Podcast Summary
Streamlining complex tasks with tools and interdisciplinary thinking: Using platforms like Indeed for hiring and tools like Rocket Money for personal finance management can simplify tasks and provide valuable insights, while interdisciplinary thinking in academia offers new perspectives on complex issues
When it comes to hiring, using a platform like Indeed can save time and provide high-quality matches, allowing businesses to focus on connecting with candidates rather than searching for them. Meanwhile, managing personal finances can be a complex task, and tools like Rocket Money can help identify and cancel unwanted subscriptions, monitor spending, and lower bills. In the world of academia, interdisciplinary thinking is essential, and Sahar Haidari Fard, a philosopher at Ohio State University, is an excellent example of someone whose work touches on philosophy, political science, and complexity theory. Her approach to understanding society from a complex systems perspective offers valuable insights into the dynamics of justice and political philosophy. Overall, these tools and perspectives can help simplify complex tasks and provide new ways of approaching old problems.
Understanding Society as a Complex System: Examining society as a complex system can reveal insights into its structure and help identify potential issues, aligning solutions with personal values using concepts like phase transitions, game theory, and networks.
Thinking about society as a complex system, as Sahar Hadari Fard suggests, can provide valuable insights for understanding and optimizing its structure. As a philosopher, Fard collaborates with other disciplines, including political science, to test assumptions about how society functions using computer models. These assumptions, based on our intuitions from local interactions, may not hold true at larger population scales. By examining society as a complex system, we can identify potential issues and suggest solutions that align with our personal values. Concepts such as phase transitions, game theory, and networks can help us analyze and philosophize about an ideal society. Ultimately, a better understanding of society's complexities can lead to more effective and equitable solutions.
Philosophy and Physics: Interconnected: Complexity arises from coordination of many actors, leading to stability and constraints on behavior, without a central organizer.
Philosophy and physics are interconnected in various ways, with physics often serving as a model for philosophy. This connection can be seen in the shift from analytic descriptions of the world to more statistics-friendly approaches, as well as the emergence of complexity. Complexity, as described, is a phenomenon that arises from the coordination of many actors, each with diverse incentives or reasons for acting. This stability over time cannot be explained solely by looking at individuals or taking an average of public opinion, as people act for a multitude of reasons. Instead, complexity is characterized by the emergence of stability that also constrains behavior, without a central organizer. This perspective on complexity differs from previous discussions, highlighting the stability that emerges over time in complex systems.
Understanding stability and change in complex systems: Stability is a foundation for understanding change in complex systems, with significant mutations leading to rapid transitions, as seen in the theory of punctuated equilibrium in biology.
Stability and change are interconnected concepts in understanding complex systems, be it in physics or social sciences. While recognizing the existence of a certain level of stability, it's essential to consider how change occurs without disrupting the system entirely. The theory of punctuated equilibrium in biology offers an analogy, where populations experience gradual evolution until a significant mutation leads to rapid change. Complexity theory can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms behind such transitions. Moreover, the speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing the role of stability as a foundation for understanding change, rather than viewing it as a limiting factor. Finally, the speaker's work in complexity theory focuses on understanding the underlying structures of systems, with the hope that such knowledge might contribute to making the world a better place.
Deeply ingrained social practices and their complex interrelationships: Understanding the complex web of interconnected factors behind deeply ingrained social practices can help identify new paths towards positive change
Certain social practices, like foot binding in ancient China, can become deeply ingrained in a culture despite their negative consequences. These practices can create a kind of "punctuated equilibrium," where a stable situation exists in isolation from other social norms, but changing it can be difficult due to the complex interrelationships between various factors. For example, foot binding was linked to marriage markets, income inequality, and other social practices, making it hard to eliminate even when laws against it were enacted. This issue is similar to the concept of a landscape of choices in evolutionary biology, where getting to a better state can be difficult due to collective action problems. However, recognizing these complex interrelationships can help us identify new paths towards positive change.
Exploring the complexities of change and collective action: Change and collective action are achievable through the emergence of counter publics or subcultures, where individuals experiment with alternative ways of living and cooperation can spread throughout society. Game theory can help understand these interactions and reduce the cost and risk of deviating from the status quo to incentivize change.
Despite the complexity and interdependence of the variables involved, change and collective action are possible, even without relying on restrictive assumptions of rationality or self-interest. This can occur through the emergence of counter publics or subcultures, where experimentation with alternative ways of living can take place and potentially spread throughout society. Game theory can be a useful tool in understanding and modeling these interactions and the dynamics of cooperation and competition between individuals. Ultimately, the success of collective action depends on finding ways to reduce the cost and risk of deviating from the status quo, and creating environments where change is not only possible but also incentivized.
Understanding Discrimination through the Prisoner's Dilemma: The Prisoner's Dilemma highlights how individuals can make choices that are detrimental to the group, leading to collective action problems and the persistence of discrimination
Discrimination and group-based disadvantages can be understood through the lens of game theory, specifically the Prisoner's Dilemma. In this scenario, individuals are faced with a tension between cooperating for the greater good or defecting for personal gain, even if the collective outcome is suboptimal. The Prisoner's Dilemma illustrates how the structure of the world can incentivize individuals to make choices that are detrimental to the group as a whole. This dynamic is known as a collective action problem. In the end, both individuals in the Prisoner's Dilemma are worse off because they both defected, even though they would have been better off if they had cooperated. This concept can help us understand how seemingly irrational behaviors can emerge in social situations and the challenges of achieving collective goals.
The complexity of the collective action problem: Despite the challenges of cooperation in the collective action problem, social connections and repeated interactions can lead to solutions and evolve towards cooperation or unfairness.
The collective action problem, where individuals struggle to cooperate for the greater good, can be more complex than it seems. While it may appear that cooperation is impossible, the presence of social connections and repeated interactions can change the dynamic. This is not an ideal gas situation where individuals act independently, but rather a system where individuals are interconnected and influenced by each other. This interdependence can lead to solutions for the collective action problem, such as dividing resources fairly or evolving towards a dominant strategy of cooperation or unfairness. The difference between the pessimistic prediction of the collective action problem and the reality of cooperation in the world can be compared to the difference between an ideal gas and a system where interaction is dominant. This philosophical perspective can lead to the realization that bad situations may occur despite no one being to blame, and that cooperation can evolve even in seemingly unfavorable conditions.
Communication and Repeated Interactions Shape Social Outcomes: Communication and repeated interactions create complex dynamics leading to cooperative and stable social outcomes, beyond what game theory suggests.
Communication and repeated interaction play crucial roles in shaping the outcomes of social situations, beyond what simple game theory models might suggest. While game theory helps us understand the strategic interactions between individuals, it assumes that people cannot communicate or hold each other accountable. However, in real life, communication and repeated interactions create complex dynamics that can lead to more cooperative and stable outcomes. Network theory, for instance, highlights how our relationships and social connections can influence our behavior and hold us accountable. Communication, therefore, is not just about sharing information, but also about building trust and reinforcing relationships. Philosophers have long pondered the nature of justice, and while they share a common goal of understanding what keeps societies functioning, the complexity introduced by communication and repeated interactions adds a layer of complexity to their theories.
The Role of Accountability in Maintaining a Functional Society: Altruism and social practices are crucial for a functional society, but a system of accountability and consequences for deviating from agreements is necessary to counteract self-interested individuals. This can be achieved through a powerful entity like Hobbes' Leviathan or through cultural practices and social norms.
While altruism and social practices play a crucial role in maintaining a functional society, it's not enough to rely solely on these elements. The need for a system of accountability and consequences for deviating from agreements arises due to the presence of self-interested individuals. Hobbes' concept of a Leviathan, a powerful entity that enforces laws and holds individuals accountable, is one solution to this problem. However, it's important to note that this comes at a high cost, as all power is concentrated in one entity. Alternatively, cultural practices and social norms can help hold individuals accountable and promote cooperation. Additionally, just as complex systems require energy to maintain their stability, societies need diversity and variation to adapt and remain stable in the face of external disturbances. In summary, a combination of altruism, social practices, and a system of accountability is necessary for a functional and stable society.
Unexpected benefits from diversity: Embracing diversity leads to unexpected benefits and solutions, even if it may seem suboptimal initially. Adapting to change and new ideas is crucial for progress.
Embracing diversity in society can lead to unexpected benefits and solutions, even if it may seem suboptimal at first. This was illustrated through the discussion of hoarding during the pandemic, where having a large variety of items, such as rubber bands, unexpectedly became useful. The concept of diversity was also compared to the foot binding example, highlighting how strategies or norms that were once optimal can become outdated without the influx of new ideas and people. The complexity perspective distinguishes itself by not seeking stability as an end goal, but rather recognizing that change is constant and our ability to explain and adapt to it is crucial. This approach, as argued by Elizabeth Anderson, is more effective for political justice as conditions are always changing and the perfect society is an unattainable ideal. Embracing diversity and constantly probing our weaknesses can help guide changes towards better outcomes.
Embrace local improvements for better outcomes: Focusing on local improvements in complex situations can lead to better outcomes by maximizing discovery of better solutions through diverse strategies and perspectives, effective communication, and learning from each other.
Focusing on local improvements rather than a final goal can lead to better outcomes in complex situations. This approach is inspired by the way scientific communities explore unknown territories, where diverse strategies and perspectives help maximize the ability to discover better solutions. The importance of communication and learning from each other, while acknowledging that what works in one place might not work in another, is crucial for minimizing errors and maximizing success. This dynamic, often compared to chapter-based movements, allows for the incorporation of situated knowledge and the acceptance that we may be wrong and need to adapt along the way.
Preserving diversity crucial for progress and innovation: Supporting diversity in academic subfields and social movements leads to progress and innovation, while conformity can stifle growth and limit discovery.
Preserving diversity in academic subfields and social movements is crucial for progress and innovation. The pressure for conformity can be strong, leading minority groups to create their own enclaves for survival and amplification of their voices. This was exemplified in the civil rights movement by Rosa Parks, who, with the support of her counter community, was able to make a significant impact despite the risks. Similarly, in scientific communities, nurturing diversity and providing space for alternative approaches can lead to important discoveries and protect against potential errors in the dominant thinking. Even in a perfect democracy, mechanisms for collective action and influence can advantage some people over others, making it essential to foster diversity and protect minority voices.
The power of interconnectedness in social movements: Recognizing the power of interconnectedness and nurturing meaningful relationships can lead to more effective social movements
Our interconnectedness in social networks can significantly amplify change and make it more likely to occur. Social movements, for instance, can reach a wider audience and gain more momentum due to the increased number of connections between people. Complexity theory and evolutionary game theory can provide valuable insights into understanding these dynamics, but they do not offer a recipe for starting a social movement. Instead, individuals should recognize their role as part of a larger network and focus on building strong connections with like-minded individuals to create a more significant impact. Additionally, the concept of short and long-range correlations, borrowed from physics, can help illustrate the importance of strong connections in driving social change. In summary, recognizing the power of interconnectedness and nurturing meaningful relationships can lead to more effective social movements.