Chaisson's book is an exploration of the consequences of an expanding universe - an exploration that leads to the conclusion that it is the very expansion of the universe that is (almost literally) the engine of creation.
First, Chaisson provides an introduction to the nature of change. He starts out simply enough looking at time and quantum probability, but then turns toward open systems and the "spontaneous order" (or "dissipative structure") consequences of gradients (both thermal and otherwise) in such systems when the second law of thermodynamics kicks in and attempts to drive the system toward equilibrium. This review of the basics sets the stage for Chaisson's ultimate contribution.
Chaisson then moves on to the history of the universe. Taking things a bit out of order, he starts with what he terms the "Matter" period. Here, he covers the cosmology of matter, discussing topics such as the material evidence for an expanding universe, what this tells us about the age of the universe, and so on.
From there, Chaisson reverses field to an earlier period that he calls the "Radiation" period. This period starts with the big bang and revolves around what happens to energy at different densities. For example, at the highest possible densities, energy is just a homogeneous blob. At lower densities, fundamental particles begin precipitating out forming a plasma. At lower densities still, the precipitation stops and these particles begin collecting together into atomic structures and such. And given that the universe is expanding, energy runs through the entire range of these densities - thus it is the very expansion of the universe that drives the evolution of energy and matter.
At this point we jump forward into the "Life" period. This is where Chaisson makes the best use of that introduction on dissipative systems. At this point in its history, the universe is filled with two fundamental components: radiative energy and matter. As the universe expands, the thermal density of these components decreases; however, these densities decrease at different rates. Using equations that could fit on the back of a napkin, Chaisson shows that the expansion of the universe is happening quickly enough that thermal gradients build up between the radiative energy of the universe and the matter of the universe. These gradients cause dissipative structures to form as the second law of thermodynamics kicks in to try to drive the universe toward equilibrium. And, as discussed in the intro, such dissipative structures are the sediment from which more complex dissipative structures can form as these gradients vary and persist. Spontaneous order occurs and becomes more complex without violating any of the laws of thermodynamics. Given enough time, there can arise metabolic dissipative structures - that is, life itself. And all due to the simple fact that the universe expands.
If Chaisson is right, he has unveiled a mind-blowingly simple reason regarding why the total complexity and total entropy of the universe should be able to increase at the same time even if the universe turns out to be a closed system. Why no-one ever discovered this simple reason before could be that no-one ever thought there was a need to look for one. That is, in our own little corner of the universe it is often thought that if you consider the Earth as an open system that all you need to explain the increasing complexity of the biosphere is the massive energy influx from the Sun. That may be true, but Chaisson may have just shown that ever-increasing complexity is not simply a local phenomenon of relatively small open systems at the expense of the rest of the universe but rather is a general principle of the universe as a whole.
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