Humans On The Loop đđđŤ212 - Manfred Laubichler & Geoffrey West on Life In The Anthropocene & Living Inside The Technosphere
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This week on the show I speak with physicist Geoffrey West (SFI) and evolutionary biologist Manfred Laubichler (ASU, SFI) about the transformations that our geosphere, biosphere, technosphere, and noosphere are undergoing as the âextended phenotypeâ of human innovation runs rampant across the surface of Planet Earth. These two distinguished scientists are some of the most profound thinkers Iâve ever encountered, helping midwife a new understanding of what it means to be human and a planetary citizen. I have wanted Geoffrey West on Future Fossils since well before I even started working for SFI in 2018, so this episode is the consummation of a years-long journey and I cannot be more excited to share it with you! It feels a little like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters, but we live in an increasingly-intertwingled world, so letâs make the best of it! I wouldnât be where I am today without these two fine minds and their important work. EnjoyâŚ
âThe consequences of the Anthropocene are the product of innovations, and yet somehow we think the way out is through EVEN MORE innovation. This is a predicamentâŚInnovation has to be looked at critically. One of the interesting things in the history of life is the OPPRESSION of innovation.ââ Manfred Laubichler
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⨠Your Anthropocene & Technosphere Syllabus:
More Is Different: Broken symmetry and the nature of the hierarchical structure of science.Phil Anderson
Population growth, climate change create an âAnthropocene engine' that's changing the planetManfred Laubichler
Scale and information-processing thresholds in Holocene social evolutionJaeweon Shin et al.
Policies may influence large-scale behavioral tippingKarine Nyborg et al.
Teaching the Anthropocene from a Global Perspective (2014!)Manfred Laubichler & JĂźrgen Renn
More from them:Seminar: Co-Evolutionary Perspectives on the TechnosphereAnthropocene Campus | Technosphere / Co-Evolution, presented by JĂźrgen Renn and Manfred LaubichlerThe Growth and Differentiation of Metabolism: Extended Evolutionary Dynamics in the Technosphere
SFI Community Event - Panel discussion on the Past, Present, and Future of the AnthropoceneSander van der Leeuw, D.A. Wallach, & Geoffrey West, moderated by Manfred Laubichler
Welcome to the Future: Four Pivotal Trends You Should Be Aware OfEd William on the work of Dror Poleg
The Future is Fungi: The Rise and Rhizomes of Mushroom CultureJeff VanderMeer, Kaitlin Smith, & Merlin Sheldrake, moderated by Corey Pressman
Does the Ecology of Somatic Tissue Normally Constrain the Evolution of Cancer?John Pepper at SFI
The Acronym Behind Our Wildest AI Dreams and NightmaresRe: TESCREAL, coined by Timnit Gebru & Ămile Torres
Complexity Literacy for a Sustainable Digital Transition: Cases and Arguments From Transdisciplinary Education ProgramsGerald Steiner
Relevant episodes from my past life as the host of SFIâs Complexity Podcast:
Olivia Judson on Major Energy Transitions in Evolutionary HistoryMelanie Moses on Metabolic Scaling in Biology & ComputationChris Kempes on The Physical Constraints on Life & EvolutionThe Future of the Human Climate Niche with Tim Kohler & Marten SchefferScaling Laws & Social Networks in The Time of COVID-19 with Geoffrey West (Part 1)Geoffrey West on Scaling, Open-Ended Growth, and Accelerating Crisis/Innovation Cycles: Transcendence or Collapse? (Part 2)Reflections on COVID-19 with David Krakauer & Geoffrey WestMichael Garfield & David Krakauer on Evolution, Information, and Jurassic Park
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