richard dawkins – An Autonomous Agent

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace – Adam Curtis

anautonomousagent — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:02:00 +0000

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, by Adam Curtis, provides a grand overview of many of the people and ideas which have shaped the development of computers, systems, social theory, and politics over the past century. It is one of the better documentaries I have every seen and definitely worth watching; however, I agree with the reviewer John Preston who said it had an “…infuriating glibness too as the web of connectedness became ever more stretched. No one could dispute that Curtis has got a very big bite indeed. But what about the chewing, you ask. There wasn’t any – or nothing like enough of it to prevent a bad case of mental indigestion.”

Watch it:

Shush.se
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

Vimeo
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution – Richard Dawkins

anautonomousagent — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 19:48:00 +0000

I recently started listening to The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution, by Richard Dawkins. The audio-book is read by Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward. It’s well written and the audio is like a fascinating night-time story, definitely worth reading or hearing.

Big Think Lectures and Interviews

anautonomousagent — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:09:00 +0000

Steven Pinker talking about how language helps scientists understand cognition.
Steven Pinker: Linguistics as a Window to Understand the Brain

Nicholas Christakis talks about important revolutions in understanding the social sciences.
Nicholas Christakis: The Sociological Science Behind Social Networks and Social Influence

Benoit Mandelbrot interview, talking about fractals.
Big Think Interview with Benoit Mandelbrot

Richard Dawkins interview, talking about evolution and other related topics.
Richard Dawkins – Evolutionary Biologist – Big Think – discussing a multitude of scientific topics

First time I have heard about Stewart Brand; really smart and wise guy.
Big Think Interview With Stewart Brand

The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design – Richard Dawkins

anautonomousagent — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:10:00 +0000

As a sequel to The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker explains why intelligent design could not be a viable theory for the existence of life and consciousness. My short description of Richard Dawkins‘ book does not do the book justice. Also, watch the YouTube documentary.

The Selfish Gene – Richard Dawkins

anautonomousagent — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:56:00 +0000

Richard Dawkins‘ widely read book, The Selfish Gene, brought forth new ideas in genetics and evolution in 1976. The concept of meme and its implications are fascinating. I first heard about these ideas while reading James Gleick’s book, The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood.