Life beyond dogma! Free-floating systems thinker & natural philosopher. Antifragilist extemporanian metamodernist. Open science, society & living.
Jan 19, 2022 ⢠23 tweets ⢠5 min read
The current #COVID19 media coverage around me seems to agree on three things: (1) there is nothing we can do against #omicron, (2) this variant is mild & the wave will be over soon, (3) we're soon going "endemic," to "live with the virus," & back to normality. /1
There seems to be very little push-back against this narrative, which is something that really surprises me. But worse than that: it does *not* bode well for the next pandemic (whether the next #COVID19 variant or something altogether more worrisome). /2
Feb 19, 2021 ⢠16 tweets ⢠7 min read
Our second paper on dynamical modularity, "Dynamical Modules in Metabolism, Cell and Developmental Biology" by @NickMonk14 & myself is now available as a preprint: osf.io/rydbn via @OSFramework /1
It complements our earlier evolutionary perspective on the subject (osf.io/vfz4t) with its more regulation-based approach and a long list of practical examples that illustrate our novel conceptual framework for the dynamical decomposition of complex systems. /2
Dec 13, 2020 ⢠5 tweets ⢠3 min read
Darwinian Gaia: the persister perspective on evolution. aeon.co/essays/the-gai⌠via @aeonmag@aeonmag I think this an amazingly refreshing and interesting new view on evolution. For several reasons. Whatâs even more amazing is that one of the best evolutionary biologists today has completely transformed his view of evolution in light of new evidence. How rarely does this happen?
Nov 6, 2020 ⢠10 tweets ⢠4 min read
@dav_robbe I didnât leave academia voluntarily. And I tried to get a traditional academic job back for quite a while. Stockholm syndrome, I guess. Iâm also still trying to get funding for my projects. Short-term fellowships work, but no luck with bigger projects so far. /1@dav_robbe I survive on the odd teaching job and giving workshops (e.g. a primer in philosophy for scientists). In years since Iâve left, Iâve done my best intellectual work. The lack of career constraints is unbelievably liberating. And the lack of bullshit work in committees etc. too⌠/2
Nov 5, 2020 ⢠12 tweets ⢠2 min read
I made the mistake of taking on a grant review in my old field of research. The first this year. Much has happened since January. And many of my priorities have changed. A few reflections. /1
After reading the grant proposal, I had to decline the review, because of an intellectual conflict of interest. The proposal was well-written, certainly not uninteresting in terms of proposals in its field, and the applicant was well qualified. /2
Sep 17, 2020 ⢠10 tweets ⢠3 min read
I just read another one of those âhow I overcame writing anxiety and became a more productive writerâ threads on #AcademicTwitter. They are a frighteningly frequent thing. A few thoughts. #StockholmSyndrome /1
This latest thread was full of very reasonable advice on how to boost your writing productivity by a researcher who published something like a dozen and a half articles and book chapters over the past year. The implicit claim is that this made them a better writer. /2
Sep 16, 2020 ⢠8 tweets ⢠3 min read
A business idea for these times, in which higher education is seen as a commodity, and students are treated like customers: a university modelled on #CrossFit. (And no, this is *not* about Greg Glassmanâs idiotic views on COVID or racism.) #HigherEducation /1
From the point of this university âyour education is just our warm-up.â Students will have to suffer (every single day) to increase their depth of thinking. Daily existential crises are part of the programme. Only this kind of learning builds sustainable cognitive muscle. /2
We had our last discussion with the Uni Vienna MSc students today.
A little reflection⌠đđť /1
Itâs been an incredible journey. Very wide-ranging, but also very compressed & intense. Deadlines are the only thing that forces me to overcome eternal procrastination due to excessive perfectionism. Iâm still a bit dizzy (and exhausted) from the experience. /2
Jun 20, 2020 ⢠21 tweets ⢠3 min read
A little thread on maybe *the* false dichotomy in evolutionary biology: self-organisation vs. natural selection⌠đđť
Letâs start with Lewontinâs minimal conditions for Darwinian evolution: (1) phenotypic variation, (2) inheritance, (3) differential fitness. To get evolution, these conditions must be met. /1
Jun 19, 2020 ⢠15 tweets ⢠3 min read
Wow. Science by Twitter is one up from science by press release. Progress canât be stopped, I guess.
Since you publish your science on Twitter now, I guess you wonât mind if I do a Twitter peer review of it?
First of all: I love the direction in which this is going! You identify a number of the most profound misrepresentations & challenges in biology today. And I think the way you go about describing them is pretty spot on. Thank you for posting this and popularising this view! /1
Jun 18, 2020 ⢠10 tweets ⢠3 min read
There seems to be a surprising amount of confusion regarding the question âwhich side are you on?â in the extended evolutionary synthesis #EES debate.
Consider the #EES debate in our field to be something like the last UEFA Champions League final, played between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Unless you are a big fan of either team, it was a terrible game to watch. And I really couldnât care less who was going to win it. /1
Jun 17, 2020 ⢠5 tweets ⢠1 min read
Over the last few days, I have encountered three types of ideological influence on scientists: (1) hidden ideology, (2) open ideology, (3) determining ideology (see thread đđť ).
I know John DuprĂŠ has written on the subject.
Hivemind: any other recommended readings?
(1) Hidden ideology: the traditional âI have no ideology, just factsâ neo-positivist. Well, thatâs an ideology too! /1
Jun 5, 2020 ⢠16 tweets ⢠7 min read
A little thread on the causal role of genes in complex regulatory systems, the subject of my recent paper in #BioEssays with philosopher James DiFrisco.
This is part of a collection of papers initiated by @drmichaellevin.
@drmichaellevin Our paper introduces different views on causality to biologists. Physical notions based on law-like regularity of phenomena, or transfer of matter & energy are not really suitable in biology, where general laws are rare & the transfer of information often more important. /1
May 29, 2020 ⢠4 tweets ⢠2 min read
This is a fucking telecommunications company! But they donât do telecommunication, apparently.
This is from an annual lecture I give for the Wellcome PhD programme in Developmental Biology at Cambridge.
See thread for info & links to individual lectures. đđť
These lectures aim to convey a basic understanding of the purpose and potential of computational and mathematical modelling in developmental biology, and to familiarise the viewer with the basic concepts required for such understanding. /1
Apr 8, 2020 ⢠5 tweets ⢠2 min read
"Philosophy of science is alive and kicking, and in many aspects, of huge relevance to science today. The poor perception of the discipline means, however, that the potential benefits of collaboration between philosophers and scientists are largely being squandered.â #philsci /1
Agree that this is due to a large extent to institutional barriers & a lack of education & appreciation on part of the scientists. But also due to the idiotic productivity-centred academic funding & publishing system we have set up. Philosophical work no longer worth our time. /2
Interesting difference in strategy & priorities: Austria đŚđš re-opens garden centres, Denmark đŠđ° re-opens primary schools first. Is there any epidemiological reason? Or are these strategies based purely on economic and/or social criteria? Any opinions out there? /2
Mar 31, 2020 ⢠7 tweets ⢠5 min read
Eine faktenbasierte Diskussion wäre in der Tat wßnschenswert und notwendig. Was der @falter_at@florianklenk die letzten Tage produzieren ist leider billige Polemik, die nur einseitige Evidenz zitiert. Faktenbasiert ist anders. Wir werden dies in der Tat noch mit Toten bezahlen.
@falter_at@florianklenk Ioannides Ideen sind weit herum kritisiert worden. Zuzuwarten, bis bessere Daten da sind hätte tausende Menschenleben gekostet. Diese Daten sind jetzt ßbrigens da und schlagen vor, wir sollten auch weiterhin schÜn zuhause bleiben. (Spazieren und Joggen mit Abstand erlaubt!) /1
Mar 27, 2020 ⢠4 tweets ⢠2 min read
Keine gute Zeit, zwanghaft den Rebellen spielen zu mßssen...Die Propagandaschlacht von @florianklenk, die Schulen und Wirtschaft wieder zu Üffnen, ohne gesundheitspolitische LÜsung in Sicht, welche die exponentielle Verbreitung des Virus unterbindet, ist schwachsinnig/fahrlässig.
Das mit der Schule werden wir schon bis Sommer durchstehen, wennâs denn sein muss. Unsere Ărzte und Krankenschwestern werdenâs uns danken. Die Toten jedoch, die kommen nie mehr wieder zurĂźck.
Mar 26, 2020 ⢠7 tweets ⢠2 min read
So, I was having a bad day yesterday, shouting at people online. Not very constructive, but therapeutic.
I donât mean to apologise to any of those I insulted. They fully deserve it.
My frustration was not with the virus, but with the people I share this planet with. /1
I can only compare it to a situation I found myself in ages ago. I was doing my mandatory military service in Switzerland, and we were in an exercise with live ammunition. We were all about 19 years old back then and someone found it funny to hand around a joint. /2
Mar 25, 2020 ⢠11 tweets ⢠8 min read
So: jetzt noch etwas ausfĂźhrlicheres Ăźber diesen brandgefährlichen Artikel im @falter_at: wenn der @KurtLangbein wirklich âder wohl bekannteste Medizinjournalist Ăsterreichsâ ist, hat er diesen Ruhm offenbar mehr durch Fachidiotie als durch gesunden Menschenverstand errungen...
@falter_at@KurtLangbein Dieser Artikel hebt zurecht hervor, dass Massnahmen zu spät gekommen sind und das weiterverbreitetes Testen notwendig sein wird, um die Verbreitung zu bekämpfen. Dann zitiert er kontroverse Aussagen von John Ioannides, um eine Lockerung der Ausgangssperre zu fordern. /1
