Anticipatory Systems: Philosophical, Mathematical and Methodological Foundations

by Robert Rosen

Robert Rosen was not only a biologist, he was also a brilliant mathematician whose extraordinary contributions to theoretical biology were tremendous. Founding, with this book, the area of Anticipatory Systems Theory is a remarkable outcome of his work in theoretical biology. This second edition of his book Anticipatory Systems , has been carefully revised and edited, and includes an Introduction by Judith Rosen. It has also been expanded with a set of Prolegomena by Dr. Mihai Nadin, who offers an historical survey of this fast growing field since the original work was published. There is also some exciting new work, in the form of an additional chapter on the Ontology of Anticipation, by Dr. John Kineman. An addendum-- with autobiographical reminiscences by Robert Rosen, himself, and a short story by Judith Rosen about her father-- adds a personal touch. This work, now available again, serves as the guiding foundations for the growing field of Anticipatory Systems and, indeed, any area of science that deals with living organisms in some way, including the study of Life and Mind. It will also be of interest to graduate students and researchers in the field of Systems Science.

Genres: Biology, Mathematics, Philosophy, Science

436 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Alireza Hejazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about systems that can act in an anticipatory manner. The author has established the idea of an anticipatory mechanism fairly well, based on his analytical and theoretical investigations of organisms’ astonishing capacity to establish strategies of contact with their surroundings. The book’s overarching lesson is that an anticipatory system must use input from its forecasting model to alter the current, potentially resulting in a different future than that which was initially expected. The subject of anticipatory systems, in particular, and methods of relational biology in general, offer useful resources for foresight research. The depth of the subject and the breadth of its ramifications make the book profound. Foresight practitioners can learn greatly from the book’s in-depth discussion.