Samuel Arbesman
Complexity scientist and writer, author of The Half-Life of Facts and Overcomplicated; scientist in residence at Lux Capital.
Everything they publish, on ppll ↗
Samuel Arbesman did not write this page.
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Their wordsTherefore, according to the pessimistic meta-induction of science, we should recognize that we might be in the same situation. Science is forever in draft form.
↗Epistemic Humility and the Pessimistic Meta-Induction of Sciencearbesman.substack.com 1st of 2 in this piece
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Their wordsOf course, this doesn’t therefore mean that everything we know is going to be swept away and that our knowledge is forever entirely uncertain. We are asymptotically approaching the truth.
↗Epistemic Humility and the Pessimistic Meta-Induction of Sciencearbesman.substack.com 2nd of 2 in this piece
- 11 months earlier
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Our reading
Placing technology in its historical context is necessary for thinking about the future of computing
Their wordsBut being able to place our technological advancement into a historical context, to understand the path dependence and contingency, to see the long paths that early developments take to become everyday tools—all of these are necessary for thinking about the future of computing.
↗Building a Historical Sense in Computingarbesman.substack.com 1st of 2 in this piece
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Our reading
Cultivating a historical sense in computing is part of a more humanistic approach to computation
Their wordsBut no matter what, keep on cultivating a historical sense in computing. It is part of building a more humanistic approach to computation.
↗Building a Historical Sense in Computingarbesman.substack.com 2nd of 2 in this piece
- 5 weeks earlier
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Their wordsAnd yet it seems like we have the following situation: while wealthy people might have taken lots of risk to make their money, they often seem risk-averse when it comes to giving it away.
↗I Want More Risk-Taking in Philanthropyarbesman.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsAnd perhaps that is the key here: we must valorize the interesting and weird rich people, encouraging them to try even more of this kind of thing. There needs to be a shift in the philanthropic culture.
↗I Want More Risk-Taking in Philanthropyarbesman.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsNevertheless, I think the philanthropic culture can be shifted, ensuring that there is more experimentation, and with enough support to actually do such experiments properly.
↗I Want More Risk-Taking in Philanthropyarbesman.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
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