civilization eats energy, and its doing whatever it can to access more energy by changing the rules or issuing debt. But within that there ar there are levels of hierarchy. Downward causation means that the higher levels in the hierarchy tend to dominate the lower levels. And so this super organism, this thing that's not a thing, self organizing system that has no self the rules to keep it going. You see that playing out now, sort of on the world stage.
On this episode, we meet with Ecological Economist, John Gowdy.
Gowdy explores the revolution in biology and its significance in society. How do different cultures manifest human nature? What role has agriculture, and specific crops, played in how societies developed?
Further, Gowdy discusses the relationship between capitalism, surplus, and The Superorganism. Does human agency matter to the Superorganism? What role do blind evolutionary mechanisms play in the development of our society?
About John Gowdy:
John M. Gowdy is Professor of Economics and Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He is the recipient of the Herman Daly Award for contributions to ecological economics.
For Show Notes and Transcript visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/14-john-gowdy