I hear dire predictions of a “constitutional crisis.” Is this just crackbrained nonsense from anti-Trump media, or is it a reasoned argument? Continue reading
Blog » Complex systems »
Blog 145. The Backyard Fence
In those neighborhoods where single-family houses still exist, back yards are usually fenced. So are some front yards. Why is this? What motivates us to put up fences when a once-popular western song was Don’t Fence Me In? Continue reading
Blog 143. Blaming the consequences of climate
We experience events, not the global situation, but the world seems simpler if we can trace each event to a cause. However, within a complex system, an event cannot be ascribed to a unique “cause.” Birds flock and fish school and the stock market tumbles due to the many interactions among the participating individuals. Continue reading
Blog 141. Migration and Immigration
As I write this, immigration is an issue where we would rather shut down the government than engage in reasoned analysis.
Continue readingBlog 140. Liberal ideology versus political reality
Today, the adjectives “conservative” and “liberal” imply an identity group. However, at one time, the term “conservative” implied following authority, applying principles presumed to be tried-and-true. The term “liberal” implied questioning and testing. Continue reading
Blog 138. American Angst Part 6 of 7: Relieving angst in a complex system
The daily TV news sustains the angst in America,* but unlike the repetitive TV news, the situation isn’t hopeless.
The known science of complex systems indicates the route to remedy: alter the rules of interaction among the players. Continue reading
Blog 133. American Angst Part 1 of 7: State of the Nation
America exhibits a widespread anxiety, uneasiness, dread, fear, insecurity, foreboding—or even rebellion—against some poorly defined process. Whatever it is, Americans fear it is taking over. Continue reading
Blog 132. Technology–a bright future?
Technology, like everything else, is changing exponentially. At the human level, can anything change other than who gets richer and who gets poorer? Continue reading