another banger. It was specifically useful for me trying to explain cybernetics to a friend who is really into daoism.
on this bit about names and dao -- I've been influenced Flusser talking about poetics as the process of inventing new proper names. This seems very important to me, studying social media -- as the world changes, what is the process by which we generate new tools to interface with and constrain it? It can't be scientific!
He also talks about how normal conversation tends to degrade the uniqueness of proper names, which fits nicely with the quoted bit. This is from his book Philosophy of Language, which comes soon after he (and so many other western cybernetics-inflected thinkers like Beer and McLuhan) discover "the east" -- so I wouldn't be surprised if he's drawing from the same source material
Very thought-provoking! Nice to read during this break. By the way, were you at the CDC? If yes, were you the person who asked about Ross Ashby (instead of Wiener) as being a more germane cybenetician in the lunch session on AI and control?
Very compelling. The only Chinese traditional book I memorized throughly is Daode Jing . May I translate your post into Chinese and post it on the platform Dedao and Rednote ?
I have never seen a synthesis of important ideas from such disparate philosophical traditions expressed in way that is so artful and compelling.
Thank you, Stuart!
another banger. It was specifically useful for me trying to explain cybernetics to a friend who is really into daoism.
on this bit about names and dao -- I've been influenced Flusser talking about poetics as the process of inventing new proper names. This seems very important to me, studying social media -- as the world changes, what is the process by which we generate new tools to interface with and constrain it? It can't be scientific!
He also talks about how normal conversation tends to degrade the uniqueness of proper names, which fits nicely with the quoted bit. This is from his book Philosophy of Language, which comes soon after he (and so many other western cybernetics-inflected thinkers like Beer and McLuhan) discover "the east" -- so I wouldn't be surprised if he's drawing from the same source material
Very thought-provoking! Nice to read during this break. By the way, were you at the CDC? If yes, were you the person who asked about Ross Ashby (instead of Wiener) as being a more germane cybenetician in the lunch session on AI and control?
Yes, that was me :) Really enjoyed that panel.
I would very much enjoy getting to know you and your work! My work email is --- pramod.khargonekar@uci.edu
Very compelling. The only Chinese traditional book I memorized throughly is Daode Jing . May I translate your post into Chinese and post it on the platform Dedao and Rednote ?