Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

The Skeleton of Science

By Anne Dalke
November 28, 2007 - 18:20
Anne Dalke's picture
From: "Douglas S. Blank"
Date: Mon, November 26, 2007 12:30 pm

Emergenauts,

Wednesday emergence meeting, 8am, Park Science Building, room 230. Coffee, muffins, and scones served.

Brooks says:

This paper, "General systems theory: The skeleton of science", was written by Kenneth Boulding in 1956. It is introduced as a "sort of manifesto for the systems movement" which is, so far as I can gather, one intellectual antecedent to our current use of the concept of emergence. I'm presenting it for two reasons. First, I would like the
Forums: 
Emergence Group

Downward Causality

By Anne Dalke
November 28, 2007 - 18:17
Anne Dalke's picture

From: "Douglas S. Blank"
Date: Tue, November 13, 2007 9:29 am

Emergenauts,
Tomorrow I'll lead a discussion on the idea of "Downward Causality" from the book "The Re-emergence of Emergence". The basic question is: is the world just "bottom-up", or is there room for "top-down" causation? For example, do "ideas" cause things to happen? Or is it all "just" Physics? We'll again meet at 8am, Park Science, room 230. Muffins, scones, and coffee served.

-Doug

Forums: 
Emergence Group

Determining the Minimal Genome for Life

By Anne Dalke
November 28, 2007 - 18:15
Anne Dalke's picture
Emergenauts,
Next Wednesday, Karen Greif will lead a discussion on the topic "Determining the Minimal Genome for Life". Due to popular demand, Karen has provided a background reading "Toward the Engineering of Minimal Living Cells" which is available on the Emergence website: /scienceinsociety/emergencegroup/
There you can also find audio of all of the past meetings this year (the latest now in a handy MP3 format).

Topics also under discussion: creating a list of speakers to invite and writing a proposal for a Mellon 23 workshop.
-Doug
Forums: 
Emergence Group

Halloween Emergence Group

By Anne Dalke
November 28, 2007 - 17:30
Anne Dalke's picture
From: "Douglas S. Blank"
Date: Mon, October 29, 2007 10:05 am

Emergenauts,
We will again meet this Wednesday, Halloween. One thing that you might want to do prior to the meeting is send me your suggestions for invited speakers on topics related to emergence. We will continue discussions on:
- levels of emergence
- "sufficient complexity" -
role of noise in neural circuitry
- neuronal activity vs. behavior
- reductionism, re frogs and jet airliners
- invited speakers list
- muffins and scones
Forums: 
Emergence Group

Emergence Group, Wednesday morning

By Anne Dalke
November 28, 2007 - 17:27
Anne Dalke's picture

From: "Douglas S. Blank"
Date: Mon, October 22, 2007 12:30 pm
Emergenauts,
This Wednesday, 8am, we will continue our discussion on emergence of neuron functioning and behavior in the leech. Some interesting questions emerg..., er, appeared from the conversation last week:
- how does a emergentist scientist work differently from a reductionist scientist?
- are these two scientists asking the same questions? do they have the same goals?
- do they use the same tools? can one scientist use both techniques?

Forums: 
Emergence Group

Pyramids and flocks: risk-taking and change in academic communities

By emccorma
October 11, 2007 - 12:26
emccorma's picture

I.Towards understanding risk-taking and change within academic communities...

Last time, several interesting questions that came out of the discussion. In considering what it might mean to have an institutional culture of risk-taking, I was intrigued by the notion of the scalability of risk-taking from the local/personal to the community-wide/institutional level.

What is the connection between the behavior of individuals to the behavior of an institution?

Which raises the related question of what do we mean by "the institution"?

Forums: 
Risk-Taking in the Academy--and Beyond?