Tree of Knowledge
by Francisco Varela, Humberto R. Maturana
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Book Summary Information
Author: Francisco Varela, Humberto R. MaturanaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1992-03-31
ISBN: 0877736421
Number of pages: 269
Publisher: Shambhala
Book Reviews of Tree of Knowledge
Book Review: Difficult philosophical premises, so it's recommended for the philosophically inclined
Summary: 3 Stars
I am afraid I did not enjoy this book as much as I should have, since I found its philosophical premises too difficult to understand. For people with less difficulties in following philosophical twists and reasoning, this book will probably give them new insights or alternative views to the process of knowledge.
The first half of the book is quite good, it explains "autopoiesis", a characteristic of living organisms by which their main activity is "generating themselves". It explains this "autopoietic" property as defining living organisms (for other equally challenging and astonishing elements that define life I recommend Life Itself: Exploring the Realm of the Living Cell) and Stuart Kauffman's Investigations. Then it explains how organisms interact with their environment and how other organisms within that environment are also part of it and therefore also interact with the organism. The environment shapes the evolution of the organisms, but it is also true the other way around: organisms shape their environment. This is explained with the analogy of raindrops flowing down a mountainside, the characteristics of the terrain determine the raindrops' path, but the raindrops leave a mark on the terrain that further influences new raindrops' paths. For other interesting accounts of evolutionary systems and the mutual interaction with the organisms that conform them see Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics. Microcosmos: Four Billion Years of Microbial Evolution is an excellent account of how microorganisms re-shaped the chemical composition of our planet and Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity explains the concept starting from the chemical and physical point of view. Mr. Kauffman calls it co-evolution between the biosphere and the organisms that are part of it.
Then the explanation shifts towards the nervous system and how it cannot be autonomous but belongs to an organism. The way the brain is constructed is shaped by the environment and shapes it also back. Up to here everything was more or less ok. From the previous explanations, the author concludes that "knowing is bringing forth a world", "The world exists in our knowing together with others and due to our mutual love" or something like that, I do not remember the exact wording but it seemed difficult to me. It may have to do with my "school" English, which is probably not good enough to understand philosophical nuances, but I definitely did not understand the second part of the book, nor how the first part was linked with the second. What does "bringing forth a world" mean, how does it manifest itself and what has love got to do with it? His ethical implications are fine (love is always a good thing and being good to others and to the environment is also excellent). For me his ethical propositions can stand alone, I mean they are valid independently of the rest of the theory, I just could not follow what this has to do with knowing.
The author really seems to be giving an alternative view to mainstream neuroscience of knowledge, unfortunately I could not grasp it, but I am sure other readers will, and they might find it refreshing and comforting, at least that's the impression it gave me. (For an excellent explanation of the neuroscience of learning and memory without the philosophy read In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind).
Summary of Tree of Knowledge
"Knowing how we know" is the subject of this book. Its authors present a new view of cognition that has important social and ethical implications, for, they assert, the only world we humans can have is the one we create together through the actions of our coexistence. Written for a general audience as well as for students, scholars, and scientists and abundantly illustrated with examples from biology, linguistics, and new social and cultural phenomena, this revised edition includes a new afterword by Dr. Varela, in which he discusses the effect the book has had in the years since its first publication.Psychology & Counseling Books
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