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Closing human evolutionlife in the u...

Kovac, Ladislav.

Closing human evolutionlife in the ultimate age /

Record Type:	Electronic resources : Monograph/item
Title/Author:	Closing human evolutionby Ladislav Kovac.
Reminder of title:	life in the ultimate age /
Author:	Kovac, Ladislav.
Published:	Cham :Springer International Publishing :2015.
Description:	x, 125 p. :ill., digital ;24 cm.
Contained By:	Springer eBooks
Subject:	Evolution (Biology)
Online resource:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20660-8
ISBN:	9783319206608$q(electronic bk.)

Closing human evolutionlife in the ultimate age /
Kovac, Ladislav.

Closing human evolutionlife in the ultimate age /[electronic resource] :by Ladislav Kovac. - Cham :Springer International Publishing :2015. - x, 125 p. :ill., digital ;24 cm. - SpringerBriefs in evolutionary biology,2192-8134. - SpringerBriefs in evolutionary biology..

Prelude -- First movement. Life as a cosmic imperative -- Second movement. Evolutionary uniqueness of humans -- Third movement -- The ultimate optimism: Finitics -- Finale.

This volume analyses the evolution of humankind by combining approaches from science and the arts. It offers a novel perspective on the evolution of life on Earth, based on a recent reformulation of the second law of thermodynamics in terms of the "maximum entropy production principle." In essence, the Earth is but one of many "white holes" in the universe, where life functions as a specific arrangement for the rapid dissipation of energy gradients by generating self-organized structures. Evolution of life in the universe is a creative process of increasing complexity as a Bayesian ratchet of knowledge accumulation, advancing in an evolutionary maze characterized by myriad blind alleys. On Earth, the human species has progressed more than any other by creating artefacts that have become both agents and products of in our cumulative cultural evolution. Culture has dramatically enhanced the rate of dissipation of energy gradients. Extrapolating from the acceleration of cultural evolution suggests that humanity will reach the Civilization Singularity in the middle of the 21st century, a point in time at which the rate of changes, and hence their unpredictability and uncontrollability, will converge to infinity. Humankind has now entered the ultimate age, in which the exuberance and splendour of human feats may be metaphorically likened to fireworks. The author highlights a new role of scientists as intellectuals who can create "music for the fireworks" by analysing the consequences of the astounding dynamics in order to make the closing phase of human evolution a sublime one marked by minimal political and social tensions.

ISBN: 9783319206608$q(electronic bk.)

Standard No.: 10.1007/978-3-319-20660-8doiSubjects--Topical Terms:

178176
Evolution (Biology)

LC Class. No.: QH366.2

Dewey Class. No.: 576.8

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