Hidden Laws of Life, Growth, Death, and Singularities
Why do we stop growing, live about 100 years and sleep 8 hours a day? Why do people, animals and companies age and die, whereas cities continue to grow and accelerate the pace of life? And how about the planet itself? Can the super-exponential growth of the anthroposphere be sustained or are we on the edge of some critical transition?
Is "the end of the world nigh”? And how are these questions related to innovation, wealth creation, social networks and urbanisation? Beneath the extraordinary diversity and complexity of life lies a surprising mathematical simplicity: from cells to cities most of its key characteristics obey remarkably simple “universal” scaling laws which constrain much of the organisation and dynamics of biological, ecological and socio-economic life. These include metabolism, growth, development, lifespans, energy, patents, pollution, roads, crime and disease. These “hidden laws of life” originate in generic mathematical properties of social, infrastructural, resource and information networks that sustain life across all scales. They lead to dramatic consequences for long-term growth and sustainability, including the threat of impending singularities and tipping points. Can the resulting open-ended super-exponential growth, fueled by innovation and wealth creation, be sustained or does it sow the seeds for stagnation, depopulation and collapse?
This event is an initiative by the Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena (DIEP) with the support of the University of Amsterdam. Science & Cocktails Amsterdam is presented in cooperation with Paradiso Amsterdam
Talk by
Geoffrey West
Geoffrey West is the Distinguished Shannon Professor and former President of the Santa Fe Institute, and a visiting professor at Imperial College, London. He is a theoretical physicist who previously held positions at Stanford and Los Alamos. His primary interests have been in fundamental questions across the physical, biological and social sciences ranging from quarks and dark matter to cells and cities, and from growth and mortality to innovation and long-term global sustainability. Most recently, he is best known for his work on scaling laws and as an originator of the Metabolic Theory of Ecology and of the Science of Cities. West has lectured at many high profile events including TED and Davos and his work featured in many publications, podcasts and TV productions, including the Venice Biennale. He authored the best-selling book Scale and was named to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in 2007.
Music by
Loveth Bessamoh
Loveth Besamoh is a producer and songwriter from Rotterdam with roots in Cameroon, where he played percussion in church and at a boarding school. His music moves between new wave and krautrock, and a fusion of genres, including electronica, shoegaze, Afro-rock, jazz, post-punk, and Afro-psychedelia, combined with rhythms he listened to and played in church. He strives to maintain his roots in his music and effortlessly blends genres into his own psychedelic sound.
Loveth Besamoh started as a solo project and released a handful of singles and 3 EPs, but for his live escapades, he put together a four-piece band. According to the band: “We like to play with extremes; from fragile, introspective moments to full-blown sonic explosions. Somewhere between King Krule and Death Grips is where our sound really comes alive, especially on stage.”
