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Comprehending the Incomprehensible: Samuel Arbesman on Rapidly Accelerating Technology

Comprehending the Incomprehensible: Samuel Arbesman on Rapidly Accelerating Technology

FromPoint of Inquiry


Comprehending the Incomprehensible: Samuel Arbesman on Rapidly Accelerating Technology

FromPoint of Inquiry

ratings:
Length:
27 minutes
Released:
Nov 7, 2016
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

We live in a digital era in which science and technology have revealed new frontiers never before possible. In developing the complicated technologies that permeate our lives, is it possible that humans have failed to grasp the magnitude of the complexity they have created? This week’s guest is a complexity scientist, Samuel Arbesman, author of the new book Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension.   Arbesman explains that the rate of technological expansion is growing too quickly for our intellects to keep up, and the dangers of not understanding the inner workings of our creations are already revealing themselves, whether it’s the New York Stock Exchange suspending trading without warning or Toyota cars accelerating uncontrollably to the surprise of their drivers. The complexity of the code behind much of what has become fundamental components of society are so far past the limits of human comprehension that oftentimes no one is even able to find the cause when these systems go awry. Arbesman lays out why it’s so difficult for even experts to keep up with technological progress and how we can make efforts to prevent our creations from destroying themselves…or us.
Released:
Nov 7, 2016
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Launched in 2005, Point of Inquiry is the premier podcast of the Center for Inquiry. Point of Inquiry critically examines topics in science, religion, philosophy, and politics. Each episode takes on a specific issue and features in-depth discussions with leading scientists, researchers, and writers.