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October 2009You may need to
click "load images"
or something similar on your browser to see the photos, or else you can see them on the online version.
Welcome I
travelled to Rotorua for our annual work conference. It was really
great to catch up with everyone again and hear about what they
are
all doing. We had a cabaret evening with items from each area. Our
little group of three from Dunedin came third with a renditioning of
the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company C.I only have a trip to Auckland for the national council meeting of the Theosophical Society in November. Other than that I am at home for the next few months. I willl only have minimal leave at Christmas. That does allow me to catch up on my projects, patricularly my book. The photo is of magnolia flowers in the Botanical gardens. We opened our new rooms at the Theosophical Society in October. It was a simple ceremony, but was really good; looking forward to a bright future. Here are some photos Interesting WebsitesThis paper looks at group evolution and how it may have helped develop co-operatoin and hierarchical social structures. Darwinian theory says evolution works only at the level of the gene in the individual, so group selection has not been popular. Sam Bowles and others from the Santa Fe Institute have developed mathematical models to show how group selection might work. This paper Co-operation, Punishment, Emergence of Government and the Tragedy of Authorites explores this in more depth. Partly this is of interest because I met Sam Bowles when he came to Dunedin 2-3 years ago. It is pretty mathematical and way beyond me, but the re is enough of interest in the non-mathematical bits.  I
finally got around to reading some of the papers presented at the ISSS
conference in Brisbane I attended. I was very impressed by Alexander
Laszlo and Kathia Castro Laszlo. Here is their
paper on
building a knowledge based economy. They note that the
knowledged
based economy is still designed to work seeing the biosphere
and
society as something external rather than being intrinsic to human
development. They explore what a knowledge based economy might be like
within a more holistic structure.Carl Zimmer presented an interesting basic lecture on What is life? More books...The Way of Selflessness: A Practical Guide to Enlightenment Based on the Teachings of the World's Great Mystics by Joel Morwood.I have been given this book for doing a review of the book. It looks like a very thorough investigation of mystical spiritual practices and beliefs from a Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Daoist perspective. I is very well researched and designed as a workbook for spiritual practice as much as a book about spirituality. It is quite heavy going, but broken into parts and worked through progressively it looks like be a useful resource. I'm up to chapter three so far.The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning by James LovelockJames Lovelock is the British scientist, well known for his Gaia Hypothesis. He deeply concerned about global warming and believes we have already gone past the point of no return in regard to climate change. He comes to some interesting conclusions such as supporting nuclear power as the best non-poluting means of producing the quantities of energy we will need for the future. It is good readable book, but if his conclusions are correct, we may have some difficult years ahead. |
Subscribe to this newsletterIf you would like to receive this newsletter as a monthly email just send me an email. You may choose to email me to Unsubscribe. Previous NewslettersNewsletter archiveOld "Recent News" Books I read this monthGeneral System Theory by Lars SkyttnerI found this book in the university library and liked it so much I bought my own copy. I am about half way through, but I would heartily recommend it as an excellent and throughough overview os the principles of Systems Theory. It looks at the history and major pioneers and theorists, information theory, theories of brain operation, organisational theory. It is 400 pages long, but a very good read. Systems Theory by Gerald MidgelelyThis is going to be a long slog to get through this four volume series which collectes the significant papers that have defined Systems Theory over the last hundred years. I also found this at the university library and costing £600 I hav not bought it. It is complied by New Zelander, Gerald Midgeley, whom I met again in Brisbane. By the time I have finsihed these two books I should have a pretty good theoretical background in Systems Theory. |
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