amazon review: Signals and Boundaries

				Signals and Boundaries: Building Blocks for Complex Adaptive Systems
From biology to Theory of Constraints !, May 21, 2014 This review is from: Signals and Boundaries: Building Blocks for Complex Adaptive Systems (Kindle Edition) I like the book. I need to skim some of it due to heavy biological terminology and formulations. I bought this book since this book has been referenced in another book : Demand Driven Performance by Debra & Chad Smith. We understand earth by the guidance of physics. After Galileo - Copernicus - ... a huge step has been done by Newton. Newton's Laws were explaining static, linear and dead bodies which are in equilibrum. called inertia. It means if there is no external force applied the mass keeps its course of movement, if it is still, it stays still, if it moves with constant speed it keeps going with the same speed. If you want to accelerate something, you need to apply a force. Everything is additive, optimization is possible. Time flows slowly, days are almost recurring, mass production is popular. World social and economic order is simply based on these principles. Thermodynamics Laws are contradicting with Newton's Laws. You can break a glass easily but you can not make it again so easy. It means everything is not bidirectional and additive as Newton thinks. 2nd law of thermodynamics is known as entropy and it says everything is decaying, disorder is rising. Darwin called this phenomenon as "natural selection", according to him only those organisms WHO are able to adopt changing circumstances will survive. Einstein - Heizenberg - Bohr - ... inserted relativity, indeterminancy and proven that around light speed Newton's Laws are no more valid. In this book I observe the evolution of dissipative structure concept by Ilya Prigogine to Complex Adaptive Sytems by John Holland. Characteristics and definition of CAS is exciting. I have been inspired several times by TOC concepts. I have found a lot of ties in between Deman Driven Performance and this book, it amazed me really. This is a theory for nonlinear and living World, complying with Darwin, complying with entropy. Organisms and companies are able to learn, eager to survive and time has only one direction to go. Since everything is dynamic, everything is changing there must be no end point, no optimum point but continuous improvement. This is a must to survive against Darwin. You need to know the rules to play chess. Even in this case every move leads endless new risks and opportunities, all possible mistakes are there waiting for you. This book is hinting the rules, the rest relies on you, practise and enjoy your life, enjoy your work !