“Definition as a Coffin” – Cybernetics to Systems Thinking

Definition as a Coffin? “Hold your definition” is a plea by philosopher Daniel Dennett, often cited here on Psybertron, when dealing patiently with his scientific friends. Any discourse that starts with apparently clear definitions, manipulated solely by logic, is inherently limited by the fit between the history of those definitions and future of reality. At … Continue reading ““Definition as a Coffin” – Cybernetics to Systems Thinking”

The Hidden Spring – Round-Up

The night before last, I completed Mark Solms (2021) “The Hidden Spring – A Journey to the Source of Consciousness“. ===== The Preamble / Previously on Psybertron April 2021 – I first mentioned receiving The Hidden Spring, but maybe not having enough bandwidth to read it. It didn’t stop me recommending it on the strength … Continue reading “The Hidden Spring – Round-Up”

The Renaissance

Well, not the whole of it, but a 2021 short story of that title – just 40 pages – “The Renaissance” by Richard Emerson. A personal and poetic story of personal rebirth, a thought journey set in place and in history. Firstly, I have to declare that from the start, up to the arrival in … Continue reading “The Renaissance”

Taliban and Ahmed Rashid

I’m still drafting a long-read piece that involves the current Afghan situation as topical from a misogyny perspective in my Good Fences metaphor (all will hopefully become clear). Anyway, so topical that it concerns much online media traffic at the moment, even though I’ve not blogged anything specific. With Rory Stewart being so prominent amongst … Continue reading “Taliban and Ahmed Rashid”

Bogdanov

Mentioned being impressed with Carlo Rovelli’s references in Helgoland to Aleksander Bogdanov. I considered Bogdanov an entirely new source to me just earlier this year. [Holding post – collecting links etc.] I’ve also mentioned previously, as a “social-democratic liberal” type myself, being very impressed with (Marxist) Paul Mason’s “Project Zero” in his Post Capitalism. What … Continue reading “Bogdanov”

Unbearably Painful & So So Important

Having commented on the risky – “careless” – non-PC and even misogynistic end of things, in the BrewDog situation in the previous post, I was returning to the other extreme, the crippling effects of PC-Wokeness, which is topical everywhere at the moment. Not only generally topical but central to my own agenda about how knowledge, … Continue reading “Unbearably Painful & So So Important”

Thinking in Colour

Just a placeholder for an addition to my “Good Fences” identity agenda. Gary Younge presents “Thinking in Colour” on BBC Radio 4. Racial ambiguity / partiality in heritable genes shows considerable complexity for individuals to deal with, especially given their relationships to the racial culture already adopted by their families. He makes one or two … Continue reading “Thinking in Colour”

Classifying an Unread Book

Mentioned just a couple of days ago another addition to Eco’s library of unread books (Mark Solms’ “The Hidden Spring“). Also picked-up today, because it was in stock at our local bookshop, Carlo Rovelli’s latest “Helgoland“. I expected it to be in stock, as it’s gone straight onto the Time’s bestseller list, otherwise I wasn’t … Continue reading “Classifying an Unread Book”