Bookdesign 2010@G2K
One of the greatest discoveries of recent times is that the complex patterns we
find in life are often produced when all of the individuals in a group follow the
same simple rule. This 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. The coordinated movements
of fish in shoals, for example, arise from the simple rule: “Follow the fish in front.”
Traffic flow arises from simple rules: “Keep your distance” and “Keep to the right.”