background preloader

Ideas

Facebook Twitter

Rsa animate. WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM by Steven Johnson. Civilization: rise and fall « Thoughts about thinking. This is part 1 of my Civilization series. Rise and fall Successful civilisations throughout history have grown rapidly, appearing unstoppable. Some (like Rome, and Han China) existed stably for hundreds of years. Others, like Alexander the Great‘s Asian Empire did not. But in every kingdom, empire and state that has ever existed (excluding the few surviving today, which are probably not as eternal as we’d like to think), something has eventually changed. Once great empires are defeated by a smaller rival (e.g. Yet we have no mechanistic understanding for the collapse phenomenon. There are many mechanisms in history that may cause the strong to become weak. Yet these stories are just that – stories. Modifications to Civilization such as “Revolution” and “Rhys and Fall of civilisation” both make a good attempt at adding this dynamic.

Peter Turchin has some ideas – he says that societies have “asabiya” – a unity of purpose that allows for collective action. Essentially, we don’t know yet.

Philosophy

Satyamev Jayate. TED: Ideas worth spreading. Ryan Merkley: Online video -- annotated, remixed and popped. Doris Kim Sung: Metal that breathes. Nature's design.