What can physics tell us about the brain? - Part 2

In the last episode, Christopher Lynn, Assistant Professor of Physics at Yale University, discussed how we can better understand brain function and consciousness using statistical mechanics and information theory. In this episode, Christopher expands on the practical applications of statistical me…

What can physics tell us about the brain? - Part 1

We're welcoming back Christopher Lynn, Assistant Professor of Physics at Yale University, to chat about how the brain works. In this episode, Christopher discusses how statistical mechanics and information theory can help us gain a deeper understanding of brain function and consciousness.   Conn…

Nicholas Gruen vs Rory Sutherland

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, and Nicholas Gruen, CEO of Lateral Economics, have both returned to debate the efficacy and limitations of applying systems thinking to complex problems.   Resources and links: Ogilvy UK website Lateral Economics website   Connect: Simplifying Comple…

How cultural evolution shapes us - Part 2

In the last episode, Paul Smaldino, Professor of Cognitive and Information Sciences at the University of California, Merced, and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute discussed how human behaviour is shaped by cultural evolution. In this episode, Paul discusses social learning and identi…

How cultural evolution shapes us - Part 1

We all know that we are shaped by evolution, but we're also shaped by cultural evolution. In this episode, we’re joined by Paul Smaldino, Professor of Cognitive and Information Sciences at the University of California, Merced, and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, to explain how cul…

What is your country good at?

Ricardo Hausmann is the Founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab and the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School. In this episode, Ricardo explains how the amount and diversity of knowledge within an economy shapes its current capabil…

Do you have free will? - Part 2

In the last episode, Kevin Mitchell, Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, compared human brains with single-celled organisms to introduce us to the impact of genetics on conscious thought. In this episode, Kevin discusses metacognition, or how humans think ab…

Do you have free will? - Part 1

In this episode, Kevin Mitchell, Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, takes us on a journey from single-celled organisms to human consciousness to explore if we have free will.   Connect: Simplifying Complexity on Twitter Sean Brady on Twitter Sean Brady on …

Law and complexity science

Today we're joined by Michal Shur-Ofry, Associate Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem law faculty, as she discusses the law and complex systems. In this episode, you'll hear how traditional legal approaches often take an overly simplistic view of the systems they're trying to regulate,…

The scientist who made the digital world possible - Part 2

In the last episode, Jimmy Soni introduced Dr Claude Shannon, whose work laid the foundation for the technologies we use today. In this episode, Jimmy dives into the significance of Dr Shannon’s 1948 paper “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” to the creation of information theory.    Resourc…