Why are living things alive? As a theoretical biologist, Robert Rosen saw this as the most fundamental of all questions-and yet it had never been answered satisfactorily by science. The answers to this question would allow humanity to make an enormous leap forward in our understanding of the principles at work in our world.

For centuries, it was believed that the only scientific approach to the question What is life? must proceed from the Cartesian metaphor (organism as machine). Classical approaches in science, which also borrow heavily from Newtonian mechanics, are based on a process called reductionism. The thinking was that we can better learn about an intricate, complicated system (like an organism) if we take it apart, study the components, and then reconstruct the system-thereby gaining an understanding of the whole.

However, Rosen argues that reductionism does not work in biology and ignores the complexity of organisms. Life Itself, a landmark work, represents the scientific and intellectual journey that led Rosen to question reductionism and develop new scientific approaches to understanding the nature of life. Ultimately, Rosen proposes an answer to the original question about the causal basis of life in organisms. He asserts that renouncing the mechanistic and reductionistic paradigm does not mean abandoning science. Instead, Rosen offers an alternate paradigm for science that takes into account the relational impacts of organization in natural systems and is based on organized matter rather than on particulate matter alone.

Central to Rosen's work is the idea of a complex system, defined as any system that cannot be fully understood by reducing it to its parts. In this sense, complexity refers to the causal impact of organization on the system as a whole. Since both the atom and the organism can be seen to fit that description, Rosen asserts that complex organization is a general feature not just of the biosphere on Earth-but of the universe itself.

By all appearances, John Lennon was working on a tell-all memoir in the final years of his life. Every day he poured into diaries his raw thoughts and feelings-about his jealous rivalry with Paul McCartney; his tumultuous marriage to Yoko Ono; his love for his sons, Julian and Sean; his hatred of the music business; his escape into programmed dreams; his acerbic opinions of England and America.

Written by one of the few people to have read those diaries, and based on decades of research, Nowhere Man takes you on a journey through Lennon's consciousness. Covering a range of topics close to John's heart, from Abbey Road to the zodiac, the book offers vivid insights into his extraordinary life. It examines his passion for money, his forceful rejection of a Beatles reunion, his drug use, his forays into the occult, his brief acceptance of Jesus, and his solitary struggle in the Dakota to create a meaningful life in the glaring spotlight of fame. A portrait of an artist in turmoil striving to reconnect with his muse-which culminates with the release of Double Fantasy, his final album-Nowhere Man is an unforgettable look at Lennon's last years and the tragic fate of a beloved cultural icon whose transcendent music changed the world.

Compiling twenty articles on the nature of life and on the objective of the natural sciences, this remarkable book complements Robert Rosen's groundbreaking Life Itself--a work that influenced a wide range of philosophers, biologists, linguists, and social scientists. In Essays on Life Itself, Rosen takes to task the central objective of the natural sciences, calling into question the attempt to create objectivity in a subjective world and forcing us to reconsider where science can lead us in the years to come.

Why are living things alive? As a theoretical biologist, Robert Rosen saw this as the most fundamental of all questions-and yet it had never been answered satisfactorily by science. The answers to this question would allow humanity to make an enormous leap forward in our understanding of the principles at work in our world.

For centuries, it was believed that the only scientific approach to the question What is life? must proceed from the Cartesian metaphor (organism as machine). Classical approaches in science, which also borrow heavily from Newtonian mechanics, are based on a process called reductionism. The thinking was that we can better learn about an intricate, complicated system (like an organism) if we take it apart, study the components, and then reconstruct the system-thereby gaining an understanding of the whole.

However, Rosen argues that reductionism does not work in biology and ignores the complexity of organisms. Life Itself, a landmark work, represents the scientific and intellectual journey that led Rosen to question reductionism and develop new scientific approaches to understanding the nature of life. Ultimately, Rosen proposes an answer to the original question about the causal basis of life in organisms. He asserts that renouncing the mechanistic and reductionistic paradigm does not mean abandoning science. Instead, Rosen offers an alternate paradigm for science that takes into account the relational impacts of organization in natural systems and is based on organized matter rather than on particulate matter alone.

Central to Rosen's work is the idea of a complex system, defined as any system that cannot be fully understood by reducing it to its parts. In this sense, complexity refers to the causal impact of organization on the system as a whole. Since both the atom and the organism can be seen to fit that description, Rosen asserts that complex organization is a general feature not just of the biosphere on Earth-but of the universe itself.

A darkly comic and deeply moving memoir of a New York City lost to time

From the final days of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the mid-1950s to the arrival of the Beatles in 1964, Bobby in Naziland is an unsentimental journey through one Brooklyn neighborhood. Though a 20 minute and 15-cent subway ride from the skyscrapers of Manhattan, Flatbush remained provincial and working-class--a place where Auschwitz survivors and WWII vets lived side by side and the war lingered like a mass hallucination.

Meet Bobby, a local kid who shares a shabby apartment with his status-conscious mother and bigoted father, a soda jerk haunted by memories of the Nazi death camp he helped liberate. Flatbush, to Bobby, is a world of brawls with neighborhood punks, Hebrew-school tales of Adolf Eichmann's daring capture, and grade-school duck-and-cover drills. Drawn to images of mushroom clouds and books about executions, Bobby ultimately turns the seething hatred he senses everywhere against himself.

From a perch in his father's candy store, Bobby provides a child's-eye view of the mid-20th-century American experience--a poignant intertwining of the personal and historical.

A darkly comic and deeply moving story of a New York City lost to time.

From the final days of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the mid-1950s to the arrival of the Beatles in 1964, A Brooklyn Memoir is an unsentimental journey through one rough-and-tumble working-class neighborhood. Though only a 20-minute and 15-cent subway ride from the gleaming towers of Manhattan across the East River, Flatbush remained insular and provincial--a place where Auschwitz survivors and WWII vets lived side by side and the war lingered like a mass hallucination.

Meet Bobby, a local kid who shares a shabby apartment with his status-conscious mother and bigoted father, a soda jerk haunted by memories of the Nazi death camp he helped liberate. Flatbush, to Bobby, is a world of brawls with neighborhood punks, Hebrew school tales of Adolf Eichmann's daring capture, and grade school duck-and-cover drills. Drawn to images of mushroom clouds and books about executions, Bobby ultimately turns the seething hatred he senses everywhere against himself.

From a perch in his father's candy store, Bobby provides a child's-eye view of the mid-20th-century American experience--a poignant intertwining of the personal and historical.

From the bestselling author of Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon.

Formerly published under the title Bobby in Naziland.

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.

Compiling twenty articles on the nature of life and on the objective of the natural sciences, this remarkable book complements Robert Rosen's groundbreaking Life Itself--a work that influenced a wide range of philosophers, biologists, linguists, and social scientists. In Essays on Life Itself, Rosen takes to task the central objective of the natural sciences, calling into question the attempt to create objectivity in a subjective world and forcing us to reconsider where science can lead us in the years to come.

Zoe and Zak clean the house. However, Zak keeps making a mess. Will they ever get the house clean?

The boy and girl want to play in the snow. But, they can't decide what to do. Will they be able to find something they both enjoy?

What is your favorite sport? Oscar and Olivia are watching the Olympics. Find out what each country's flag looks like and what sport they are good at. This title focuses on alphabetic principle and phonemic awareness. Paired to the nonfiction title Join a Team.

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.