Month: August 2025

“Humanistic Computation and The Magic of Code” Dr. Sam Arbesman

Computing is not just a branch of engineering. It touches on language and philosophy, the nature of life, and how we think. It is a liberal art. And as a result, we need a humanistic approach to computing. By understanding the history of technology more deeply, as well as how it connects to so many disciplines, we will be better positioned to make this approach the default in how we relate to computing.

Sam Arbesman’s new book “The Magic of Code” explores this. But, he is also interested in more broadly developing what he is calling the Humanistic Computation Project, which is aimed at creating a living syllabus, a community, and a framework for these ideas.

Watch”Humanistic Computation and The Magic of Code” Dr. Sam Arbesman at: www.youtube.com

Behavioral and Topological Heterogeneities in Network Versions of Schelling’s Segregation Model

Will Deter, Hiroki Sayama

Complexity

Agent-based models of residential segregation have been of persistent interest to various research communities since their origin with James Sakoda and popularization by Thomas Schelling. Frequently, these models have sought to elucidate the extent to which the collective dynamics of individual preferences may cause segregation to emerge. This open question has sustained relevance in U.S. jurisprudence. Previous investigation that incorporated heterogeneity of behaviors (preferences) showed reductions in segregation. Meanwhile, previous investigation that incorporated heterogeneity of social network topologies showed no significant impact to observed segregation levels. In the present study, we examined the effects of the concurrent presence of both behavioral and topological heterogeneities in network segregation models. Simulations were conducted using both homogeneous and heterogeneous preference models on 2D lattices with varied levels of densification to create topological heterogeneities (i.e., clusters and hubs). Results show a richer variety of outcomes, including novel differences in resultant segregation levels and hub composition. Notably, with concurrent increased representations of heterogeneous preferences and heterogeneous topologies, reduced levels of segregation emerge. Simultaneously, we observe a novel dynamic of segregation between tolerance levels as highly tolerant nodes take residence in dense areas and push intolerant nodes to sparse areas mimicking the urban–rural divide.

Read the full article at: onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The evolution of energy poverty theory

Zeus Guevara, Mariana Espinosa-Aldama, Oliver López-Corona

Energy Strategy Reviews
Volume 61, September 2025, 101832

• 1st scientometrics study of energy poverty (EP) focused on theoretical development.
• 5 Schools of Thought are identified from the field’s knowledge/information flows.
• The evolution of EP theory shows a convergent trend towards a consensual concept.
• Energy justice has served as a conciliatory perspective.
• The field is young, as there is still wide theoretical and methodological divergence.

Read the full article at: www.sciencedirect.com

Modelling the emergence of open-ended technological evolution

James Winters, Mathieu Charbonneau
Humans stand alone in terms of their potential to collectively and cumulatively improve technologies in an open-ended manner. This open-endedness provides societies with the ability to continually expand their resources and to increase their capacity to store, transmit and process information at a collective-level. Here, we propose that the production of resources arises from the interaction between technological systems (a society’s repertoire of interdependent skills, techniques and artifacts) and search spaces (the aggregate collection of needs, problems and goals within a society). Starting from this premise we develop a macro-level model wherein both technological systems and search spaces are subject to cultural evolutionary dynamics. By manipulating the extent to which these dynamics are characterised by stochastic or selection-like processes, we demonstrate that open-ended growth is extremely rare, historically contingent and only possible when technological systems and search spaces co-evolve. Here, stochastic factors must be strong enough to continually perturb the dynamics into a far-from-equilibrium state, whereas selection-like factors help maintain effectiveness and ensure the sustained production of resources. Only when this co-evolutionary dynamic maintains effective technological systems, supports the ongoing expansion of the search space and leads to an increased provision of resources do we observe open-ended technological evolution.

Read the full article at: arxiv.org

Carlos Gershenson – Balance: A Narrative for Complexity

We welcome Carlos Gershenson to The Complexity Lounge. Carlos will propose that one of the main goals of science—the search for regularities in nature—points toward the concept of balance. He will discuss how complexity, evolution, criticality, and antifragility can be seen as resulting from different types of balance. The session will review specific mechanisms that promote balance, such as adaptation and self-organization, and conclude by exploring the philosophical implications of a worldview grounded in its scientific study.

Watc at: www.youtube.com