The Future of Life: A Unified Theory of Evolution

David Hunter Tow

Future of Life Media, Sep 11, 2010 - Science

The Future of Life: A Unified Theory of Evolution represents the first comprehensive formulation of the hypothesis that evolution is the unifying force underlying the dynamics of all processes in the universe- both organic and inorganic.

In essence by combining information, decision, network and quantum theory, it is demonstrated that an overarching evolutionry process shapes the spectrum of life and all phenomena in the universe, beyond Darwin's original biological theory.

Contents

• Introduction: 8
• Preface: 10
• Acknowledgements: 12
• Chapter 1: 14
• Convergence and Contingency: 15
• Systems and Survival: 19
• Form and Function: 21
• Coping with Complexity: 24
• The Social Dimension: 26
• Evolutions Awesome Outcomes: 27
• Expanding Minds: 28
• Mimicking Evolution: 30
• Scientific Sensibility: 31
• Brave New Worlds: 32
• Getting a Life: 33
• MetaEvolution and the Golden Braid: 37
• Evolutions Potential: 39
• Apocalypse or Epiphany: 41
• Chapter 2: 42
• In the Beginning: 43
• The Three Rs: 48
• Writing It Down: 50
• Getting a Voice: 52
• Living Language: 55
• Rest and Recreation: 56
• Coming Home: 59
• Sowing the Seeds: 63
• City Living: 66
• Moving Ahead: 70
• Nation Building: 72
• Running the Empire: 73
• Capitalism and Culture: 78
• A Seamless Web: 82
• Religious Revolution: 83
• Chapter 3: 87
• Road to Democracy Let There Be Light: 88
• Out of Poverty Signs of Hope: 102
• Capitalism and Class The Power Game: 108
• New World Order: 112
• Global Warming The End of the Beginning?: 115
• A Smarter Civilisation: 120
• A New Economic Paradigm: 121
• HyperGlobalisation The Perfect Storm: 124
• World Decision Hub: 127
• Free Trade Fair Trade: 129
• Partnering for the Planet: 132
• The Corporate Conscience: 139
• War Peace Road to Reconciliation: 141
• Morality and Mores: 158
• Social Futures: 165
• Chapter 4: 168
• The Evolution of Complexity: 169
• Origins of life: 170
• Creating the Template: 171
• Creating Life: 173
• Unravelling the Code: 174
• The Web of Life: 175
• Then There Were Three: 178
• Life Makes its Move: 180
• The Splice of Life: 182
• Fast Tracking Evolution: 186
• Proteomics The Next Frontier: 190
• Patterns of Life: 191
• Mind Games Evolution of Self: 195
• Knowing the Other: 199
• The Bayesian Brain: 201
• Future Health: 203
• Beyond Biology Tomorrows Life: 209
• Chapter 5: 215
• Communicating with Gods: 218
• World Creation Mythologies: 219
• The Oldest Religion: 223
• The Evolution of Morality: 225
• Refurbishing Religion: 227
• Big Gods Little Gods: 234
• First There Was the Word: 238
• Breaking Up is Easy to Do: 247
• The Future of Religion: 251
• Enigma of Meaning: 255
• Reinventing Religion: 256
• Fundamentalisms Flawed Fantasies: 257
• Religions End Game: 258
• Chapter 6: 260
• New World Order: 264
• Material Drivers: 265
• The Great Knowledge Debate: 268
• Science and Secularism: 270
• The Becoming Universe: 272
• The Twain Shall Meet: 275
• End of Certainty: 278
• Myths and Toes: 283
• Star Stuff: 284
• Getting to Know the Neighbourhood: 286
• Going Cosmic: 288
• Designing the Universe: 289
• Demolishing Design: 292
• The Big Picture: 294
• Creation with a Bang: 296
• Bouncing Back: 300
• Scene of the Crime: 302
• Location Location: 303
• Lifes Best Bet: 304
• The Third Way: 308
• The Shape of Things: 310
• The Fabric of Spacetime: 314
• The Dark Empire: 316
• Many Worlds One Multiverse: 320
• Weaving the Universe: 324
• Living in the Matrix: 327
• Making the Laws: 329
• The Search for Reality: 331
• Bridge Over Troubled Waters: 334
• Back to Basics: 335
• Gauging Reality: 337
• Grand Illusions: 340
• A Higher Order: 342
• Strings and Things: 343
• Gravity Comes In From the Cold: 345
• Hidden Dimensions: 347
• Loop the Loop Without a Safety Net: 349
• Lets Twist Again: 351
• Realising Reality: 352
• Truth and Beauty: 356
• The Information Imperative: 359
• Energy from Information: 363
• Mind Expanders: 365
• The Web Comes to Life: 366
• Virtual Potential: 380
• Evolutionary Cornucopia: 383
• Times Eternal Tao: 385
• Chapter 7: 394
• Open System Characteristics: 397
• Selforganising Systems: 399
• The Biological Connection: 400
• The Quantum Information Connection: 403
• The Unitary Quantum Connection: 406
• Reducing Complexity: 408
• The Causal Cosmic Connection: 409
• The Condensed Matter Physics Connection: 413
• The Symmetry Connection: 414
• Cause and Effect: 416
• Quantum Networks: 417
• The Grand Synthesis: 418
• Imprinting Life: 422
• Selecting Life: 423
• Chapter 8: 424
• Quantum Darwinism: 425
• From Prelife to Life: 427
• Evolving Spacetime: 429
• Fast Tracking Evolution: 431
• Life An Efficient Information Processor: 433
• Constructal Theory: 435
• Bacteria Evolution: 436
• Red Queen Evolution: 437
• Galactic Evolution: 438
• Evolution of the Superorganism: 440
• Evolutionary Economics: 441
• Group Evolution: 444
• Evolution as Physics: 446
• Chapter 9: 448
• Evolution Mark 2: 454
• Everyones a Winner: 456
• Birth of Omega: 458
• Crossing the Rubicon: 459
• Impeaching Deity: 461
• A Brighter World: 462
• A Portrait of Omega: 464
• One Big Family: 467
• The Future of Life: 469
• The Meaning of Life: 470
• The Last Tortoise: 472
• Bibliography Selected References: 473
• Index: 478
• Book Summary: 483

About the author

David Hunter Tow is an international science communicator- author, blogger and video producer, futurist, knowledge engineer and social activist.

His major project and passion - The Future of life- A Unified Theory of Evolution postulates that evolution is a generic process at the information level- beyond biology, guiding all other processes in and including the universe.  

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Future of Life: A Unified Theory of Evolution; Volume 1 of Future of Life Series
• Author: David Hunter Tow
• Publisher: Future of Life Media, 2010
• Subjects: Science / General