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        riddles >> general problem-solving / chatting / whatever >> Mathematician Looks at Wolfram's NKS
        
(Message started by: Barukh on Jun 16^th, 2004, 5:07am)

Title: Mathematician Looks at Wolfram's NKS
Post by Barukh on Jun 16^th, 2004, 5:07am

Quite an interesting review (http://www.ams.org/notices/200302/fea-gray.pdf) of the "New Kind of Science" book, with additional references.

Note S. Wolfram's resistance to publish some important result in Complexity Theory proved by one of his former employees (p. 204).

Title: Re: Mathematician Looks at Wolfram's NKS
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on Jun 16^th, 2004, 8:10am

And here (http://www.nybooks.com/articles/15762) is one by a celebrated physicist.

Title: Re: Mathematician Looks at Wolfram's NKS
Post by SWF on Jan 16^th, 2005, 3:33pm

Last year I checked this book out of the library. Part of the reason it is so thick is that the author keeps repeating the same things, mainly variations on, "Complexity can arise from simple rules" and statements overemphasizing the importance and originality of the material in the book.

Some of the results presented are mildly interesting, but the real amusment comes from the grandiose claims and self promotion of the author. One of more memorable parts concerns human free will, where he writes something like, "Throughout history mankind has struggled with the question of free will. Thanks to my revolutionary ideas presented in the book, we are finally able to answer such fundamental questions..."