164 - Geoffrey West: Complexity Theory and The Scaling Laws of Biology

Geoffrey West is Shannan Distinguished Professor and Past President at the Santa Fe Institute. He is a theoretical physicist who has worked broadly on topics related to elementary particles and their cosmological implications. Among other topics, he has also worked on complexity theory, scaling laws in biology, and how they can be applied in other areas, such as cities and problems involving global sustainability. This is precisely what Robinson and Geoffrey discuss in this episode, with particular reference to his recent book, Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies (Penguin, 2017). 

Scale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ05syiaUxg

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:25 Introduction

02:21 Complexity and the Santa Fe Institute

22:14 What Are Emergent Phenomena?

34:18 What is Complexity Theory?

45:51 Why Do All Animals Have the Same Number of Heartbeats in a Lifetime

01:11:43 Does Complexity Theory Tell Us How to Live Longer

01:22:49 Why Don’t Cities Die Like Organisms Do?

01:59:40 The Pandemic and the Increasing Pace of Life

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.