Malthus and Moore

Here's a nice puzzle for you: Is there any lesson that we could learn from the Malthusian Trap and apply that to Moore's Law? Or is that a bridge too far? Well, let's look at a couple of arguments. Thomas MalthusAt the very beginning of the 19th century, the political economist Thomas Malthus wrote "An Essay on the Principle of Population". Based … Continue reading Malthus and Moore →

On the freedom and responsibility of science

The freedom of science is a highly valued and widely appreciated principle. Or so I thought - until Andy Borowitz reminded me of the contrary with his recent news satire in The New Yorker, in which he mocks the growing anti-knowledge attitude in some parts of the U.S. political establishment. Thus triggered to think twice, I'll dwell a little … Continue reading On the freedom and responsibility of science →

Technology – A multi-purpose tool

Intuitively, we'll all subscribe that technology is a tool: we use technology to do something, we employ technology to achieve a goal. And that's entirely in line with Brian Arthur's definition of a technology as the orchestration of phenomena to achieve a human purpose. But what are those purposes? With today's post, I'll try to find out whether there are some … Continue reading Technology – A multi-purpose tool →

Three days, three breakthroughs

Wow, what a ride! Just between 10 and 12 December 2015 –within the blink of an eye– three events occurred that we will likely consider breakthroughs in a couple of years: the Paris Agreement, the launch of OpenAI, and the first successful run of Wendelstein 7-X. While one of those events is widely agreed as historic, the other two currently … Continue reading Three days, three breakthroughs →

The limits of complexity

In our daily lives, we are engulfed with complexity. It is all around us: just think about business transactions, global trade, health care systems, jet engines, the energy grid, the tax code, computers, ... Many would even add the remote control of their stereo or the radio in their car to that list. Yet despite that almost permanent … Continue reading The limits of complexity →