February 26, 2008
Social Networks Are Like The Eye
Over at Edge, Nicholas Christakis:
There is a well-known example in evolutionary biology about whether the eye was designed, or is “just so” because it evolved and arose for a reason. How could this incredibly complicated thing come into being? It seems to serve an incredibly complicated purpose, and the eye is often used in debates about evolution precisely because it is so complex and seems to serve such a specialized and critical function.
For me, social networks are like the eye. They are incredibly complex and beautiful, and looking at them begs the question of why they exist, and why they come to pass. Do we need a kind of just-so story to explain them? Do they just happen to be there, for no particular reason? Or do they serve some purpose — some ontological and also pragmatic purpose?
Posted by Robin Varghese at 07:35 PM | Permalink
Comments
This is the battleground where our origins is fought by competing camps of science, philosophy and religion; and where the eye provides the most intriguing conundrum.
Gerald Edelman speaks of neural ecosystems --- but how do they arrange themselves spontaneously?
The humbling answer is: Who will ever know?
Posted by: Felix E. F. Larocca MD | Feb 27, 2008 6:58:23 AM
Wow, this is brain boggling stuff, reminds me of my own failed efforts to study multiplication of matrices.
A simple form of social network is a school of fish: as each fish moves thru the water, it generates a vibration that its neighbour senses via its lateral line motion sensor and alters its direction to fit in with its neighbor fish. Fish have evolved to be responsive to these vibrations because it keeps them in the school This keeps the entire school moving in synch as though they were a single individual,and raises their chances of survival. Similarly, humans are sensitive to the 'signals' from those they are in contact with because being 'plugged in' to a social network increases their ability to obtain food, sex and mutual protection.
Networking is one of those phenomena that occurs at many different scales, from neurones to satellite commmunications. Like fractals.
Posted by: aguy109 | Mar 4, 2008 7:36:32 AM
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