Science in Perspective
🌌 Science in Perspective
Science doesn’t end with the parts — it begins again at the patterns. Science in Perspective looks beyond reductionism to reveal how structures create meaning, how information flows through systems, and how universal principles connect physics, biology, mind, and society.
Each episode explores real scientific research but shifts the level of description to uncover the meta-level patterns that shape reality itself. This is science seen from above — integrative, rigorous, and alive with pattern.
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Premium members get access to Techniques and Mindsets videos, where you'll learn to apply the same principles of structure, emergence, and reasoning that make science powerful, to your own decision making and understanding of the world. Premium members also get access to the member app, with Visual Concept Summaries of Each Episode, Community Forum, Summary Notes, Transcripts, and more.
Science in Perspective
Cool the World, Wreck the System: The Illusion of Control
In this episode I discuss geoengineering, focusing on the UK’s proposed aerosol project to reflect sunlight and reduce global temperatures. I explain the greenhouse effect and why gases like CO₂ and methane trap heat, before turning to the deeper issue of naive intervention—our tendency to assume linear, one-to-one outcomes in inherently complex systems. I discuss the concept of causal opacity, where true causes in interconnected systems are inaccessible, and emphasize nonlinear dynamics as the universal mechanism driving unpredictable side effects and potential collapse. The larger point is that policy and science must respect complexity rather than oversimplify it.
Suggested Reading
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/22/uk-scientists-outdoor-geoengineering-experiments
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