Virtual Seminar
sponsored by
What is Life/Living SIG of the ISSS
...a work in progress, check for updates
Reminder - post comments to life@nexial.org , or email to jjk@nexial.org
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Also, see and contribute to Suggested Topics for the Future
Current Topic: (Starts Oct 1): Causality and new Paradigms
This topic was originally planned as part of the University seminar. Meanwhile a discussion has emerged on the Rosen list about the use of Aristotle's causality model in science. It seems now that these issues are quite basic to understanding Rosen's approach and perhaps a good starting point for future classes.
The following are some selected papers on this topic. List members are invited to contribute other papers that can provide a key perspective. In particular we are looking for papers on the use of Aristotle's 4-part causality framework as a scientific theory structure (beyond metaphor).
Previous topics (most recent to oldest)
Aug. 30 - Sept 30: Topic: Asking the Question: "What
is Life?"
"The trouble with you, Rosen, is you're always trying to answer questions
that nobody wants to ASK!" (annonymous critic)
Readings (select any reasonable portion of to comment on):
Related questions:
Is it the right question?
What questions need to be asked? Which ones are we asking already?
What's wrong with the theories we've got?
What do we mean by "life" - how do any or all the three papers characterize
life?
What aspect of life do we currently explain and what can we not explain &
why?
What's missing from our concept of nature and reality that a deep study of life
and complexity might provide?
Here's some suggested reading. The first is a sci-fi article that hits some of our central issues regarding knowability. Its an award winning article by Jorge Borges. The second is a member contribution that seems to be a quite schoolarly review of the move to a "new physics" that can answer questions about the nature of life.
The Library of Babel (Jorge Borges) This one is a real classic about knowledge and causality - makes you think (I hope) about the nature of reason and reality. Can future events be written? Think about whether organisms are writing future events in anticipatory models for behavior, DNA, etc. Where do models for the future come from?
Contributed Paper (Steve Kercel) Steve Kercel joined the discussion and offered this paper he wrote, which is amazingly on topic for this week. It seems quite technical, but also very readable. Anyway, I've added it here and recommend it for this week's discussion
August 23-29: Discussions at the University of Colorado
Introductions, orientation, general discussion of seminar curriculum and student interests at the University of Colorado (ENVS5100-007) and on-line via the life@nexial.org list. The University seminar was terminated due to low enrolement, however the on-line virtual seminar continues as part of the ISSS "What is Life/Living?" SIG.
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Contact: John J. Kineman