Why Prof. Edward Wilson is getting so much flak
Just found out about Edward Wilson and his work on human cooperation.
Last week, 3 synchronistic conversations sparked a next level amalgamation of everything that I've been working on for the last 18 years.
It's all about distributed networks dynamics when applied to human social structures. Things like communities, economies, companies, schools and nations.
We're at a catalyst point, in terms of approaching singularities in a number of fields: Computer Science, Neuroscience, economies are merging, and political power flows towards supra-national organisations. Culturally also, we are experiencing a much greater awareness of each other, mainly thanks to the increased connectivity the internet provides.
This is where the reason lies for there being so much seething towards Professor Wilson. As we increase connectivity, while maintaining individual discretion a higher level order of power structures is emerging based on sharability as the prime generator of value.
This is what crowd-sourcing is all about; emergent intelligence. And this is why every institutionalised power structure in existence is clamouring; because it is their end.
The notion of sharability and connectivity as value generators is best evidenced in social media and online gaming. Most importantly, it's how Iceland are taking their political system to the next level. Discrete, distributed network dynamics, that result in a higher order intelligence, just like bees and ants, and A.I.
What do we people look like when we come together in crowds? What are the things we do in large numbers? We dance at parties, we cheer at sporting, cultural and musical events, we vote and demonstrate, we fight and wage war, we economise and we educate and organise.
Out of all of those which have effects which support and enhance the others?
We're used to dealing with hierarchies. All our systems are hierarchical and so we get polarisation and disparity across resources. Organisational studies, psychology, engineering and HR have given us new models and functional structures. So has politics with all its ideologies. And so has biology, neuroscience and computing.
And now we are also aware of the connection between linguistics and genetics, we can begin to look at commonality in areas of success.
From anthropology to computer modelling, it's always the same conclusions: Models that value connectivity and sharing always have increased sustainability over those that value competition, ownership and authority.
One of our most prominent macro-human structures is 'Science'. It is massively institutionalised and therefore invested in status quo. The degree which it is reactionary towards development is clear in the comments and criticisms directed towards Prof. Wilson. They obviously understand that there is no resisting embedded fractal harmonics.
Say what?!