Nature’s Magic presents a bold new vision of the evolutionary process — from the Big Bang to the 21st century. Synergy of various kinds is not only a ubiquitous aspect of the natural world but it has also been a wellspring of creativity and the “driver” of the broad evolutionary trend toward increased complexity, in nature and human societies alike. But in contrast with the many theories of emergence of complexity that rely on some underlying force or “law,” the “Synergism Hypothesis,” as Peter Corning calls it, is in essence an economic theory of biological complexity; it is fully consistent with mainstream evolutionary biology. Corning refers to it as Holistic Darwinism. Among the many important insights that are provided by this new paradigm, Corning presents a scenario in which the human species invented itself; synergistic behavioral and technological innovations were the “pacemakers” of our biological evolution. Synergy has also been the key to the evolution of complex modern societies, he concludes. The final chapter addresses our current challenges and future prospects.

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1. Holistic Darwinism: Synergy, Cybernetics, and the Bioeconomics of Evolution. By Peter A. Corning. Chicago University Press.
2. Darwinism and its Discontents. By Michael Ruse. Cambridge University Press.
3. Adapting Minds: Evolutionary Psychology and the Persistent Quest for Human Nature. By David J. Buller. MIT Press.
4. Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe 900-1900. By Alfred W. Crosby. Cambridge University Press.
5. The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Middle Ages I: 350-950. By Robert Fossier, ed. Cambridge University Press.