The Perfect Swarm
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"(t)his would be my nominee for book of the year, if it wasn't still only January. Who knows what may turn up in the next 12 months? Whatever it is, though, will find Fisher a hard act to follow."
--John Gribbin, BBC Focus, December 2012
`"Swarm intelligence" is nature's equivalent of that other seductive phrase "the wisdom of crowds". In the natural world, birds, bees, ants and fish often act instinctively, as a group. Fisher suggests that human beings might take useful lessons from complex systems of group activity to help us to live better lives, make better decisions, even throw better parties. Coming to trust that communal instincts are good for human beings, of course, is another matter in individualistic societies. Fisher helpfully and humorously describes the dark science of manipulating friends and influencing people.'
--The Times, Saturday 23rd January, 2010
"(b)y focusing wholly on the science of complexity without using narrative ploys to disguise it, Fisher covers a vast subject quickly in a compact book. The Perfect Swarm is a valuable contribution."
--Nature, March 4, 2010 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--John Gribbin, BBC Focus, December 2012
`"Swarm intelligence" is nature's equivalent of that other seductive phrase "the wisdom of crowds". In the natural world, birds, bees, ants and fish often act instinctively, as a group. Fisher suggests that human beings might take useful lessons from complex systems of group activity to help us to live better lives, make better decisions, even throw better parties. Coming to trust that communal instincts are good for human beings, of course, is another matter in individualistic societies. Fisher helpfully and humorously describes the dark science of manipulating friends and influencing people.'
--The Times, Saturday 23rd January, 2010
"(b)y focusing wholly on the science of complexity without using narrative ploys to disguise it, Fisher covers a vast subject quickly in a compact book. The Perfect Swarm is a valuable contribution."
--Nature, March 4, 2010 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Product Description
The process of self-organization reveals itself in the inanimate worlds of crystals and seashells, but, as Len Fisher shows, it is also evident in living organisms, from fish to ants to human beings. Understanding the swarm intelligence inherent in groups can help us do everything from throw a better party to start a fad to make our interactions with others more powerful. Humorous and enlightening, The Perfect Swarm demonstrates how complexity arises from natures simple rules and how we can use their awesome power to untangle the frustrating complexities of life in our ever more chaotic world.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As its title suggests, this lively book often makes its points with humor and wit. Physicist and author Len Fisher draws on laboratory experiments, observations of the natural world, well-known historical events, contemporary cases and examples from his own life, making a complex subject accessible. His book covers some ground that will be familiar from other books on group intelligence, collaboration and the wisdom of crowds, but the material on "swarm intelligence" is new. Fisher's numerous examples from all facets of nature provide highly fascinating case studies of group behavior. getAbstract recommends this book to professionals in marketing and strategy, and to trainers and readers who are interested in new ways of thinking.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
The Perfect Swarm is one of a crop of books that explore the emerging scientific thinking of complexity and order. The subtitle `The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life' and the somewhat playful book title hint that this is one of the more populist books on the subject.
Fisher covers a broad spectrum of subjects and around 30% of the book is devoted to an extensive list of notes which provide further avenues to explore for further information.
Our natural instinct may be to believe that order is the product of control, after all it tends to be the way in which we engineer it. Seeing a flock of birds or shoal of fish, we might imagine that their synchronised behaviour results from a leader issuing commands to be observed by the followers.
Fisher begins by describing how the seemingly complex behaviours we observe can be simulated by systems with remarkably simple rules followed by all participants, with no leadership role existing. For example shoals of fish can be simulated using only three criteria, avoidance, alignment and attraction.
Fisher describes similar criteria to explain the behaviour of swarming bees, locusts and ants. In each case complex patterns emerge from simple rules with no need for the leadership structures we might expect to see.
Particle swarm optimisation is a technique that combines the attributes found in nature and forms the basis for novel decision making techniques with surprisingly good performance.
Fisher then examines how democracy has, perhaps through a process of unwitting evolution, adopted many of the techniques that we are now observing in nature.
Though not as robust in its arguments as some of the books on the subject, it's an entertaining read and contains a number of valuable insights. The comprehensive notes and references make this an easy read that might provide pointers to a more rigourous exploration if the ideas take hold.
Fisher covers a broad spectrum of subjects and around 30% of the book is devoted to an extensive list of notes which provide further avenues to explore for further information.
Our natural instinct may be to believe that order is the product of control, after all it tends to be the way in which we engineer it. Seeing a flock of birds or shoal of fish, we might imagine that their synchronised behaviour results from a leader issuing commands to be observed by the followers.
Fisher begins by describing how the seemingly complex behaviours we observe can be simulated by systems with remarkably simple rules followed by all participants, with no leadership role existing. For example shoals of fish can be simulated using only three criteria, avoidance, alignment and attraction.
Fisher describes similar criteria to explain the behaviour of swarming bees, locusts and ants. In each case complex patterns emerge from simple rules with no need for the leadership structures we might expect to see.
Particle swarm optimisation is a technique that combines the attributes found in nature and forms the basis for novel decision making techniques with surprisingly good performance.
Fisher then examines how democracy has, perhaps through a process of unwitting evolution, adopted many of the techniques that we are now observing in nature.
Though not as robust in its arguments as some of the books on the subject, it's an entertaining read and contains a number of valuable insights. The comprehensive notes and references make this an easy read that might provide pointers to a more rigourous exploration if the ideas take hold.
Format:Hardcover
i like this subject. i found parts of the book really interesting, but other parts tedious. probably enjoyed about half the book in total (the rest bored me) but i'm still glad i purchased it though. learned some new stuff about why people behave the way that they do in crowds, etc. buy it, but only if you enjoy social psychology and that sort of stuff a lot.
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