Thanks for the feedback—indeed, in our quest to harness more and more energy, it’d going to be easier and easier to accidentally destroy ourselves.
The evolutionary perspective you mention is useful. Indeed, it appears that our culture is aimed at getting more and more energy overall (necessary to grow the economy) and evolves faster and faster so that we do more and more things each year (which is economic growth in its essence).
This framework you’re talking about does seems useful. And don’t control these dynamics that much indeed.
Yes, indeed. One can view the accelerated evolutionary engine, operating in modern complex societies, as a “complexity” aspect of modern “Lifestyle” as described in Sabin Roman’s feedback loop diagram (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXViK3jHa1Y) - any associated negative feedback loop arising from this acceleration will contribute to system destabilization as complexity costs increase which include increasingly difficult-to-capture amounts of energy powering increasingly ineffective solutions (diminishing returns) with unintended consequences. Modern interventionist healthcare systems are seen are “rescue” systems in these circumstances but the energy-complexity spiral issues are well covered here (https://doi.org/10.1057/s41285-017-0051-4), drawing on the work of Tainter and Odum. The acceleration of the complex, interacting components of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (see https://www.templeton.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/EES-Final-Report-1.23.23.pdf) in our modern societies is powered by fossil-fuel energy—for example, niche construction, group level selection, epigenetic modifications, mutation, gene flow, altered patterns of selection and non-random mating. For example, Michael Lynch notes that ”.… few other species willingly expose themselves to environmental mutagens to the extent that humans do” (see https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.115.180471). The same applies to environmental exposures resulting in epigenetic changes. The Great Simplification (https://www.thegreatsimplification.com) can’t come soon enough.
Wow, impressive insights there!
Thanks for the feedback—indeed, in our quest to harness more and more energy, it’d going to be easier and easier to accidentally destroy ourselves.
The evolutionary perspective you mention is useful. Indeed, it appears that our culture is aimed at getting more and more energy overall (necessary to grow the economy) and evolves faster and faster so that we do more and more things each year (which is economic growth in its essence).
This framework you’re talking about does seems useful. And don’t control these dynamics that much indeed.
Yes, indeed. One can view the accelerated evolutionary engine, operating in modern complex societies, as a “complexity” aspect of modern “Lifestyle” as described in Sabin Roman’s feedback loop diagram (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXViK3jHa1Y) - any associated negative feedback loop arising from this acceleration will contribute to system destabilization as complexity costs increase which include increasingly difficult-to-capture amounts of energy powering increasingly ineffective solutions (diminishing returns) with unintended consequences. Modern interventionist healthcare systems are seen are “rescue” systems in these circumstances but the energy-complexity spiral issues are well covered here (https://doi.org/10.1057/s41285-017-0051-4), drawing on the work of Tainter and Odum. The acceleration of the complex, interacting components of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (see https://www.templeton.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/EES-Final-Report-1.23.23.pdf) in our modern societies is powered by fossil-fuel energy—for example, niche construction, group level selection, epigenetic modifications, mutation, gene flow, altered patterns of selection and non-random mating. For example, Michael Lynch notes that ”.… few other species willingly expose themselves to environmental mutagens to the extent that humans do” (see https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.115.180471). The same applies to environmental exposures resulting in epigenetic changes. The Great Simplification (https://www.thegreatsimplification.com) can’t come soon enough.
Yes, indeed. This is interesting, I should check these links.
I know Sabin Roman, and I really like the work on Nate Hagens in The Great Simplification.