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164 - Geoffrey West: Complexity Theory and The Scaling Laws of Biology

164 - Geoffrey West: Complexity Theory and The Scaling Laws of Biology

Robinson's Podcast vor 2 Jahren

0:00

2:08:49

Geoffrey West is Shannan Distinguished Professor and Past
President at the Santa Fe Institute. He is a theoretical
physicist who has worked broadly on topics related to elementary
particles and their cosmological implications. Among other
topics, he has also worked on complexity theory, scaling laws in
biology, and how they can be applied in other areas, such as
cities and problems involving global sustainability. This is
precisely what Robinson and Geoffrey discuss in this episode,
with particular reference to his recent book, Scale: The
Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the
Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies
(Penguin, 2017).

Scale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ05syiaUxg

OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:25 Introduction

02:21 Complexity and the Santa Fe Institute

22:14 What Are Emergent Phenomena?

34:18 What is Complexity Theory?

45:51 Why Do All Animals Have the Same Number of Heartbeats in a
Lifetime

01:11:43 Does Complexity Theory Tell Us How to Live Longer

01:22:49 Why Don’t Cities Die Like Organisms Do?

01:59:40 The Pandemic and the Increasing Pace of Life

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of
mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations
with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and
everyone in-between.