DOMINIC W. MASSARO, editor
University of California, Santa Cruz

Through the Eye of a Needle

Changing Mind: Transitions in Natural and Artificial Environments
By Franco F. Orsucci. Studies of Nonlinear Phenomena in Life Science (Vol. 9). Singapore: World Scientific, 2002. 209 pp. Cloth, $52.

The back cover of Changing Mind states, "This book applies complexity theory to cognitive science, and the result is a transformation of this field. It proposes a biophysical theory of human relations, attempting to expand all its implications (for research and industry). It presents the potential clinical applications of this theory in neuroscience and clinical psychology "a general theory of mind change." I am aware that one needs to sell books, and so the cover blurb often exaggerates the content, but even after a careful read I found it difficult to pin down exactly what this theory is. I also struggled to see the data from which the theory was derived or the evidence that is needed to corroborate it. Orsucci does not really get his hands dirty by dealing with actual data or evidence. His style is a little different.