Nature's Magic

1. Prologue: the new evolutionary paradigm; 2. The enchanted loom; 3. The magic castle; 4. Black magic; 5. The synergism hypothesis; 6. The 'Sorcerer's Apprentice'; 7. Conjuring human evolution: the synergistic ape; 8. Conjuring history: does cultural evolution have an 'arrow'?; 9. The science of history; 10. Conjuring the future: what can we predict?; Afterword; Endnotes; Bibliography.

Peter Corning is the Director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems, Palo Alto, California.

Review of the hardback: 'If you are under the impression that synergy is not particularly important, just try to tie your shoes with a single hand. The book will appeal to anyone interested in the place of evolutionary thinking in general intellectual culture. It will also be esteemed a particularly valuable contribution to the emerging discipline of bioeconomics.' Professor Michael Ghiselin, California Academy of Sciences Review of the hardback: 'I like this book. It's exciting, well-documented, and well-argued. It's very informative both for professional biologists and well-read lay people; it will change their minds and get them to see synergies everywhere.' Professor Jack Cohen, Warwick University and author of Figments of Reality, and Evolving the Alien (with Ian Stewart). Review of the hardback: '... a must for all who are interested in understanding the evolutionary process generally, as well as understanding human evolution and evolutionary perspectives on human behaviour ... Nature's Magic is one of those rare books that will really make you see reality in a new way.' TRENDS in Ecology and Evolution Review of the hardback: 'Once you start reading this book, you just can't stop until the end ... Effectively, Corning's fluent writing style and the manner in which he conveys his particular vision of the evolutionary process, from the Big Bang to the current, is definitely captivating.' Plant Systematics & Evolution Review of the hardback: '... this book is a classic ... there is so much to chew over and consider.' Systems Research and Behavioral Science Review of the hardback: 'Only a scientist as eclectic and versatile as Corning could have conjured the rich panorama of evolution that we get in Nature's Magic. ... After reading Nature's Magic, we were convinced that Peter Corning had delivered on his promise to show why the concept of synergy is so fundamentally important in the scheme of things, and how it has played a causal role in evolution. ... We