I- Emergence and the Evolution of Form
1) Michael Weinstock, “The Forms of Information, Energy and Ecology”, The Architecture of Emergence: the eveolution of Form in nature and Civilization, John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
Negin
- Weisenstock analyses the increase in world population and the changing of climatic system and information systems, are they cause and effects or somethings that just happened simultaneously? Can we exactly say which one is caused by another? How “The integration of the collective metabolism of systems of cities into complex hierarchical systems acted as a positive feedback on the evolutionary development of information systems”?
William
Weisenstock’s analysis of growth and collapse as related to infrastructure required for movement of energy, information, and materials progresses from individual settlement to global occupation. The recurringl process, however, was dependent on the capacity for increase in scale. If Weisenstock’s discussion of impending global collapse is accurate, what will be the new scale of recovery?
Weisenstock describes lasting changes to localized environments (the Loess Plateau, for example) as a result of prolonged over-extension of natural resources. Are we currently experiencing this on a global scale, and if so, what landscape will we leave behind?
Rob-
1. At the end of the essay, Weinstock writes that systems have “evolved close to their maximum capacity [and] are poised at the critical threshold of stability… a local failure may trigger a cascade of failures that amplify each other right across the world and so trigger the collapse of the whole system.” Would Weinstock associate current political and cultural events to the reaching of maximum capacity?
2. It seems as if information technology growth and population growth are linked. If information technology growth slowed drastically, would population growth slow as well?
3. It is interesting to view world history as directly related to information and communication developments. These are not generally talked about in such a way even though, as Weinstock presents them, they do seem to be so closely linked.
Yuan-
1. “The increased size and connectivity enables increased flow between the systems of cites, but it also allows failures and perturbation to travel further and faster from their local origin.” What phenomenon does author refers to?
2. What’s the author’s purpose to summarize the stereotypes of this energy – information – ecology relationship in human city? To warn the public about system collapse?
3. It seems like recent technology offer much easier information communication and material transportation. Also for some developed countries, their infrastructure system’s capacity is above their population. Why they don’t expand their territory like the Rome imperial or experience the population increase like the examples in this paper?
2) Manual deLanda, “NonOrganic Life”, in Zone6: Incorporations by Jonathan Crary and Sanford Kwinter, Zone Books, 1992.
William
Does free will map into phase space? DeLanda briefly suggests (page 155) that our lives are perhaps reducible(?) to a destiny of rigid and supple flows, but fails to investigate singular choice. How would a decision fit into this model: as a bifurcation, or as part of a trajectory? Can we define human action as result of deployment of the machinic phylum?
Rob-
1. It is very interesting to think of metal in relation to life. On page 144, it is written that “not everything is metal, but metal is everywhere.” We often think of organic life as being in contrast with metallic objects like machines, but in actuality, organic life is partially composed of and dependent on metal as well.
2. Why is this essay titled Nonorganic Life when it focuses on organic life (humans)?
3. Is the system the “nonorganic life?”