Written by Simon Garnier on March 3, 2010 – 3:03 pm • Filed Under Book, Social behavior, Swarm Intelligence

In their March issue, Nature and Scientific American Mind review a recently published book, "The Perfect Swarm: The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life", written by Len Fisher and edited by Basic Books. Both reviews are globally good and I already ordered a copy of the book to check their reliability.

Hereafter is the summary of this book:

   One of the greatest discoveries of recent times is that the complex patterns we find in life are often produced when all of the individuals in a group follow the same simple rule. This process of “self-organization” reveals itself in the inanimate worlds of crystals and seashells, but as Len Fisher shows, it is also evident in living organisms, from fish to ants to human beings. The coordinated movements of fish in shoals, for example, arise from the simple rule: “Follow the fish in front.” Traffic flow arises from simple rules: “Keep your distance” and “Keep to the right.”
   Now, in his new book, Fisher shows how we can manage our complex social lives in an ever more chaotic world. His investigation encompasses topics ranging from “swarm intelligence” to the science of parties and the best ways to start a fad. Finally, Fisher sheds light on the beauty and utility of complexity theory. An entertaining journey into the science of everyday life, The Perfect Swarm will delight anyone who wants to understand the complex situations in which we so often find ourselves.

Review in nature can be found here: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v464/n7285/full/464035a.html.

Review in Scientific American Mind can be found here: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-reviews-the-perfect-swarm.