The physics of life The evolution of everything

Adrian Bejan, 1948-

Book - 2016

"The Physics of Life illuminates the meaning of evolution in its broadest scientific sense and empowers the reader with a new view of the intertwined movement of all life -- evolution is more than biological. The same physical effect is present in all patterns and flows -- from population growth, to air traffic, to government expansion, to the urge for better ideas. Evolution is everywhere, and the same elegant principles of physics apply to all things. Every animal and human wants power. From power comes movement: body movement, internal flow (pumping blood, and air), external flow (locomotion, migration), and safety such as warmth, drinkable water, health and the construction of highways and steel beams that do not break when we walk... or drive on them. The growth and spread of civilization is the flow of more power to more individuals, for greater movement. And everyone wants more power. That desire to improve, to organize, to join, to convince others and to affect change is a trait we all share, and the freedom to change is what makes all evolution not only possible but mandatory"--

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Subjects
Published
New York City : St. Martins Press 2016.]
Language
English
Main Author
Adrian Bejan, 1948- (author)
Physical Description
x, 261 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9781250078827
  • Preface
  • 1. The Life Question
  • 2. What All the World Desires
  • 3. Wealth as Movement with Purpose
  • 4. Technology Evolution
  • 5. Sports Evolution
  • 6. City Evolution
  • 7. Growth
  • 8. Politics, Science and Design Change
  • 9. The Arrow of Time
  • 10. The Death Question
  • 11. Life and Evolution as Physics
  • Appendix to Chapter 5
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Author
  • Notes
  • Index
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In this quirky, occasionally ingenious work, Bejan (Design in Nature), a professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University, explores evolution as a phenomenon not of biology but of physics. He proposes "the constructal law" that defines life as anything that moves and evolves, including rivers, cities, snowflakes, and lightning, as well as humans, other creatures, and human culture. When movement stops, life ends. Having set out this provocative idea, Bejan spends half a dozen chapters discussing phenomena that evolve according to his definition. Readers undeterred by equations, tables, and graphs will learn that constructal law supposedly explains the advance of technology, growth of cities, increasing skill of athletes, and inevitability of death. These explanations are not for the faint of heart and the work betrays the type of efficiency fetishism that only an engineer could espouse. Applying mathematics and the hard sciences to such disciplines as history, economics, literature, or human behavior has a long and undistinguished history; Bejan's enthusiasm is obvious, but readers with fortitude and technical knowledge will find stimulating theories mixed with errors, and poor philosophical and sociopolitical reasoning presented as deeply significant but without special insights. Agent: Don Fehr, Trident Media Group. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Known for his work on constructal law, which describes the development of natural and human-made structures, Bejan (mechanical engineering, Duke Univ.) here delves deep into the intersection of scientific disciplines, exploring the physics behind biological systems. He explains how the flow of power fuels the growth of all things, from the weight of the human brain to the traffic patterns of cities. The author uses examples such as the height of runners, the span of a swimmer's hand, and the slenderness of a cat's legs to clarify how size governs movement. Connections are made between the progress of large-scale systems (e.g., human civilizations) and smaller systems (e.g., how products are grouped on a grocery store shelf), revealing the common patterns in the current that links all processes of life. While this volume is filled with everyday examples, readers not well versed in scientific concepts may have difficulty following Bejan's models. VERDICT This extensive, multidisciplinary book will be well suited to habitual science readers and academic audiences.-Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Renowned energy scientist Bejan (Mechanical Engineering/Duke Univ.; co-author: Design in Nature, 2013, etc.) reorients the query "what is life" within the perspective of physics.Founder of the "constructal law," which holds that "power and dissipation conspire to facilitate all movement on earth, animate and inanimate, animal, human, and machine," the author elegantly argues that evolution transcends the boundaries of the biological and governs the flow of all phenomena. His theory both reorients how we think of physics, shifting focus from the effect of the individual to a necessary entanglement of the whole, and also empowers us to consider "life" as all manifestations of forward flow. From this perspective, Bejan analyzes such myriad subjects as athletics, technology, migratory patterns, and even the ice volume of snowflakes to prove his pointwhich he does well and often throughout the book. In compelling and mostly nontechnical language, he argues, "the live system has flow, organization, freedom to change, and evolution." From this, agency derives power, and from power comes movement, a symbiosis that is the manifestation of the "life laws" of physics in living and nonliving things. While it may take a careful rereading of certain chapters to truly grasp the author's novel unifying theory, it is worth the effort, as his book-length proof is at once riveting and poetic. Rarely are scientists capable of translating esoteric concepts in such broad strokes without losing coherence, but Bejan's persistent focus on the details brings the constructal law to life via the everyday. In the end, his blend of science and the philosophy of design (among other disciplines) is convincing and may just shift your perspective of self. Unique and entirely fascinating, this book will linger in your consciousness and prompt you to look at the world with fresh eyes. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.