In pursuit of the framework behind the biosphere: S-curves, self-assembly and the genetic entropy paradox

Skene, Keith R.

doi:10.1016/j.biosystems.2020.104101

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Firstly, they are self-organizing and selfassembling (Odum, 1988;Braakman et al, 2017). Hierarchical organization represents the outcome of a vast communicative networking, wherein the conditions and components participate in a dynamic self-organization (Skene, 2020b). For almost all of its three and a half billion years of history, life on Earth has continued without Homo sapiens.…”

Section: The Earth System and Why It Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This brings us to the third point, which is that all components must operate sub-optimally in order to optimize for the overall system, in what is known as the maximum entropy production principle (Skene, 2020b). The maximum entropy production principle is very much in agreement with the maximum power concept, which Odum (1995) defined as "During self-organization, system designs develop and prevail that maximize power intake [and] energy transformation".…”

Section: The Earth System and Why It Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our prosperity is tightly embedded within the functionality of the Earth system in terms of niche space. Trade-offs and feedback determine the rate of growth, or degrowth, at every level of organization, that will produce the maximum possible entropy production at the system level (Skene, 2020b).…”

Section: The Challenge Of Change: Myopic Utilitarianismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…True embeddedness requires connectivity. Skene (2020b) notes that the Earth system itself is a pluriverse, wherein many different ways of being and doing exist across the natural world, dictated by geography and energy gradients. Because of the curvature of the Earth, the density of incoming solar radiation differs across the globe, being densest at the equator, and least dense at the poles.…”

Section: Real-time Feedbackmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Earth system is a dynamic, non-equilibrium system, constantly shifting. The system changes in order to maintain maximum entropy production, meaning that each component will operate at its own maximum level of entropy production in such a way as to maximize entropy production of the whole system (Skene, 2020b).…”

Section: The Embedded Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

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How can economics contribute to environmental and social sustainability? The significance of systems theory and the embedded economy

Skene

2022

Front. Sustain.

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Concerns relating to resource extraction, manufacturing, waste in our supply chains, along with increasing consumption and with their consequences for the planet, have, to a greater or lesser extent, begun to impact the ideological approach and the decision-making of governments, business and consumers alike on the material world we continue to create. Parallel concerns circle around social and environmental resilience, recovery and sustainability. This paper seeks to explore what a sustainable economy should look like in order to contribute to a resilient, diverse and thriving planet, while furthering resilient, diverse and thriving communities. It is argued that at the center of any sustainability theory, whether economic, environmental or social, lies the Earth system. The Earth system represents much more than the organisms sharing this planet with ourselves. Rather, it involves the fluxes of radiation, food energy, water, nutrients and heat. More essentially, it determines our niche space [the multidimensional space where tolerances and requirements interact to determine the habitable space within which an organism can practice its way of life]. Given that humans are some of the most vulnerable organisms on the planet in terms of the narrow range of conditions within which they can survive, the dynamic nature of the planet that determines this range of conditions must surely form the prime focus of our attentions. The Earth System, like all complex, far-from-equilibrium systems, is self-organizing, self-assembling, emergent, non-linear and governed by real-time feedback and sub-optimality at each level of its organization. The consequences of these properties for our economic activities and, indeed, for our own species, are discussed. It is further argued that we need an embedded economy. Fundamental to this exploration are the concept of zusammenhang (literally, hanging together), as developed by Humboldt, and the concept of the Earth as a super-organism, as developed by Hutton. Natural economics within the Earth system is explored and key properties of this economy are highlighted. The embedded economy functions in a way that facilitates natural and social recovery, resilience and functionality, while in resonance with the key characteristics of the Earth system. Artificial intelligence, utilizing ecological intelligence rather than human intelligence, and the internet of things, are identified as potentially significant tools in the establishment of an embedded economy. The embedded economy is then compared and contrasted with current sustainable economics thinking, whose emphasis primarily focuses on resource cycling.

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Section: The Earth System and Why It Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Earth System and Why It Mattersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Challenge Of Change: Myopic Utilitarianismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Real-time Feedbackmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Embedded Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

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