Andrew Ringsmuth
@andrewringsmuth.com
Physicist in complex systems & sustainability
@wegenercenter.bsky.social & @csh.ac.at. Social-ecological metabolism, complexity, evolution, agency & transformation. Ex-tech’ist➡️systems realist. 🇦🇺🇳🇱🇸🇪🇦🇹🇪🇺🌍
Graz | Stockholm
@wegenercenter.bsky.social & @csh.ac.at. Social-ecological metabolism, complexity, evolution, agency & transformation. Ex-tech’ist➡️systems realist. 🇦🇺🇳🇱🇸🇪🇦🇹🇪🇺🌍
Graz | Stockholm
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
Nature is as much about the evolved connections between species as the actual species themselves.
EcoSYSTEMS. 🌎
EcoSYSTEMS. 🌎
March 22, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Nature is as much about the evolved connections between species as the actual species themselves.
EcoSYSTEMS. 🌎
EcoSYSTEMS. 🌎
Thatcher’s claim, that there’s no such thing as society, although wildly wrong in 1987, is starting to smell a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy
March 21, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Thatcher’s claim, that there’s no such thing as society, although wildly wrong in 1987, is starting to smell a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy
“This idea, that nature is a constant competition for life, is nonsense.”
Anthropologist debunks Darwin’s most abused idea | James Suzman
YouTube video by Big Think
youtu.be
March 15, 2025 at 8:35 AM
“This idea, that nature is a constant competition for life, is nonsense.”
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
Don’t threaten me with a good time
March 10, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Don’t threaten me with a good time
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
Fully-funded PhD position on the cultural evolution of environmental management!
Link evolution, ecology and behavioral science in the ACE Lab timwaring.info Details: forms.gle/gZWK9BpwYfoG...
@culturalevolsoc.bsky.social @alexmesoudi.com @hyperadapthyrax.bsky.social @michael.muthukrishna.com
Link evolution, ecology and behavioral science in the ACE Lab timwaring.info Details: forms.gle/gZWK9BpwYfoG...
@culturalevolsoc.bsky.social @alexmesoudi.com @hyperadapthyrax.bsky.social @michael.muthukrishna.com
ACE Lab: Applied Cultural Evolution Laboratory
culture, evolution, cooperation, and sustainability
timwaring.info
March 10, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Fully-funded PhD position on the cultural evolution of environmental management!
Link evolution, ecology and behavioral science in the ACE Lab timwaring.info Details: forms.gle/gZWK9BpwYfoG...
@culturalevolsoc.bsky.social @alexmesoudi.com @hyperadapthyrax.bsky.social @michael.muthukrishna.com
Link evolution, ecology and behavioral science in the ACE Lab timwaring.info Details: forms.gle/gZWK9BpwYfoG...
@culturalevolsoc.bsky.social @alexmesoudi.com @hyperadapthyrax.bsky.social @michael.muthukrishna.com
The number of resilient, purely individualistic societies so far discovered is zero.
A reminder I found online. Together we are strong. Now we just have to hang together, so that no one is hanged separately.
March 10, 2025 at 12:23 PM
The number of resilient, purely individualistic societies so far discovered is zero.
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
Not a novel observation, but the economic system we've adopted was developed by men like Musk to benefit men like Musk. That anyone else has benefitted at all is largely thanks to efforts to constrain that system.
Perhaps our fundamental weakness is that our political/economic systems favour the elevation to power of execrable individuals who have no empathy and consider it a weakness.
Musk states "the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy". Charles Darwin, who actually researched this stuff, showed it was empathy, specifically, that enabled humanity to flourish.
March 8, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Not a novel observation, but the economic system we've adopted was developed by men like Musk to benefit men like Musk. That anyone else has benefitted at all is largely thanks to efforts to constrain that system.
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
What are the risks of extreme wealth?
Join us on 6 March, 6.30pm for a panel discussion with Fernanda Balata, @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social, @garyseconomics.bsky.social, @deschuttero.bsky.social and Tania Burchardt as they explore the viability of an extreme wealth line.
Register here:
Join us on 6 March, 6.30pm for a panel discussion with Fernanda Balata, @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social, @garyseconomics.bsky.social, @deschuttero.bsky.social and Tania Burchardt as they explore the viability of an extreme wealth line.
Register here:
Where do we draw the line? Exploring an extreme wealth line
Public event at LSE | Ingrid Robeyns, Olivier De Schutter, Fernanda Balata, Gary Stevenson, Tania Burchardt | Thurs 6 March, 6.30 to 8.00pm
buff.ly
February 24, 2025 at 10:02 AM
What are the risks of extreme wealth?
Join us on 6 March, 6.30pm for a panel discussion with Fernanda Balata, @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social, @garyseconomics.bsky.social, @deschuttero.bsky.social and Tania Burchardt as they explore the viability of an extreme wealth line.
Register here:
Join us on 6 March, 6.30pm for a panel discussion with Fernanda Balata, @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social, @garyseconomics.bsky.social, @deschuttero.bsky.social and Tania Burchardt as they explore the viability of an extreme wealth line.
Register here:
Resilient societies have mechanisms to constrain sociopaths’ ambitions. Decades of neoliberalism have empowered rapacious sociopaths to the point that they can openly destroy what few constraints remain, and take all community resources. This is precisely the dynamic of late-stage cancer.
Musk states "the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy". Charles Darwin, who actually researched this stuff, showed it was empathy, specifically, that enabled humanity to flourish.
Government AI, defending DOGE and more: Takeaways from Elon Musk’s three-hour interview with Joe Rogan
The wide-ranging interview between the two prominent Trump supporters comes as Musk remakes the federal government.
www.politico.com
March 5, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Resilient societies have mechanisms to constrain sociopaths’ ambitions. Decades of neoliberalism have empowered rapacious sociopaths to the point that they can openly destroy what few constraints remain, and take all community resources. This is precisely the dynamic of late-stage cancer.
Is this a surprise? Didn’t Trump publicly say that “we’ll fix it so you won’t have to vote anymore” while campaigning?
Every day, the goals become clearer: The point of DOGE is not efficiency, but regime change
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
There’s a Term for What Trump and Musk Are Doing
How regime change happens in America
www.theatlantic.com
February 23, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Is this a surprise? Didn’t Trump publicly say that “we’ll fix it so you won’t have to vote anymore” while campaigning?
Nice. Now do culture.
🧪 Evo-2, the largest AI model for biology, is here. Trained on 128K genomes, it can generate entire chromosomes and decode noncoding DNA linked to disease. Scientists see it as an "app store" for biology. 🧬💻
Biggest-ever AI biology model writes DNA on demand
An artificial-intelligence network trained on a vast trove of sequence data is a step towards designing completely new genomes.
www.nature.com
February 20, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Nice. Now do culture.
One of the hallmarks of cancer is immune system evasion.
The IRS is expected to start laying off more than 6,000 employees on Thursday, according to people familiar with the plans, as part of President Trump’s broad effort to shrink the federal work force. Follow the latest updates on Trump's administration here.
Latest Trump News: I.R.S. Layoffs, Russia-Ukraine War and More
www.nytimes.com
February 20, 2025 at 5:08 PM
One of the hallmarks of cancer is immune system evasion.
Colleagues and I argue that the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) should not allow more carbon offsetting to address scope 3 emissions. Real solutions demand more ambition.
Scientists on why the SBTi should not allow more carbon offsetting to address Scope 3 emissions - edie
More than two-dozen scientists are urging the Science Based Targets Initiative not to permit companies to use offsetting to a greater extent to meet their climate targets. Exclusively for edie, they o...
www.edie.net
February 20, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Colleagues and I argue that the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) should not allow more carbon offsetting to address scope 3 emissions. Real solutions demand more ambition.
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
Important piece on the role of Ockham's razor in the modern world of scientific modeling in @pnas.org. Conclusion: Complex models can be quite useful, and parsimony and complexity can complement each other in helping us to gain new insights!
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Is Ockham’s razor losing its edge? New perspectives on the principle of model parsimony | PNAS
The preference for simple explanations, known as the parsimony principle, has long
guided the development of scientific theories, hypotheses, and m...
doi.org
February 12, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Important piece on the role of Ockham's razor in the modern world of scientific modeling in @pnas.org. Conclusion: Complex models can be quite useful, and parsimony and complexity can complement each other in helping us to gain new insights!
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Could there be any stronger indicator of an attempted transition to full-blown kleptocracy?
Russell Vought just told CFPB to shut down @rmac.bsky.social & @stacycowley.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/u...
Federal Financial Watchdog Ordered to Cease Activity
In an email to staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency’s acting director ordered workers to cease “all supervision and examination activity.”
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Could there be any stronger indicator of an attempted transition to full-blown kleptocracy?
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
It’s been a tough few weeks. My 10yo daughter was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive cancer called interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS). I’m reaching out to identify clinicians/patients who have encountered pediatric IDCS or other (non-LCH) dendritic or histiocytic sarcomas cases.
February 8, 2025 at 9:21 PM
It’s been a tough few weeks. My 10yo daughter was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive cancer called interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS). I’m reaching out to identify clinicians/patients who have encountered pediatric IDCS or other (non-LCH) dendritic or histiocytic sarcomas cases.
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
The neoliberal dream of fossil fuel billionaire Charles Koch was always the destruction of US democracy and the elimination of government (except for its repressive organs police, courts, prisons, military ofc), and now he has won.
What now? A 🧵.
1/
t.co/FKxxmLyfce
What now? A 🧵.
1/
t.co/FKxxmLyfce
February 8, 2025 at 10:38 AM
The neoliberal dream of fossil fuel billionaire Charles Koch was always the destruction of US democracy and the elimination of government (except for its repressive organs police, courts, prisons, military ofc), and now he has won.
What now? A 🧵.
1/
t.co/FKxxmLyfce
What now? A 🧵.
1/
t.co/FKxxmLyfce
I seem to remember this guy talking about how we need his EVs and rooftop solar to deal with climate change. Isn’t this contrary to his business interests?
February 5, 2025 at 10:38 AM
I seem to remember this guy talking about how we need his EVs and rooftop solar to deal with climate change. Isn’t this contrary to his business interests?
Any thoughts on the new administration’s real strategic aims with their tariffs? Presumably they realise the costs to the US consumer; why do they want that?
February 3, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Any thoughts on the new administration’s real strategic aims with their tariffs? Presumably they realise the costs to the US consumer; why do they want that?
Explain it to me like I’m ten years old: how can a company expect to successfully sue other companies for not buying their services?
The next chapter in Elon Musk's attempt to, in essence, force people to advertise on X.
www.npr.org/2025/02/01/n...
www.npr.org/2025/02/01/n...
Elon Musk's X sues Lego, Nestlé and more brands, accusing them of advertising boycott
The new defendants added into the legal filing included Lego, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Abbott Laboratories, Colgate-Palmolive, Pinterest and Shell International.
www.npr.org
February 3, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Explain it to me like I’m ten years old: how can a company expect to successfully sue other companies for not buying their services?
Compelling and moving story. Thanks, @garyseconomics.bsky.social.
How to live in a collapsing economy
YouTube video by Garys Economics
youtu.be
February 1, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Compelling and moving story. Thanks, @garyseconomics.bsky.social.
I appreciate a distaste for bureaucrazy. I also note that every known resilient complex system is full of complex regulation mechanisms.
"We have to cut red tape.
We will start with a first simplification omnibus proposal next month.
Our goal is that by the end of the mandate, we will have made proposals that could save companies over €37 billion a year".
— President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu on the EU Competitiveness Compass
We will start with a first simplification omnibus proposal next month.
Our goal is that by the end of the mandate, we will have made proposals that could save companies over €37 billion a year".
— President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu on the EU Competitiveness Compass
January 30, 2025 at 12:23 AM
I appreciate a distaste for bureaucrazy. I also note that every known resilient complex system is full of complex regulation mechanisms.
Do ideologues ever appreciate systemic complexity?
I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion
The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 28, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Do ideologues ever appreciate systemic complexity?
There are now much more efficient ways to review and share research findings. Society would be richer if this industry were regulated out of existence.
Between 2019 and 2023, researchers paid $8.968 billion to make papers open access. Imagine what else could be done with this money if it wasnt paid to for profit publishing companies...
👉 arxiv.org/abs/2407.16551
👉 arxiv.org/abs/2407.16551
January 27, 2025 at 11:54 AM
There are now much more efficient ways to review and share research findings. Society would be richer if this industry were regulated out of existence.
Reposted by Andrew Ringsmuth
"[A] democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism—ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power." - FDR (1938)
a man stands at a podium with microphones that say wor on them
ALT: a man stands at a podium with microphones that say wor on them
media.tenor.com
January 26, 2025 at 9:58 PM
"[A] democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism—ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power." - FDR (1938)