The Nature of Order
Book One: The Phenomenon of Life
Christopher Alexander
Series Context
The four books of The Nature of Order constitute the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth in a series of books which describe an entirely new attitude to architecture and building. The books are intended to provide a complete working alternative to our present ideas about architecture, building, and planning.
- Volume 1: The Timeless Way of Building
- Volume 2: A Pattern Language
- Volume 3: The Oregon Experiment
- Volume 4: The Linz Cafe
- Volume 5: The Production of Houses
- Volume 6: A New Theory of Urban Design
- Volume 7: A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art
- Volume 8: The Mary Rose Museum
- Volumes 9-12: The Nature of Order
Book One
Contents
- PrologueThe Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe
- Preface
- Part One
- 1The Phenomenon of Life
- 2Degrees of Life
- 3Wholeness and the Theory of Centers
- 4How Life Comes from Wholeness
- 5Fifteen Fundamental Properties
- 6The Fifteen Properties in Nature
- Part Two
- 7The Personal Nature of Order
- 8The Mirror of the Self
- 9Beyond Descartes: A New Form of Scientific Observation
- 10The Impact of Living Structure on Human Life
- 11The Awakening of Space
- Conclusion
- AppendicesMathematical Aspects of Wholeness and Living Structure
Dedication
To my beloved mother, who died many years ago;
To my dear father, who has always helped me and inspired me;
To my darlings Lily and Sophie;
And to my dear wife Pamela, who gave them to me, and who shares them with me.
These books are a summary of what I have understood about the world in the sixty-third year of my life.