This long-awaited work from one of the world's most  respected scientists presents a series of dramatic discoveries never  before made public. Starting from a collection of simple computer  experiments---illustrated in the book by striking computer  graphics---Wolfram shows how their unexpected results force a whole  new way of looking at the operation of our universe.    Wolfram uses his approach to tackle a remarkable array of fundamental  problems in science: from the origin of the Second Law of  thermodynamics, to the development of complexity in biology, the  computational limitations of mathematics, the possibility of a truly  fundamental theory of physics, and the interplay between free will and  determinism.    Written with exceptional clarity, and illustrated by more than a  thousand original pictures, this seminal book allows scientists and  non-scientists alike to participate in what promises to be a major  intellectual revolution.