Stuart Kauffman argues that there is a fundamental scientific break: some complex, energy‑driven systems (like the biosphere) evolve in ways no set of pre‑stated laws can fully entail. They generate novel possibilities — via mechanisms such as autocatalysis and the 'adjacent possible' — that are unprestatable and resist classical predictive engineering.
— If true, this changes how policymakers and technologists should treat predictions, risk, and the possibility of 'engineering' living or highly complex systems, affecting AI, bioengineering, and environmental governance.
Jessica G. Riskin
2026.05.14
42% relevant
Riskin argues that 'biology' as a discipline emerged from a mixed culture of art, music, literature and experiment in a single institution (the Garden of Plants), which connects to the broader idea that science undergoes structural transitions in method and institution.
Tyler Cowen
2026.05.10
62% relevant
The post highlights persistent gaps where more experimental data (not just theory) is scarce; that tension — between data collection, institutional incentives, and new epistemic tools — echoes the idea that science is undergoing a structural transition in methods and priorities.
Stuart Kauffman
2026.04.21
100% relevant
Stuart Kauffman’s interview claim of a 'Domain of No Entailing Law' and his emphasis on 'autocatalytic' processes and the 'adjacent possible' in his forthcoming book 'Origins: Cosmos, Life, Mind'.