Artificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology
Language: English
Published by Vintage Books/ Random House, Inc., New York, 1993
- First Edition
- Softcover
- Used
Seller: Theoria Books, Andover, MA, U.S.A.Theoria Books
AbeBooks seller since June 12, 2016
Condition: Used - As new
£ 12.44
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
390 pp. , viii. Stated: " First Vintage Books Edition, August, 1993" with '1' in number line. Eight pages of glossy, color plates, inserted between pp. 314 and 315; 18 pages with black and white illustrations, distributed throughout text. Contents divided into 10 Chapters: [1] "Prologue: In Silico"; [2] "The Promised Land"; [3] "Playing by the Rules"; [4] "Garage-Band Science"; [5] "God's Heart"; [6] "The Genetic Algorithm" [7] "Alchemists and Parasites"; [8] "Artificial Flora, Artificial Fauna, Artificial Ecologies"; [9] "Real Artificial Life"; [10] "The Strong Claim"; Notes and Sources, pp. 349-370; Acknowledgments, pp. 371-372; Illustration Credits, pp. 373-374; Index, pp. 375-390. // FROM back cover: "This enthralling book alerts us to nothing less than the eixstence of new varieties of life. Some of these species can move and eat, see, reproduce, and die. Some behave like birds or ants. One such life form may turn out to be our best weapon in the war against AIDS./ What these species have in common is that they exist inside computers, their DNA is digital, and they have come into being not through God's agency but through the efforts of a generation of scientists who seek to create life in silico./ But even as it introduces us to these brilliant heretics and unravels the intricacies of their work, ARTIFICIAL LIFE examines its subject's dizzying philosophical implications: Is a self-replicating computer program any less alive than a flu virus? Are carbon-and-water-based entities merely part of the continuum of living things? And is it possible that one day ' a- life ' will look back at human beings and dismiss us an evolutionary way station--or, worse still, a dead end?" // Glossy, illustrated wrappers with green Title and Author name lettering superimposed upon background "flesh"-colored bands; red insect-like, "Attila the Robot" superimposed upon a circular black background at middle left front cover; Subtitle and New York Times approval blurb appearing in small black letters superimposed upon warm blue background. // Binding tight (NO cracks); sharp corners (NO bumps or curls); NO rubbing wear; NO remainder marks; NO previous owner names. Clean text.…
Seller Inventory # 003169
- Title
- Artificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology
- Author
- Levy, Steven
- Publisher
- Vintage Books/ Random House, Inc., New York
- Publication year
- 1993
- Condition
- As New
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0679743898
- ISBN 13
- 9780679743897
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Printing
- 1st Printing
- Dimensions
- 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall
What these species have in common is that they exist inside computers, their DNA is digital, and they have come into being not through God's agency but through the efforts of a generation of scientists who seek to create life in silico.
But even as it introduces us to these brilliant heretics and unravels the intricacies of their work. Artificial Life examines its subject's dizzying philosophical implications: Is a self-replicating computer program any less alive than a flu virus? Are carbon-and-water-based entities merely part of the continuum of living things? And is it possible that one day "a-life" will look back at human beings and dismiss us as an evolutionary way station -- or, worse still, a dead end?
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Theoria Books
Andover, MA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since June 12, 2016
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Retired academic's reference library with specialization in philosophy, religion, science, and mathematics--all scholarly subject areas; Pre-Socratics to contemporary; biographies; some series collections. General stock also, including fiction, poetry, literary criticism, mysteries, some foreign language, children's, history, sociology, psychology, education. Some signed copies.
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Theoria Books
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