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Life is special because it's complex. Modern human society on Earth is the most complex thing in the history of the known universe. Complex things, though, tend
by the_economist 11y ago
Life is special because it's complex. Modern human society on Earth is the most complex thing in the history of the known universe. Complex things, though, tend to be very fragile.
(paraphrased from David Christian's "Big History" Great Courses lecture)
- hawleyal 11y agoI would say there are much more complex phenomena than a few bajillion atoms and electricity bouncing flailing about on the surface of a mostly-water planet.
- the_economist 11y agoSuch as? Here is David's Christian's ranking of complexity in the Universe: http://padlet.com/dpetersen/c6c8g49ynt19 http://padlet.com/dpetersen/c6c8g49ynt19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_History#Complexity.2C_energy.2C_thresholds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_History#Complexity.2C_ener...
- hawleyal 11y agoLOL Christian presents a laughably human-centric view of things.
- Retra 11y agoI'd add to that in that we are not only complex, but complex in a way that makes us the sole bastion of models of relevance in the universe, and that this capability is relatively fragile.