https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTzBW_9fl0s

In a tweet, Ricard Solé (@ricard_sole) says:

What are the bounds What are the bounds of complexity in living systems? How can synthetic biology and bioengineering be used to interrogate emergent properties or information processing in cells & organisms? Check my conversation with Michael Levin @drmichaellevincomplexity in living systems? How can synthetic biology and bioengineering be used to interrogate emergent properties or information processing in cells & organisms? Check my conversation with Michael Levin

Ricard Solé on X: “What are the bounds of complexity in living systems? How can synthetic biology and bioengineering be used to interrogate emergent properties or information processing in cells & organisms? Check my conversation with Michael Levin @drmichaellevin https://t.co/bF32rWefSo” / X

Levin himself has two websites, with a lot of other interesting conversation guests

https://drmichaellevin.org/resources/guests.html

As part of the Levin lab at Tufts https://www.drmichaellevin.org/: Embodied Minds: understanding diverse intelligence in evolved, designed, and hybrid complex systems
And the ‘less formal’

[Submitted on 5 Apr 2024 (v1), last revised 11 Jul 2024 (this version, v4)]

The Origin and Evolution of Information Handling

Amahury Jafet López-Díaz, Hiroki Sayama, Carlos Gershenson

A major challenge when describing the origin of life is to explain “how instructional information control systems emerge naturally and spontaneously from mere molecular dynamics”. So far, no one has clarified how information control emerged ab initio and how primitive control mechanisms in life might have evolved, becoming increasingly refined. Based on recent experimental results showing that chemical computation does not require the presence of life-related chemistry, we elucidate the origin and early evolution of information handling by chemical automata, from information processing (computation) to information storage (memory) and information transmission (communication) and later digital messengers, covering at the same time its syntactic, semantic and pragmatic flavors. In contrast to other theories that assume the existence of initial complex structures, our representation starts from trivial self-replicators whose interaction leads to the arising of more powerful molecular machines. By describing precisely the primordial transitions in chemistry-based computation, our framework is capable of explaining the above-mentioned gaps and can be translated to other models of computation, which allow us to explore biological phenomena at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Being compatible with the free energy principle, we have developed a computational enactivist theoretical framework that could be able to describe from the origin of life to high-level cognition, as if it were a purely constructivist narrative. At the end of our manuscript, we propose some ways to extend our ideas, including experimental validation of our theory (both in vitro and in silico).

.

[2404.04374] The Origin and Evolution of Information Handling

[On David’s substack – a good example of his recent writing. Will eventually come out in revised form in a book, I understand]

“This is obviously impossible, which is why rational requirements analysis doesn’t attempt it.”

David Chapman

Sep 25, 2024

∙ Paid

Understanding software purposes meta-rationally“This is obviously impossible, which is why rational requirements analysis doesn’t attempt it.”DAVID CHAPMANSEP 25, 2024∙ PAID

Understanding software purposes meta-rationally

Sat, Sep 28th, 2024

09:00 – 14:00  GMT+1

Schedule

09:00  Eva de Hullu – Perceptual Control Theory – an ‘inside-out’ approach to systems thinking
10:00  Miguel Pantaleon – 10 Years of Systems Thinking Practice: Learnings from the Struggle
11:00  AGM
12:00  Gavin Roberts – Exploring a multi-agency system – requisite variety, complexity, systems laws and a bit of a whack
13:00  Joan O’Donnell – Self-organising beings: the art and practice of embodied wisdom

See abstracts and videos at links 

SCiO Global mini-Conference and AGM 2024 | SCiO – Systems and Complexity in Organisation

[Listening to Eva de Hullu on Perceptual Control Theory at the SCiO mini-conference today, and saw this tweet: https://twitter.com/EricLeonardis/status/1839749497838297237

Eric Leonardis  @EricLeonardis

tfw you realize that Stanislavski’s method acting system is actually an embodied systems theory, making Marlin Brando the architect of embodied cybernetics

And… yep.]

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stanislavski’s system is a systematic approach to training actors that the Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski developed in the first half of the twentieth century. His system cultivates what he calls the “art of experiencing” (with which he contrasts the “art of representation“).^[2] It mobilises the actor’s conscious thought and will in order to activate other, less-controllable psychological processes—such as emotional experience and subconscious behaviour—sympathetically and indirectly.^[3] In rehearsal, the actor searches for inner motives to justify action and the definition of what the character seeks to achieve at any given moment (a “task”).^[4]

Stanislavski’s system – Wikipedia

Daniele Nanni

Published in Neo-Cybernetics

Sep 25, 2023Neo-Cybernetics is a novel interdisciplinary movement at the forefront of the third wave of cybernetics, dedicated to studying the complex dynamics of human society, technological change and the ecosystems we are immersed in.

Neo-Cybernetics: Navigating Complexity, Designing TomorrowDaniele Nanni·FollowingPublished inNeo-Cybernetics·7 min read·Sep 25, 20233672Neo-Cybernetics is a novel interdisciplinary movement at the forefront of the third wave of cybernetics, dedicated to studying the complex dynamics of human society, technological change and the ecosystems we are immersed in.

Neo-Cybernetics: Navigating Complexity, Designing Tomorrow | by Daniele Nanni | Neo-Cybernetics | Medium

In this intro podcast to his new media mix offer, Seth Godin talks a lot about ‘systems’ (as if they existed in the world per se, but never mind). Worth listening and worth tracking his new book, which is actually a media mix product covering book, podcast, chocolate bars, the chance to be interviewed, etc…

(Confusingly, it seems that https://akimbo.link stopped tracking podcasts and providing show notes and transcripts >2 years ago, but the home page there is now mostly promoting this)

THIS IS STRATEGY

On overcast.fm (Seth’s favourite app):

https://overcast.fm/+AAL0YUObscU

Season 16, Ep. 2

•

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

SPECIAL FIRST LOOK PREVIEW

Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth GodinTHIS IS STRATEGYSeason 16, Ep. 2•Wednesday, September 25, 2024SPECIAL FIRST LOOK PREVIEW

THIS IS STRATEGY – Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin | Acast

by Francisco J. Varela

Foreword by Amy Cohen-Varela

Edited by Ezequiel A. Di Paolo and Evan Thompson

Brought to my attention by Luiz Pessoa on Twitter

Paperback

$70.00

Paperback

ISBN: 9780262551403

Pub date: May 13, 2025

Publisher: The MIT Press

400 pp., 7 x 10 in, 12 b&w illus.

MIT Press BookstorePenguin Random HouseAmazonBarnes and NobleBookshop.orgIndieboundIndigoBooks a Million

• Description
• Author(s)

A new, updated edition of the 1979 classic from one of the foremost authors in cognitive science and theoretical biology, with the original text as well as more than 200 citations to current scientific developments.

Francisco Varela’s Principles of Biological Autonomy was a groundbreaking text when it was first published in 1979, putting forth a novel theory of how living systems produce and maintain themselves. This new edition, edited and annotated by cognitive scientists Ezequiel Di Paolo and Evan Thompson—revised and complemented with introductory essays for each part of the book—contains a wealth of ideas relevant to current projects in theoretical biology, cognitive science, systems theory, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of biology. Over 220 margin annotations supplement the reading of the text, linking to subsequent research and broader contemporary debates.

This foundational book introduces the key concept of autonomy derived as an elaboration of the idea of autopoiesis (the self-production and self-distinction) of living organisms. Varela covers topics in systems theory, neuroscience, theories of perception, and immune networks, and offers a participatory epistemology that goes on to be further developed in later enactive literature. These ideas are compelling not only for historical reasons but also because they still illuminate current efforts in developing the enactive approach toward wider and more challenging goals (language, human cognition, ethics, environmentalism, etc.).

book page:

Principles of Biological Autonomy

September 2024

Tony Korycki

Jan De Visch

This was a special event focusing on learning and communication of systems thinking for practitioners, decision-makers and executives, through the new essay and booklet ‘opening the box’ and features four SCiO chapter leads: Jan de Visch (Belgium), Miguel Pantaleon (Spain), Namrata Arora (India) and Tony Korycki (UK). 

The team has been working for several months on an initiative to explore how we communicate systems thinking, its benefits and  impact, so will be speaking about the latest book(let) from SCiO publications, the message behind their essay, and inviting thoughts and discussion from attendees.

opening the box: systems thinking for transformative conversationsSeptember 2024Tony KoryckiJan De VischThis was a special event focusing on learning and communication of systems thinking for practitioners, decision-makers and executives, through the new essay and booklet ‘opening the box’ and features four SCiO chapter leads: Jan de Visch (Belgium), Miguel Pantaleon (Spain), Namrata Arora (India) and Tony Korycki (UK). The team has been working for several months on an initiative to explore how we communicate systems thinking, its benefits and  impact, so will be speaking about the latest book(let) from SCiO publications, the message behind their essay, and inviting thoughts and discussion from attendees.

opening the box: systems thinking for transformative conversations | SCiO – Systems and Complexity in Organisation

https://www.systemspractice.org/en/resources/opening-box-systems-thinking-transformative-conversations-0

Book:

Sample chapter – Chapter 9

https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/92375/9781003320852_10.4324_9781003320852-13.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

1st Edition

Cybernetics and the Constructed EnvironmentDesign Between Nature and Technology

By Zihao ZhangCopyright 2025

• Open Access content is available for this title Opens in new tab or window

• Paperback
  ^£35.99
• Hardback
  ^£130.00
• eBook
  ^£32.39

ISBN 9781032341750

288 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations

Published July 25, 2024 by Routledge

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Description

Grounded in contemporary landscape architecture theory and practice, Cybernetics and the Constructed Environment blends examples from art, design, and engineering with concepts from cybernetics and posthumanism, offering a transdisciplinary examination of the ramifications of cybernetics on the constructed environment. Cybernetics, or the study of communication and control in animals and machines, has grown increasingly relevant nearly 80 years after its inception. Cyber-physical systems, sensing networks, and spatial computing—algorithms and intelligent machines—create endless feedback loops with human and non-human actors, co-producing a cybernetic environment. Yet, when an ecosystem is meticulously managed by intelligent machines, can we still call it wild nature? Posthumanism ideas, such as new materialism, actor-network theory, and object-oriented ontology, have become increasingly popular among design disciplines, including landscape architecture, and may have provided transformative frameworks to understand this entangled reality. However, design still entails a sense of intentionality and an urge to control. How do we, then, address the tension between the designer’s intentionality and the co-produced reality of more-than-human agents in the cybernetic environment? Is posthumanism enough to develop a framework to think beyond our all-too-human ways of thinking? For researchers, scholars, practitioners, and students in environmental design and engineering disciplines, this book maps out a paradigm of environmentalism and ecological design rooted in non-communication and uncontrollability, and puts a speculative turn on cybernetics.

Chapters 8 and 9 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Upscaling of the Cybernetic Imagination  Part 1: The New Machine in the New Garden  1.A Transformation Formula  2. The Technology-Nature Edge: From Pastoralism to Anthropocene  3. The Human-Technology Edge: From Ready-made Artefacts to Dematerialized Humans  4. The Human-Nature Edge: The Three Waves of “Nature Study”  5. Posthumanism, Co-Production, and Assemblage  Part 2: Posthumanism, the Environment and Intelligent Machines  6. Searching for Nonhuman Agency  7. From Nonhuman Agency to Speculative Ontology  8. Coproductive Intelligence  Part 3: The Cybernetic Environment  9. Cybernetics and Landscape: From Uncertainty to Opportunity  10. Reframing Cybernetics  11. Sensing as Coding: The Episteme of the Digital Age  12. The Rise of Intelligent Agents: A Non-Model-Centric Paradigm  13. Actuating Leads to Attuning: Cultivated Wildness  14. Cultivated Wildness and Speculative Ecology  Conclusion: Design and Cybernetic Environment

Author(s)

Biography

Zihao Zhang is a designer, educator, and scholar in landscape architecture. He currently serves as an assistant professor and interim director of the landscape architecture program at the City College of New York.

Cybernetics and the Constructed Environment: Design Between Nature and

SCiO Global mini-Conference and AGM 2024 Sat, Sep 28th, 202409:00 – 14:00  GMT+1

 SCiO meeting on Saturday 28th with contributions from Systems Practitioners:
Eva de Hullu – Perceptual Control Theory – an ‘inside-out’ approach to systems thinking
Miguel Pantaleon – 10 Years of Systems Thinking Practice: Learnings from the Struggle
Gavin Roberts – Exploring a multi-agency system – requisite variety, complexity, systems laws and a bit of a whack
Joan O’Donnell – Self-organising beings: the art and practice of embodied wisdom
and in between those we’ve got the (short!) AGM

SCiO Global mini-Conference and AGM 2024 | SCiO – Systems and Complexity in Organisation

• W. T. Powers, Fort Wayne, T. Carey, D. Goldstein, W. Mansell, R. Marken, Bruce E. Nevin, R. Robertson less
• Published 2011
• Psychology

• Corpus ID: 16714676

Perceptual Control Theory A Model for Understanding the Mechanisms and Phenomena of Control

• W. T. Powers, Fort Wayne, T. Carey, D. Goldstein, W. Mansell, R. Marken, Bruce E. Nevin, R. Robertson less
• Published 2011
• Psychology

Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) provides a general theory of functioning for organisms. At the conceptual core of the theory is the observation that living things control the perceived environment by means of their behavior. Consequently, the phenomenon of control takes center stage in PCT, with observable behavior playing an important but supporting role. The first part of the paper explains how the PCT model works. This explanation includes a definition of “control” as well as the basic equations from which one can see what is required for control to be possible. The second part of the paper describes demonstrations that the reader can download from the Internet and run, so as to learn the basics of control by experiencing and verifying the phenomenon directly. The third part of the paper shows examples of the application of PCT to different areas of psychological research including learning, developmental psychology, social psychology, and psychotherapy. This summary of the current state of the field celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the first major publication in PCT (Powers, Clark & MacFarland, 1960)

paper:

[PDF] Perceptual Control Theory A Model for Understanding the Mechanisms and Phenomena of Control | Semantic Scholar

The Significance of Emergence

Tim Crane

In Barry Loewer & Grant Gillett (eds.), Physicalism and its Discontents (2001)   Copy   BIBT_EX

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to understand the content of, and motivation for, a popular form of physicalism, which I call ‘non-reductive physicalism’. Non-reductive physicalism claims although the mind is physical (in some sense), mental properties are nonetheless not identical to (or reducible to) physical properties. This suggests that mental properties are, in earlier terminology, ‘emergent properties’ of physical entities. Yet many non-reductive physicalists have denied this. In what follows, I examine their denial, and I argue that on a plausible understanding of what ‘emergent’ means, the denial is indefensible: non-reductive physicalism is committed to mental properties being emergent properties. It follows that the problems for emergentism—especially the problems of mental causation—are also problems for non-reductive physicalism, and they are problems for the same reason. Like Recommend

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View on PhilPapers

link:

Tim Crane, The Significance of Emergence – PhilArchive

• DOI:10.1063/1.3527171
• Corpus ID: 122494627

On the Nature of Consciousness—On Consciousness in Nature

• E. Schwarz
• Published 3 December 2010
• Philosophy, Physics

The study of consciousness has considerably increased in the last few years. Research has been mainly focused on its neurological aspects, but the intrinsic nature of consciousness is usually completely neglected. In this contribution, we present a new onto‐epistemological general metamodel that we developed to interpret complex partly autonomous systems (like living systems). Our metamodel is not based on the usual space‐time‐energy framework of mainstream Newtonian science, but involves two elemental categories: the domain of objects and the domain of relations. Furthermore, and most importantly, we show that the combination of these two aspects gives rise to the system as a holistic, self‐referential and existential entity. We will then use this onto‐epistemology to interpret the nature of consciousness, which, in this model, is a meta‐physical, meta‐relational self‐referential entity. Collapse

link:

[PDF] On the Nature of Consciousness—On Consciousness in Nature | Semantic Scholar