Erwin Schroedinger has been described as one of the greatest figures of theoretical physics, but there is another side to the man: not only did his work revolutionize physics, it also radically changed the foundations of our modern world-view, modern biology, philosophy of science, philosophy of the mind, and epistemology. This book explores the lesser-known aspects of Schroedinger's thought, revealing the physicist as a philosopher and polymath whose ideas anticipated the current merging of the natural and the social sciences and the humanities. 13 renowned scientists and philosophers have contributed to the volume. Part I reveals the philosophical importance of Schroedinger's work as a physicist. Part II examines his theory of life and of the self-organization of matter. Part III shows how Schroedinger's ideas have influenced contemporary philosophy of nature and our modern view of the world, drawing a picture of the ongoing synthesis of nature and culture.

After the unification of physical theories in a grand unified theory, the theories of evolution began to unify not only all social sciences but also the natural with the social sciences. This text provides an analysis of the new trends which lead into the 21st century, together with a critique of the received view. Presented here are 16 papers, two of which written by Nobel laureates. The first part, "Characteristic Features in Economic Science", criticizes the present status of traditional economic theories. "Discovery, Creativity, Cognition, and Computation: Basic Structure", the second part, opens up perspectives for the role of the new dynamic structures for the modern social sciences and philosophy. Part III, "Towards a Science of Man and Society: Philosophical and Methodological Foundations", offers the philosophical consequences that are triggered by the breakthrough of modern ideas.