Geoffrey West, Cycles, Singularities and Tipping Points in the Life History of Cities, Companies and the Planet

UM6P, 24 February 2023, 1h04mn  Introductory texts (English, French and Arabic) by Samia Erraji Drawing by Sophie Lenormand Geoffrey West’s talk explores the concepts of cycles, singularities, and tipping points in the context of urbanization, growth, and sustainability. He coins the term “Urbanocene” to highlight the dominant influence of human urbanization on Earth. West discusses the rapid pace of urbanization, driven by factors like the Industrial Revolution, fossil fuels, and… Lire plus / Read more

Islam, à la reconquête du sens

Réda Benkirane, Islam, à la reconquête du sens, nouvelle édition, Casablanca, La Croisée des Chemins, 544 pages, 2021 (première édition: Paris, Le Pommier, 512 pages, 2017). « Ce livre expose la vision d’un islam sécularisé et d’une rationalité pleinement engagée dans ce siècle et les temps à venir. Il explore les germes et les termes d’une révolution intellectuelle en islam. Il donne à voir une approche radicalement neuve, libératrice et créatrice du… Lire plus / Read more

Hugues Bersini, Algocratie: les algorithmes vont-ils prendre le pouvoir?

Algocracy: Will Algorithms Take Over? UM6P, 22 February 2023, 46mn  Introductory texts (English, French and Arabic) by Samia Erraji Drawing by Sophie Lenormand In his presentation, Hugues Bersini delves deep into the significant impact of computer science, algorithmics, and artificial intelligence on our society, which is currently grappling with multiple crises. He emphasizes the crucial need to restructure our political frameworks to fully harness these solutions. He identifies two categories… Lire plus / Read more

Hervé Zwirn, Computational Irreducibility and Emergence

UM6P, 22 February 2023, 34mn  Introductory texts (English, French and Arabic) by Hind Aboulazm  Drawing by Sophie Lenormand Hervé Zwirn presents two crucial ideas, previously raised by Stephen Wolfram, which are considered essential from an epistemological point of view for understanding the workings of complex systems: computational irreducibility and the notion of simple rules. In his talk, he illustrates these concepts with the example of Christopher Langton’s ant and Rule… Lire plus / Read more

Ivar Ekeland, The Climate Change. Transition, Bifurcation or Catastrophe? 

UM6P, 22 February 2023, 46mn  Introductory texts (English, French and Arabic) by Samia Erraji Drawing by Sophie Lenormand In this conference, Ivar Ekeland discusses climate change and the impact of human activities on the Earth’s temperature and carbon dioxide levels. He presents a graph showing temperatures and CO2 concentrations over 50,000 years. Ekeland identifies a significant and sudden increase in temperatures and CO2 emissions in the past 100 years, which… Lire plus / Read more

Stuart Kauffman, The Inevitable Anthropocene and our Choices Now: Prolegomenon to a Next Axial Age

UM6P, 22 February 2023, 58mn  Introductory texts (English, French and Arabic) by Samia Erraji Drawing by Sophie Lenormand Stuart Kauffman’s presentation delves into the concept of co-evolution and its potential impact on the future. He emphasizes humanity’s connection to nature and contrasts it with historical Western science’s view of humans as separate entities. Kauffman introduces the idea of an “axial age” marked by transformative shifts in worldview and the emergence… Lire plus / Read more

Stephen Wolfram, Foundations and Implications of Complexity

UM6P Science Week, 54mn  Introductory texts (English, French and Arabic) by Samia Erraji Drawing by Sophie Lenormand In a thought-provoking presentation, Stephen Wolfram delves into the concept of universal computation and its profound implications in both technology and science. The great physicist introduces the principle of computational equivalence, which posits that computational sophistication is a ubiquitous phenomenon in natural systems, above a certain threshold. This revelation leads to the phenomenon… Lire plus / Read more

Edgar Morin, Le défi des complexités en temps de crise

UM6P Science Week, 20 février 2023, 24mn The Challenges of Complexities in Times of Crisis Textes introductifs (français, anglais et arabe) de Samia Erraji Dans son discours d’ouverture, Edgar Morin rend tout d’abord hommage à Jean-Louis Lemoigne, son ami et maître de la systémique, et poursuit ensuite en expliquant que tout objet est un système complexe d’éléments interconnectés. Il souligne l’importance de comprendre les relations entre le tout et ses… Lire plus / Read more

Luc Steels, Promises and Limitations of Contemporary AI

UM6P Science Week, 21 February 2023, 52mn Introductory texts (English, French and Arabic) by Hind Aboulazm  Drawing by Sophie Lenormand Luc Steels is a linguist by training and one of the main thinkers on artificial intelligence and robotics. He offers  alternative paradigms to artificial intelligence, addressing issues about body model, language, origins of language, origins of symbols, evolution, cooperation, and about how a mind could grow in artificial agents. AI… Lire plus / Read more

Gregory Chaitin, Complexity in Metamathematics, Friend or Foe? 

UM6P Science Week, 21 February 2023, 1h26mn Talk followed by a roundtable with Stephen Wolfram, Hervé Zwirn and David Chavalarias Moderator: Fouad Laroui Introductory texts (English, French and Arabic) by Hind Aboulazm Drawing by Sophie Lenormand In his talk, Gregory Chaitin delves into the intricate realm of metamathematics, contemplating its role as both a companion and adversary to the world of mathematics. Metamathematics, an endeavor aimed at introspectively scrutinizing mathematics… Lire plus / Read more