Week Six

Living and Non-Living Systems

This subject threatens to become very intense and arcane. I can't say I fully understand the autopoetic definition of living systems. I really don't understand the role of cognition in it. That being said, I'll just throw some thoughts out there.

It's hard to come up with a notion of a living system that is any smaller in scope than the whole earth, or maybe the whole universe. Living systems are supposed to be self-sustaining. But, nothing is really self sustaining. All creatures need to feed themselves, and so rely on being able to find food. When one species dies out, it threatens the rest of the food chain. So, are any of those systems self-sustaining? Also, we all need certain environmental conditions to survive. Global warming could threaten and/or destroy most of life on earth. So, does that make any of the species self sustaining? I don't think so. The concept of Gaia comes up for me, and the idea that the earth is an organic, living system. Perhaps it is self-sustaining, doing what it needs to do to we humans in order to ensure its survival.

Tools and Language in Chimps

I find this fascinating and exciting, but not all that surprising. We have learned over the years of complex social structures among lots of other species, and not just primates. Whales have complex communication systems, as do dolphin. And, it's not just mammals. Crows have complex communication systems. We are so species-centric that we are forever surprised by these revelations. In my opinion, humans are the ones who need to work on their language and communication. If we're so smart, why are the polar ice caps melting? Let's talk about that!!!

The other cool thing about chimps is that while the one is burrowing the hole, the others sit and watch and wait their turn! That only happens in Canada. Definitely not in New York. Why do we think we're so much more highly evolved?

Chinese Medicine Gaining Respectability in the West

What I find interesting about the mainstreaming of Chinese medicine is the way it's happening. It is a grass roots movement, driven by consumer demand because people witness its effectiveness. I love the fact that it is growing at break neck pace. I looked for statistics about the increase in demand, and couldn't find anything recent. But in 2002, 2.1 million people visited an acupuncturist, and by 2003 over 8 million people did. That's an unbelievable jump. I love it when people vote with their feet, and on the strength of their personal experience force change in the system. Now that mainstream press and medicine has noticed this surge in consumer demand, they are reluctantly trying to show up at the party. Acupuncture is part of the truth, and doesn't need to rely on hokey commercials aired during football games or prime-time soaps to sell it.