Fragile Dominion: Complexity and the Commons

Levin, Simon

ISBN 10: 073820319X / ISBN 13: 9780738203195

Published by Basic Books, New York, 2000

About this Item

Clean, crisp, uncracked softcover in very good condition; light shelf wear and rubbing, sunning at spine.

Seller Inventory # 045826

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Fragile Dominion: Complexity and the Commons
• Publisher: Basic Books, New York
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 073820319X
• ISBN 13: 9780738203195
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

We all know that our planet is losing its biological diversity at an alarming rate, with frightening implications for our future. But when does an ecosystem hit the breaking point? In this important book, Princeton biologist Simon Levin offers general readers the first look at how the new science of complexity can help to solve our looming ecological crisis. Levin argues that our biosphere is the classic embodiment of what scientists call complex adaptive systems. By exploring how such systems work, we can determine how they might fail: How much loss can an ecosystem bear before it starts to collapse? How resilient are these systems? Do they in fact hover at the edge of chaos? A deeply original work on one of the most pressing issues of our time, Fragile Dominion is a powerful appeal to understand and protect the global "commons."

About the Author

Simon Levin is the Moffett Professor of Biology at Princeton University, and Director of the Princeton Environmental Institute. He is the recipient of many prestigious academic awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the MacArthur Award of the Ecological Society of America. He is the author or editor of over 25 books on ecology, biology, and biodiversity.