Life Finds a Way
What Evolution Teaches Us About Creativity
New York : Basic Books, 2019.
Format: Book
Edition: First edition.
Description: v, 312 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
How the principles of biological innovation can help us overcome creative challenges in art, business, and science
In Life Finds a Way , biologist Andreas Wagner reveals the deep symmetry between innovation in biological evolution and human cultural creativity. Rarely is either a linear climb to perfection--instead, "progress" is typically marked by a sequence of peaks, plateaus, and pitfalls. For instance, in Picasso's forty-some iterations of Guernica , we see the same combination of small steps, incessant reshuffling, and large, almost reckless, leaps that characterize the way evolution transformed a dinosaur's grasping claw into a condor's soaring wing. By understanding these principles, we can also better realize our own creative potential to find new solutions to adversity.
Ultimately, Life Finds a Way offers a new framework for the nature of creativity, enabling us to better adapt, grow, and change in art, business, or science--that is, in life.
In Life Finds a Way , biologist Andreas Wagner reveals the deep symmetry between innovation in biological evolution and human cultural creativity. Rarely is either a linear climb to perfection--instead, "progress" is typically marked by a sequence of peaks, plateaus, and pitfalls. For instance, in Picasso's forty-some iterations of Guernica , we see the same combination of small steps, incessant reshuffling, and large, almost reckless, leaps that characterize the way evolution transformed a dinosaur's grasping claw into a condor's soaring wing. By understanding these principles, we can also better realize our own creative potential to find new solutions to adversity.
Ultimately, Life Finds a Way offers a new framework for the nature of creativity, enabling us to better adapt, grow, and change in art, business, or science--that is, in life.
Contents:
The cartography of evolution -- The molecular revolution -- On the importance of going through hell -- Teleportation in genetic landscapes -- Of diamonds and snowflakes -- Creative machines -- Darwin in the mind -- Not all those who wander are lost -- From children to civilizations -- Epilogue: more than metaphors.
ISBN:
9781541645332 (hardcover)
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
SCIENCE Evolution Wag | Ballentine Indoors | Nonfiction | In |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-293) and index.