Re: WESS invites you to contribute your creative ideas.

(message from wwenger101@aol.com)

Jerry, I have two questions:

1) Can we conjure, from general systems, complexity theory,
interference-pattern physics and acoustics, etc., an elegant single statement
like E=MC squared whose accounting is immediately recognizable in every field
and specialty by that field's own practitioners and convenient to them?

2) You've sought, in your bioevolutionary explorations, to distance yourself
from "Darwinism" and from what you perceived to be my Darwinism. Is there
much going on in the world today which cannot be attributed fairly readily to
one or several of the dynamics conveniently accounted for within broad
"Darwinian" constraints?

- - One of my concerns is that when the lid of bioevolutionary pressures
comes off or normative pressures weaken, although many new options begin to
emerge most get pruned off. One hope had been, now that humanity has been
able to move much of the force of evolution from our genes to social
evolution through learned behaviors, our intelligence could take us to better
and better ways of living. That was certainly demonstrated, at least
temporarily, when the lessons learned from the discovery of why the dinosaurs
died were applied to prospects of nuclear winter and lead both sides to move
away from strategic nuclear weapons. Nonetheless, a look at today's world
scene presents an apparently increasing prospect that we may be in for a very
general pruning-off. Hopefully we can identify precisely-enough and perhaps
redirect the pertinent dynamics.....?

.win wenger

In a message dated 3/7/02 1:05:23 AM Eastern Standard Time,
jlrchand@pop.erols.com writes:

<< Subj: WESS invites you to contribute your creative ideas.
 Date: 3/7/02 1:05:23 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From: jlrchand@pop.erols.com (jlrchand@erols.com)
 To: WWenger101@aol.com,

                            March 7, 2002

 Dear Colleagues:

 WESS is seeking to assemble a set of the fundamental questions that
 are guiding research and debate on emerging and evolving complex
 systems. We seek to focus our inquiry on such questions that are
 fundamental to physical, chemical, biological, social and cultural
 emergence. We seek your contributions to enhancing our understanding
 of the current state of affairs and to creating our agenda.

 The Washington Evolutionary Systems Society (WESS) has existed for
 nearly two decades. During our history, we have discussed and
 debated a wide range of concepts and ideas related to evolutionary
 systems. Concomitantly, a gradual shift in the public perceptions of
 science and scientific philosophies has occurred. How will these
 perceptions evolve in the next three years? five years? ten years?
 fifty years? What can WESS contribute to these emerging public
 discussions?

 The professional activities of WESS members contribute to the
 progress of evolutionary thought in a wide range of disciplines.
 These contributions place our membership in positions to evaluate the
 immediate, intermediate and long range futures of their disciplines
 and hence to contribute to the construction of a list of critical
 "open questions".

 What are the critical questions facing your discipline? Which
 questions are being addressed by the leading scholars in your
 discipline and in closely related disciplines?

 Please make a short list of the fundamental open questions in your
 field of inquiry. In particular, what important questions are not
 being adequately addressed? Short explanation of the reasoning
 supporting the critical nature of these questions for the future of
 your discipline are welcomed.

 Please forward your contribution to me at the return address on this email.

 A preliminary discussion of the proposed critical questions will be
 discussed by the participants in WESSbook on Saturday, March 16,
 2002. The meeting will be held at 1:30 PM in room 284 of the Reiss
 Sciences Building on the Georgetown University Campus in Washington,
 D.C..

    Local members are invited to make short presentations (10 - 15
 minutes) to the WESSbook meeting to help create the forum for future
 discussions. If you desire to contribute to the open discussion,
 please email or call at your earliest convenience

 Two suggestions: If you know colleagues who share our interests,
 feel free to invite them to submit their contributions as well.
 Secondly, your suggestions of either recent or classical books which
 address or develop the questions of concern to you and references to
 such books would be welcomed along with your conceptual questions.

 For further information or discussion, please call me at 703-790-1651.

 Cheers

 Jerry LR Chandler
 President
 WESS

 Research Professor
 Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study
 George Mason University

 Fellow
 Institute for the Study of Coherence and Emergence >>
Received on Tue Apr 2 15:54:12 2002