevant also for them. The only scientifically difficult subject matter is on information theory or quantum physics, and these pages are by no means necessary to the rest of the book.
The best aspect of the book, though, which is referenced throughout but becomes clear near the end, is that Gell-Mann tells people in no uncertain terms to look at the big picture, an action that seems incredibly uncommon in the world at large. Not only does he stress this for science, but he tells us how to do it in our everyday lives---work, community, environment, and politics included. There's even a concise summary chapter at the end in case you missed the message in between the examples throughout the book.
What I'm left with in the end is a strong feeling that the world and universe are largely a product of learning and chance, the two aspects of every valuable complex adaptive system. I am a product of this universe, and I operate the same way. If I learn how to learn and convince others to do the same, I can be successful or change the world, or both, whichever I prefer.
I'm glad that I [finally] took the book seriously because there's a ton of good information and ideas in there. I'm glad that I waited because I think that even a couple of years ago I would not have fully understood or appreciated most of it. Four years ago, I had only basic knowledge of physics, biology, genetics, evolution, machine learning, probability, and political science, all of which are discussed in this Nobel Prize winner's book. In these last four years, I've learned a lot about all of these topics, not that it's really necessary for understanding the book; it definitely helps appreciate its importance, though.
Strictly speaking, The Quark and the Jaguar is about learning, albeit three distinct types of learning: (1) humans learning about our world and universe, (2) our world and universe learning what laws, rules, and configurations can function in the long run, and (3) computers designed by humans learning from data. Learning type (1) is obviously what Gell-Mann has done for most of his lifetime as a theoretical physicist and general applied scientist. Learning type (2) is what Gell-Mann has discovered in his lifetime as a scientist: that every system in our universe---from quantum physics to genetic evolution to economics---is an example or result of that system having tried many possibilities and settling on the few that work. The theory and literature on learning type (3) provide the necessary framework and terminology with which we can discuss learning types (1) and (2), since, in essence, all three types are one and the same, but with different physical objects at the center. Gell-Mann calls these objects "complex adaptive systems" and demonstrates how a machine learning algorithm can be very much like the process of evolution, the training of a dog, or even the settling of our cosmos into the physical laws we know and accept today.
The breadth of this book is incredible---especially since it's less than 400 pages---and what's even more amazing is that my only complaint about this book is that it was sometimes redundant and written at a level below my current scientific knowledge. It's clearly a book written for people who are not experts in any of the aforementioned fields, but Gell-Mann manages to make it relevant also for them. The only scientifically difficult subject matter is on information theory or quantum physics, and these pages are by no means necessary to the rest of the book.
The best aspect of the book, though, which is referenced throughout but becomes clear near the end, is that Gell-Mann tells people in no uncertain terms to look at the big picture, an action that seems incredibly uncommon in the world at large. Not only does he stress this for science, but he tells us how to do it in our everyday lives---work, community, environment, and politics included. There's even a concise summary chapter at the end in case you missed the message in between the examples throughout the book.
What I'm left with in the end is a strong feeling that the world and universe are largely a product of learning and chance, the two aspects of every valuable complex adaptive system. I am a product of this universe, and I operate the same way. If I learn how to learn and convince others to do the same, I can be successful or change the world, or both, whichever I prefer.
alicehr's review against another edition
4.0
Mycket intressant. Jag kan inte påstå att jag är någon stjärna på kärnfysik men nu kan jag lite mer. Gell-Mann tar upp en mängd frågor i helt andra ämnen och ger tillräcklig bakgrund för att börja fundera.
remocpi's review against another edition
2.0
Decepción. Yo creía que el libro iba a tratar sobre los quarks y su descubrimiento (por algo el autor fue quien tuvo la mayor parte del mérito) y resulta que el libro es un conjunto de visiones personales sobre complejidad y simplicidad de sistemas. EN algunos momentos se hace realmente ininteligible (al hablar de decoherencia en historias no detalladas con detalles integrados, sin ir más lejos). Hay partes buenas e interesantes; otras son imposibles. El libro no está mal pero no me ha llamado la atención.
gengelcox's review
2.0
I picked this up because I thought it was going to have some information about Ecuador (the Jaguar section) in it. It does--about one whole pages worth. The rest of the pages concern Gell-Mann's ideas on the inter-connectedness of things. Gell-Mann, for those of you who don't buy the Nobel prize-winning scientist collector cards, was the identifier of the Quark, that object that is smaller than what had previously been thought of as the smallest element (electrons are made up of a collection of quarks). This book is interesting but rough slogging at times as Gell-Mann tries to give you an instant understanding of the last ten years of modern physics. This should appeal to fans of Richard Feynman and Douglas Hofstadter, although the style isn't as smooth as either of them.