This volume presents essays by pioneering thinkers including Tyler Burge, Gregory Chaitin, Daniel Dennett, Barry Mazur, Nicholas Humphrey, John Searle and Ian Stewart.

This book addresses key conceptual issues relating to the modern scientific and engineering use of computer simulations. It addresses a broad set of questions, from the nature of computer simulations to their role in understanding our surrounding world, including the many scientific and ethical implications of using computer simulations.

This book explores fascinating topics at the edge of life, guiding the reader all the way from the relation of life processes to the second law of thermodynamics and the abundance of complex organic compounds in the universe through to the latest advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.