Madison Chaos and Complex
Systems Discussion Group
2024 Discussions
The Chaos and Complex Systems Seminar has morphed into an informal
discussion group following the pattern of earlier summers.
Each week, we have an assigned topic, a facilitator, and a
web-accessible reading or video. The reading or video should take no
more than 20 minutes, and the facilitator should be prepared to give
at most a 5-minute introduction to the topic and lead the ensuing
discussion. All discussions are Tuesday noon at the Memorial Union
(on the Terrace under the big tree in the summer, otherwise
indoors as announced in Today
in the Union posted at the building entrance). Anyone
interested in facilitating or suggesting a topic should contact Peter
Sobol.
- Jan 23, 2024: Gender:
Who cares?
- Jan 30, 2024: Think Tanks
- Feb 6, 2024: Academic
Misconduct
- Feb 13, 2024: George
Carlin on the Environment
- Feb 20, 2024: Man
First? Man Last?
- Feb 27, 2024: Falling
human birthrate
- Mar 5, 2024: Funding
of science
- Mar 12, 2024: Social
dynamics of ant colonies
- Mar 19, 2024: College
admissions sans affirmative action
- Mar 26, 2024: Younger
Dryas comet impact hypothesis
- Apr 2, 2024: Legal
immunity from prosecution
- Apr 9, 2024: Legal
immunity from prosecution (continued)
- Apr 16, 2024: Three
Keys to Happiness and Pursuit of Happiness
- Apr 23, 2024: Dynamical
Models of Happiness
- Apr 30, 2024: Longevity
- May 7, 2024: Student
protest policy
- May 14, 2024: Threat
to the Web posed by AI
- May 21, 2024: Selection
of US Presidents
- May 28, 2024: TicTok
as a news source for kids
- Jun 4, 2024: Guardrails
on large language models
- Jun 11, 2024: Consequences
of using Apple's Vision Pro headset
- Jun 18, 2024: Teenage
anxiety (see also Damien's notes)
- Jun 25, 2024: Ownership
of the Moon
- Jul 2, 2024: Aftermath
of the first presidential debate
- Jul 9, 2024: Should
women have children or avoid
marriage?
- Jul 16, 2024: Psychological
phenomenon of hibituation
- Jul 23, 2024: Louisiana
law on surgical castration
- Jul 30, 2024: The
2024 presidential campaign
- Aug 6, 2024: Universal
basic income
- Aug 13, 2024: Somatic
conditions underlying psychiatric diagnoses
- Aug 20, 2024: The
future of Social Security
- Aug 27, 2024: Chaos
and the economy
- Sep 3, 2024: The
Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch
- Sep 10, 2024: Grade
inflation
- Sep 17, 2024: Academic
freedom and free speech
- Sep 24, 2024: How
is science even possible?
- Oct 1, 2024: Origin
and status of Hezbollah
- Oct 8, 2024: Impact
of Crypto on the upcoming election
- Oct 15, 2024: Moral
obligations to artificial life
- Oct 22, 2024: The
origin of human language
- Oct 29, 2024: Pros
and cons of space colonization
- Nov 5, 2024: Alien
consciousness
- Nov 12, 2024: The
origins of music
- Nov 19, 2024: Income
inequality in the USA
- Nov 26, 2024: Consequences
of the US election
- Dec 3, 2024: Public
perception of higher education
- Dec 10, 2024: Is
education a public good or private investment?
- Dec 17, 2024: Should
animals have legal rights?