Trapped inside a computer
We must accept that some things can only be experienced and accepted. That they cannot be measured in a ‘hard’ way, and that our attempt to do so will kill the very thing we are trying to save.
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Atomic Humans
The way I see it, demanding an explanation that fits in brains not adapted for that purpose is tempting but not justified: again putting humans first. We possess neither the right nor the hardware to know Ultimate Truth. But the allure of that trap is very difficult to resist or escape.
Homo Aestheticus: Philosophical Fragments on the Will to Art: Excerpt
This is an original book only in the sense that it weaves together other people’s ideas and perspectives in novel ways. I believe the result is something new, but more importantly, I think it offers a necessary counter-narrative to the disenchanted materialism that defines modernity.
Sankofa Part Two – Pathways, Lessons and Challenges for the Future
The pathway that will be followed and the future that will emerge are of course inherently unknowable, being subject to the chaotic dynamics of complex systems. Put another way, for some possible pathways, there be dragons of the type that Sankofa part one described, whilst down other pathways much more hopeful visions beckon.
Why do we not recognize that a river is alive?
The question isn’t “is a river alive?” It is why do we not recognize that a river is alive?
Human Nature Odyssey: Episode 13. The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy (Part 2)
We continue that epic struggle across centuries and continents—from the upheavals of the Russian Revolution, to the rise of fascism, the global crucible of World War II, the tense Cold War standoff, the youth protests of 1968, and the ongoing battle for power, equality, and freedom.
Spare Capacity
Life is made of extraordinarily complex arrangements that exceed our design capacity by such a tremendous gulf as to be ridiculous—triggering many to engage in dubious “god-of-the-gaps” style speculation to paper-over the scary gulf.
How Academics Are Pushing Back on the For-Profit Academic Publishing Industry
These scholars are fighting the rampant exploitation and high article processing charges in traditional academic publishing.
How Inclusionary Social Movements Succeed
Social movements are powerful engines for change, and they coalesce around a vast range of issues, causes, and communities. But they fall into two basic categories: inclusionary and exclusionary.
Rod Schoonover — The National Security Risks We’re Not Prepared For: Adapting In an Age of Actorless Threats
In this episode, Nate is joined by Rod Schoonover, an expert at the intersection of Earth systems stress and national security, where they discuss the need for the evolution of national defense to address the systemic (and diffuse) threats of the 21st century.
How Much for One Protein?
The goal, here, is deep humility, a form of awe, and a sense of universal connectedness. As stupendously breathtaking as Life is, everything uses the same stuff and the same rules. We share a deep kinship with all matter, then. We are as dirt, and if that’s not grounding, I’m not sure what would be.
More than the global North, communities from Global South know what democracy is
As the Kurdish activist and ideologue Abdullah Ocalan, Mahatma Gandhi, many strands of the feminist and ecological movements, and Indigenous peoples have articulated in different forms, the nation-state disables (rather than enabling) true freedom – one in which every person and community is empowered to take decisions, in tune with nature.
