Out of Control (Kelly book)

Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World is a non-fiction book written by Kevin Kelly, published in 1994. It explores the convergence of technology, biology, and sociology, arguing that these domains are becoming increasingly interconnected and sharing common principles.

The book examines concepts like decentralized systems, emergent behavior, artificial life, neural networks, swarm intelligence, and evolutionary computation. Kelly proposes that these concepts, observed in natural systems, are increasingly relevant to understanding and designing complex technological and social systems.

Out of Control suggests a shift from centralized control and top-down management to more distributed, adaptive, and self-organizing approaches. It posits that relinquishing some degree of control can lead to more robust, resilient, and innovative systems. The book's influence can be seen in fields such as distributed computing, robotics, organizational theory, and the study of complex adaptive systems.