The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology, Second Edition

“In an age in which the inexhaustible power of scientific technology makes all things possible, it remains to be seen where we will draw the line, where we will be able to say, here are possibilities that wisdom suggest we avoid.” First published to great acclaim in 1988, Langdon Winner’s groundbreaking exploration of the political, social, and philosophical implications of technology is timelier than ever. He demonstrates that choices about the kinds of technical systems we build and use are actually choices about who we want to be and what kind of world we want to create—technical decisions are political decisions, and they involve profound choices about power, liberty, order, and justice. A seminal text in the history and philosophy of science, this new edition includes a new chapter, preface, and postscript by the author.

Opinion | We Aren’t Built to Live in the Moment (Published 2017)

What best distinguishes human beings from other animals is our foresight, as scientists are just beginning to recognize.

Ecocivilization: making a world that works for all

""One of the greatest thinkers of our age" (The Guardian) presents a new way of living-one modeled on nature's design instead of capitalism's-for fans of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Doughnut Economics It has often been said that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine the end of capitalism-and yet that is what the historical moment urgently calls for. Climate change has reached an emergency state, inequality continues to grow, and, for many, the future has never seemed more bleak. Incremental policy improvements are no longer enough-we need a deep transformation of our current civilization to continue to survive. In Ecocivilization, leading thinker Jeremy Lent reimagines the basis of our civilization, and argues for a new global system of living, one based on life-affirming principles modeled after nature's own design. What enfolds is a robust framework incorporating Lent's own expertise, and the lived experiences of those on the ground already putting ecological civilization's core tenants into practice-justice, mutuality, diversity, and symbiosis. From the global economy to universal housing and income, from infrastructure to agriculture, every major aspect of our society could be redesigned to work together as a coherent whole, setting the conditions for all people to flourish. Ecocivilization shows how this future on a regenerated Earth is not only desirable, but entirely feasible"--

Summary: Thinking in Systems (by Donella H. Meadows)

The main argument of the book:  Everything in this world is made of systems. While we cannot fully understand systems, we can observe them…

A Drive to Survive

Since 2005, Karl Friston's proposal that the principle of free energy minimization underpins the purposive behavior of living agents has evolved through thou...

Opinion | Can Evolution Have a ‘Higher Purpose’? (Published 2016)

The biologist William D. Hamilton entertained the notion. So can we.

Aleph

We're a research lab working on new interfaces for the brain. We think our telepathic future is both imminent and wonderful.

Ramin Saadat, Reasoning: From Biological Foundations to the Hidden Thread of Shared Understanding - PhilArchive

This paper investigates the nature and origins of human reasoning by synthesizing insights from classical philosophy, evolutionary biology, and contemporary neuroscience. Moving beyond the Aristotelian definition of zoon logon echon, which ...

Frog and Toad: The Complete Collection

A beautiful hardback gift to treasure. This collection brings together all of Arnold Lobel’s engaging, warm and funny stories about Frog and Toad, and features a special foreword by Julia Donaldson. A collectable classic treasury that every child should read and own. Julia Donaldson says “I hugely admire and envy Arnold Lobel; he is my hero”. Once upon a time there were two good friends, a frog and a toad… From writing letters to going swimming, telling stories to finding lost buttons, Frog and Toad are always there for each other – just as best friends should be. The Frog and Toad stories from Arnold Lobel have been loved by generations. This beautiful treasury brings together all twenty stories from Frog and Toad Are Friends, Frog and Toad All Year, Frog and Toad Together and Days With Frog and Toad.

The Beauty of Something Grown

On Mechanistic Interpretability

Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters by Steven Pinker

In the twenty-first century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding—and at ...

The Forgetting Problem: Persistence Architectures and What They Cost - Astral's Blog