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Where Does It All Come From? A Conversation

Benjamin Olshin is assistant professor of Philosophy, History, and History of Science at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Paul Grobstein is professor of Biology at Bryn Mawr College. The two met and discovered common interests, like this one, at a meeting on "Building the Scientific Mind" in Vancouver in May 2007 (for another common interest see Reality and Virtual Reality). Their ongoing exchange is provided here to encourage further conversation. Your thoughts are welcome in the forum area below.

 

Olshin - 30 November 2008

Paul Grobstein's picture

The self: genes, environment, chance, and ... free will

Submitted by Paul Grobstein on Sun, 01/11/2009 - 6:45pm

Steven Pinker's "My Genome, My Self" is a valuable reminder that

as well as a useful summary of the kinds of observations that lead to those conclusions, and wise advice for those who may (or may not) want to know more about their own genes. As Pinker points out, who one is is influenced by genes, but influenced as well by personal experiences, and by chance, so genes are relevant to the question of who one is but not the answer to that question.

Summary of Cellular Automata as Explorers

Cellular Automata Findings

 

Below are measures of how many possible states (one dimensional linear arrangements) a particular rule generates. Results were taken from a 9 cell CA, 11 cell CA, and 19 cell CA. Click images to enlarge.

 

Emergence: Primal Patterns Applet (2)

Instructions

setup resets the model with a random arrangement of purple and yellow cells (determined by the setup-seed-number slider).

Deterministic and Non-deterministic Emergence: Moving on...

Deterministic and Non-deterministic Emergence: Non-deterministic Emergence

Non-deterministic Emergence

 

Inquiry approach 3
Non-deterministic emergence

Goal: to contribute to the ongoing creation and exploration of possibilities

Deterministic and Non-deterministic Emergence: Deterministic Emergence

Deterministic Emergence

 

Deterministic and Non-deterministic Emergence: From Primal Patterns to Emergence

 

Ways of Making Sense of the World:
From Primal Patterns to Emergence


Moving beyond primal patterns as a way to make sense of things
"In the beginning was the Word?"

Inquiry approach 1
Primal patterns

Goal: to characterize the underlying pattern that everything actually relates to

lrperry's picture

Dialogues

Submitted by lrperry on Thu, 12/18/2008 - 1:02pm
For those of you who want to jump immediately into reading the dialogues, feel free. For readers who would like an introduction, of sorts, to the project, read the prologue first.

Emergence: Primal Patterns Applet (1)

Deterministic and Non-deterministic Emergence

Instructions

setup resets the model with a random arrangement of purple and yellow cells (determined by the setup-seed-number slider).

Syndicate content

Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities

Scanning electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2

Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities has 50 remote-ready activities, which work for either your classroom or remote teaching.

Narrative is determined not by a desire to narrate but by a desire to exchange. (Roland Barthes, S/Z)

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