Geoffrey West: "Metabolism and the Hidden Laws of Biology"

Geoffrey West: "Metabolism and the Hidden Laws of Biology"

On this episode, physicist Geoffrey West joins Nate to discuss his decades of work on metabolic scaling laws found in nature and how they apply to humans and our economies. As we think about the past and future of societies, there are patterns that emerge independently across cultures in terms of resource use and social phenomena as the size of a city grows. Does Kleiber's law, which describes the increasingly efficient use of energy as an animal gets larger - also apply to human cities? How have humans deviated from this rule through excess social consumption beyond a human body's individual metabolic needs? What could we learn from these scaling laws to adjust our communities to be more aligned with the biophysical realities of energy and resource consumption? Can an understanding of social metabolism impact our social metabolism?

About Geoffrey West

Geoffrey West is the Shannan Distinguished Professor and former President of the Santa Fe Institute and an Associate Senior Fellow of Oxford University's Green-Templeton College. West is a theoretical physicist whose primary interests have been in fundamental questions ranging across physics, biology and the social sciences. His work is motivated by the search for unifying principles and the "simplicity underlying complexity". His research includes metabolism, growth, aging & death, sleep, cancer, ecosystems, innovation and the accelerating pace of life. Most recently he has been developing a science of cities and companies, including the challenge of long-term global sustainability of the anthroposphere. He is the author of the best-selling book Scale; The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies.

Find out more, and show notes: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/117-geoffrey-west

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/my9a9Ftr7ek

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John Gowdy: "Superorganisms, Crazy Ants, and Fire Apes, Oh My!"

John Gowdy: "Superorganisms, Crazy Ants, and Fire Apes, Oh My!"

On this episode, we meet with Ecological Economist, John Gowdy. Gowdy explores the revolution in biology and its significance in society. How do different cultures manifest human nature? What role has...

13 Huhti 20221h 20min

Jamie Wheal: "Neuro-anthropology and Culture Architecture"

Jamie Wheal: "Neuro-anthropology and Culture Architecture"

On this episode, we meet with Executive Director of the Flow Genome Project, Jamie Wheal. Jamie discusses the evolutionary importance of music as a coping mechanism, how the United States' university ...

6 Huhti 20221h 21min

Dennis Meadows: "Limits to Growth turns 50 - Checking In"

Dennis Meadows: "Limits to Growth turns 50 - Checking In"

On this episode, we meet with Professor Emeritus of Systems Management and author, Dennis Meadows. Meadows revisits Limits to Growth 50 years after it was published. Looking back, how does Meadows vi...

30 Maalis 20221h 19min

Rex Weyler: "Crisis in the Ecology Movement"

Rex Weyler: "Crisis in the Ecology Movement"

On this episode, we meet with ecologist, writer, and Greenpeace cofounder, Rex Weyler. Weyler explains how the ecology movement was hijacked by the environmental movement. How is climate change one of...

22 Maalis 20221h 30min

Are Americans Willing to Risk Nuclear War? | Frankly #2

Are Americans Willing to Risk Nuclear War? | Frankly #2

An important dialogue with Chuck Watson on: 1) Why the U.S. public is naïve about what nuclear war means 2) The mechanics on how nuclear war with Russia could actually happen 3) How bad would nuclear ...

18 Maalis 202230min

Nora Bateson: "Complexity Between The Lines"

Nora Bateson: "Complexity Between The Lines"

On this episode, we meet with award-winning filmmaker, writer, educator, and President of the International Bateson Institute, Nora Bateson. Nora brings us beyond the descriptions of the physical scie...

16 Maalis 20221h 24min

What War in Ukraine means for Energy & Money | Frankly #1

What War in Ukraine means for Energy & Money | Frankly #1

In addition to regular Wednesday longform podcasts, this video is #1 of new series of short takes, "Frankly" which are framings and context on current world events. Today, I riff on longer term implic...

12 Maalis 202218min

The Human Superorganism - TGS Animated Series Preview

The Human Superorganism - TGS Animated Series Preview

The second part of The Great Simplification Animated Series is now available! Visit http://thegreatsimplification.com to view now.

9 Maalis 20222min

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