Evolving Systems

Visiting Speaker Series

Literature As Public Humanities

The Emergence of Form, Meaning, and Aesthetics

January, 2010 Core Group Meeting

Background, Summary,
and Continuing Discussion

Deep Time and the Earth Sciences

Background (Arlo):

Evolving Systems

January, 2010 Core Group Meeting

Background, Summary,
and Continuing Discussion

Literature Across Deep Time

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about conversations associated with the Evolving System project, and their implications for individual and collective stories of selves (mine included) and of what it is to be human.  In mid-December, I started trying to crystallize that thinking in the forum of an abstract to be submitted for a possible talk at the 2010 Metanexus meeting.  The abstract in turn led to further conversations, one of which is excerpted below as an illustration of the interpersonal and social character of individual story evolution.  For a different but intersecting view of the evolution of the abstract, see Ev

Rationality and social wisdom/cohesion clearly play important roles in inquiry, in education, and in human affairs generally.  But there are problems with relying on either alone, and with the two in combination as well.

4/14/10: Class Notes on William James: Getting Here from There
Paul Grobstein joined us today to talk about the conversations he's been having with his "old friend," William James. He brought in "some other friends," too, to help us understand "what he was about and what he's good for," since he's "pretty old now." How did James get to where he did, and what does it make possible? Why is he of interest to us, years later? What was he up to, where did he get to, and why do we continue to read him?