Note: Physics of Self-Organization and Evolution -- Contents -- Preface -- 1 Introduction to the Field of Self-Organization -- 1.1 Basic Concepts -- 1.2 History of Evolution as a Short Story -- 1.3 Structure, Self-organization, and Complexity -- 1.4 Entropy, Equilibrium, and Nonequilibrium -- 1.5 Dynamics, Stability, and Instability -- 1.6 Self-Organization of Information and Values -- 2 Fundamental Laws of Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics -- 2.1 The Thermodynamic Way of Describing Nature - Basic Variables -- 2.2 Three Fundamental Laws and the Gibbs Relation of Thermodynamics -- 2.3 Thermodynamic Potentials, Inequalities, and Variational Principles -- 2.4 Irreversible Processes and Self-Organization -- 2.5 Irreversible Radiation Transport -- 2.6 Irreversible Processes and Fluctuations -- 2.7 Toward a Thermodynamics of Small Systems Far from Equilibrium -- 3 Evolution of Earth and the Terrestrial Climate -- 3.1 The Photon Mill -- 3.2 Black-Body Radiation Model of Earth -- 3.3 Local Seasonal Response -- 3.4 Atmospheric Cooling Rate -- 3.5 Black-Body Model with Atmosphere -- 3.6 Humidity and Latent Heat -- 3.7 Greenhouse Effect -- 3.8 Spatial Structure of the Planet -- 3.9 Early Evolution of Earth -- 4 Nonlinear Dynamics, Instabilities, and Fluctuations -- 4.1 State Space, Dynamic Systems, and Graphs -- 4.2 Deterministic Dynamic Systems -- 4.3 Stochastic Models for Continuous Variables and Predictability -- 4.4 Graphs - Mathematical Models of Structures and Networks -- 4.5 Stochastic Models for Discrete Variables -- 4.6 Stochastic Processes on Networks -- 5 Self-Reproduction, Multistability, and Information Transfer as Basic Mechanisms of Evolution -- 5.1 The Role of Self-Reproduction and Multistability -- 5.2 Deterministic Models of Self-Reproduction and Bistability -- 5.3 Stochastic Theory of Birth-and-Death Processes. , 5.4 Stochastic Analysis of the Survival of the New -- 5.5 Survival of the New in Bistable Systems -- 5.6 Multistability, Information Storage, and Information Transfer -- 6 Competition and Selection Processes -- 6.1 Discussion of Basic Terms -- 6.2 Extremum Principles -- 6.3 Dynamical Models with Simple Competition -- 6.4 Stochastic of Simple Competition Processes -- 6.5 Competition in Species Networks -- 6.6 Selection and Coexistence -- 6.7 Hyperselection -- 6.8 Selection in Ecological Systems -- 6.9 Selection with Sexual Replication -- 6.10 Selection between Microreactors -- 6.11 Selection in Social Systems -- 7 Models of Evolution Processes -- 7.1 Sequence-Evolution Models -- 7.2 Evolution on Fitness Landscapes -- 7.3 Evolution on Smooth Fisher-Eigen Landscapes -- 7.4 Evolution on Random Fisher-Eigen Landscapes -- 7.5 Evolution on Lotka-Volterra Landscapes -- 7.6 Axiomatic Evolution Models -- 7.7 Boolean Behavior in the Positive Cone -- 7.8 Axiomatic Description of a Boolean Reaction System -- 7.9 Reducible, Linear, and Ideal Boolean Reaction Systems -- 7.10 Minor and Major of a Boolean Reaction System -- 7.11 Selection and Evolution in Boolean Reaction Systems -- 8 Self-Organization of Information and Symbols -- 8.1 Symbolic Information -- 8.2 Structural Information -- 8.3 Extracting Structural Information -- 8.4 Physical Properties of Symbols -- 8.5 Properties of the Ritualization Transition -- 8.6 Genetic Code -- 8.7 Sexual Recombination -- 8.8 Morphogenesis -- 8.9 Neuronal Networks -- 8.10 Spoken Language -- 8.11 Possession -- 8.12 Written Language -- 8.13 Money -- 9 On the Origin of Life -- 9.1 Catalytic Cascades in Underoccupied Networks -- 9.2 Formation of Spatial Compartments -- 9.3 Replicating Chain Molecules -- 9.4 Molecular Information Processing -- 9.5 Darwinian Evolution -- 10 Conclusion and Outlook. , 10.1 Basic Physical Concepts and Results -- 10.2 Quo Vadis Evolutio? -- References -- Index.