The Moment of Complexity: Emerging Network Culture 2 edition by Taylor, Mark C. (2003) Paperback

by Mark C. Taylor

We live in a moment of unprecedented complexity, an era in which change and information can move faster than our ability to comprehend them. With The Moment of Complexity, Mark C. Taylor offers a map for the unfamiliar terrain opening in our midst, unfolding an original philosophy for our time through a remarkable synthesis of science and culture.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Academic, Theory

Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Mark C. Taylor, Ph.D. (Religious Studies, Harvard University, 1973; B.A., Wesleyan University, 1968), is a philosopher of religion who chaired the Department of Religion at Columbia University 2007–2015. Previously, he was Cluett Professor of Humanities at Williams College (Williamstown, Massachusetts), where he began his teaching career in 1973.

Reviews

[Ingmar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this 2.5 stars. Some great ideas but overall this felt like an essay forcibly expanded into a book.

[Paul Hartzog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite simply the single best book on complexity and complex systems I've ever read, and it is certainly one of the best books I've ever read at all.

The author uses complex systems and information theory to make sense of the world in its current state, and along the way discusses art and philosophy as well.

Full of profound insights!

I found this book in a library while walking around, so it also proves the point that if you want your book to get noticed give it a bright orange cover. :-D

[Lynsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bulk of the text is a well-considered synthesis of diverse theories on complexity. Each chapter is insightful, informative, and complementary to one another.

Unfortunately, the philosophical ruminations of the main text culminate to a chapter devoted to the author's new Global Education Network (GEN), a Web-based, for-profit, virtual corporation for delivering postsecondary education. Here, it becomes apparent that the essays leading up to the final chapter serve as implicit justification for his work with GEN, concluding The Moment of Complexity on an unsatisfying note.

[Nate Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good until he starts to brag about his own accomplishments in the last chapter.

[Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapter of this is a spectacular exploration of the far-reaching implications of complexity theory. Taylor is a little over-romantic about Gehry, but his points are solid and beautiful. This is required reading for anyone wondering where the new thinking is going - in architecture, art, theory, and other disciplines. The rest of the book is essentially unnecessary.