[FRIAM] SFI to Trump: The dangers of simplicity in a complex world

Mon Feb 6 15:39:04 EST 2017

Dear all, 

Steve Smith wrote:

I feel we *don't* discuss as many Complexity topics as I would like,

I will talk about tornado formation, a n y   t I m e, Steve.  

Seriously, I wonder if the fact that we have stopped talking about complexity might have something to do with the state of play of that field.  I reached a point where I began to feel that complexity-talk went on in some alternative universe that, without the initiation and the golden key, I was never going to enter. You will remember, Steve, that  I worked for a couple of years, trying to make a translation between that universe and mine, and was never able to manage it.  When the working vocabulary of a science is inaccessible to a diligent, moderately intelligent, practitioner of neighboring sciences, does that not limit the development of that science?

By the way, when I first came out here I tried to make contact with SFI.  At the time, I wrote up the result in a satirical account, which, to be honest, reeks of sour grapes.  Still, in the present context you might find it funny.  See attached. 

Omitted from this account was one life-changing exchange with Dr. X.  At some point, during Phase II of The Ritual Reception and Rejection, I asked him, “Given that The Institute is such a charismatic place, and given that you have no room, where do all the people go when you reject them?  There must be a lot of them around Santa Fe.”  

I am everlastingly grateful for his response.  He thought a very long minute and then scribbled on a Posty and handed it to me.  It said, “Call Steve Guerin.  FRIAM.”  

The rest is history.  

Nick

Nicholas S. Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology

Clark University

 <http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/> http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/

From: Friam [mailto:friam-bounces at redfish.com] On Behalf Of Steven A Smith
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2017 12:00 PM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam at redfish.com>
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] SFI to Trump: The dangers of simplicity in a complex world

I appreciate FriAM, even though I don't attend Friday Congregation very often, or even WedTech Congregation either!   The *active* voices here are familiar and even though I may have a lot of different perspectives and opinions, I truly value what I hear here, and more than anything I look forward to one of our *many* lurkers chiming in.   

I feel we *don't* discuss as many Complexity topics as I would like, but I like knowing that there are many with strong Complexity backgrounds engaged in the more sociopolitical discussions that seem to dominate.

Since I feel a bit like Glen in his statement "Since I don't belong anywhere, I obviously didn't belong there"...  I'm enough used to being an outsider or an interloper that I generally can slip into alien situations and keep a low enough profile to not raise alarm or cause disruption. 

This forum, being asynchronous and as Gary points out, "easy to delete" feels like a safe place FOR me to speak up above a hushed whisper... so I value it as well.   

SFx was intended to be a more open and welcoming environment to share the wealth from... I think we did a moderately good job much of the time, but still missed the mark in at least developing a sustainable funding model.

- Steve

On 2/6/17 11:49 AM, Gary Schiltz wrote:

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway - FRIAM, both the list and the actual gathering at the "mothership" of Santa Fe - has always felt welcoming. It's the only list I've stayed with since its inception. I don't know if there are any SFI lurkers here, but there do seem to be a lot of people who "used to" have some association with it rather than those who are actively involved with it. I've no idea how much is due to a bit of snobbery vs. just simply the fact that the list is open to such a wide range of stuff that isn't interesting to folks interested purely in complexity. I find it easy enough just to delete messages when I get too overwhelmed, confident that they are archived so I can eventually look them over.

On Mon, Feb 6, 2017 at 1:34 PM, glen ☣ <gepropella at gmail.com <mailto:gepropella at gmail.com> > wrote:

FWIW, I felt fairly unwelcome soon after I left to work in our Agua Fria office (1997 maybe), perhaps since I was merely a research technician rather than any sort of academic.  Then it got even worse when they expanded down the hill by staffing a receptionist.  I always managed to sneak past without being grilled to badly ... but the concept was clear: do you belong here?  Since I don't belong anywhere, I obviously didn't belong there. 8^)

On 02/05/2017 03:40 PM, Frank Wimberly wrote:
> That makes sense but I just sat there quietly and listened.  No
> self-aggrandizing questions. And then I left.

--
☣ glen

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