New Books Network Podcast

Intellectual History May 16, 2023

Think Tank Aesthetics

Midcentury Modernism, the Cold War, and the Neoliberal Present

Pamela M. Lee

Hosted by Piotr Kosicki

In her groundbreaking and timely book Think Tank Aesthetics: Midcentury Modernism, the Cold War, and the Neoliberal Present (MIT Press, 2020), distinguished art historian Pamela M. Lee poses fundamental questions …

Peoples & Things April 3, 2023

Control Through Communication

The Rise of System in American Management

JoAnne Yates

Hosted by Lee Vinsel

JoAnne Yates, Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management, Emerita and Professor of Managerial Communication and Work and Organization Studies at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, talks about her classic and award-winning …

Big Ideas March 22, 2023

Time Patterns in Big History

Cycles, Fractals, Waves, Transitions, and Singularities

David LePoire

Hosted by Stephen Satkiewicz

There is the common saying, “history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Are there any discernible patterns in history, and if so, what are these patterns? These are the …

MIT Press Podcast March 2, 2023

What Algorithms Want

Imagination in the Age of Computing

Ed Finn

Hosted by MIT Press

In this episode Chris Gondek interviews Ed Finn, author of the new book What Algorithms Want. Tune in for an interesting discussion on algorithm disconnect revolving around things humans regularly …

French Studies February 25, 2023

Code

From Information Theory to French Theory

Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan

Hosted by Salvador Lopez Rivera

Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan traces the shared intellectual and political history of computer scientists, cyberneticists, anthropologists, linguists, and theorists across the humanities as they developed a communication and computational-based theory that …

Systems and Cybernetics January 29, 2023

Design Journeys Through Complex Systems

Practice Tools for Systemic Design

Peter Jones and Kristel van Ael

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay

As I slowly settle into 2023 — reflecting on the blur that was 2022 — I can’t help but think about the complex problems (aka big messes!) we face at …

Darts & Letters October 10, 2022

Technocracy Now! Part 2

Exploring Technocracy through Cybernetics

Joy Rohde

Hosted by Gordon Katic

On part #2 of Technocracy Now, we tell stories of cybernetic technocracies. First, we hear the story of Charles A. McClelland, a liberal political scientists who proposed a cybernetic computer …

Systems and Cybernetics September 12, 2022

Systems Inspired Leadership

How to Tap Collective Wisdom to Navigate Change, Enhance Agility, an Foster Collaboration

Frank Uit de Weerd and Marita Fridjhon

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay

Listeners who have tuned in to my most recent episodes here on Systems and Cybernetics will be familiar with what seems be a current running theme. So, as I grapple …

Systems and Cybernetics August 17, 2022

Impact Networks

Creating Connection, Sparking Collaboration, and Catalyzing Systemic Change

David Ehrlichman

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay

I recently caught up with the very busy David Erlichman, co-founder and coordinator of the Converge network (www.converge.net), about his fantastic book Impact Networks: Creating Connection, Sparking Collaboration, and Catalyzing Systemic Change (Berrett-Koehler …

Systems and Cybernetics July 25, 2022

Indirect Work

A Regenerative Change Theory for Businesses, Communities, Institutions and Humans

Carol Sanford

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay

I recently got a chance to talk to Carol Sanford about her newest book Indirect Work: A Regenerative Change Theory for Businesses, Communities, Institutions and Humans. Carol Sanford is a …

Critical Theory June 24, 2022

Automated Media

Mark Andrejevic

Hosted by Reuben Niewenhuis

In this era of pervasive automation, Mark Andrejevic provides an original framework for tracing the logical trajectory of automated media and their social, political, and cultural consequences. Automated Media (Routledge …

Philosophy May 20, 2022

Metaphysical Emergence

Jessica M. Wilson

Hosted by Carrie Figdor

Is a tree nothing but its material makeup, or does reality include trees above and beyond what they are made of? How about consciousness – nothing but neural activity, or …

Critical Theory May 12, 2022

The Politics of Immunity

Security and the Policing of Bodies

Mark Neocleous

Hosted by Catriona Gold

Our contemporary political condition is obsessed with immunity. The immunity of bodies and the body politic; personal immunity and herd immunity; how to immunize the social system against breakdown. The …

Systems and Cybernetics April 1, 2022

Metamodernity

Meaning and Hope in a Complex World

Lene Andersen

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay

So what is metamodernity you may ask, and what does it have to do with systems thinking and cybernetics? Well, I recently had a chance to find out for …

Science, Technology, and Society March 16, 2022

The Constitution of Algorithms

Ground-Truthing, Programming, Formulating

Florian Jaton

Hosted by Austin Clyde

The Constitution of Algorithms: Ground-Truthing, Programming, Formulating (MIT Press, 2021) is a laboratory study that investigates how algorithms come into existence. Algorithms--often associated with the terms big data, machine learning, or artificial …

Systems and Cybernetics February 28, 2022

Becoming Gaia

On the Threshold of Planetary Initiation

Sean Kelly

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay

In this episode I had the pleasure of speaking with Sean Kelly, professor of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), about his 2021 book …

Systems and Cybernetics February 8, 2022

Patterns of Connection

Essential Essays from Five Decades

Fritjof Capra

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay

Welcome to the first Systems and Cybernetics episode of 2022! After a short break over the holidays to rest and spend time with family (and, of course, read!), it’s time …

Technology January 20, 2022

In AI We Trust

Power, Illusion and Control of Predictive Algorithms

Helga Nowotny

Hosted by Galina Limorenko

Today I talked to Helga Nowotny about her new book In AI We Trust: Power, Illusion and Control of Predictive Algorithms (Polity, 2021).One of the most persistent concerns about the future is …

Mathematics January 17, 2022

Bits and Bugs

A Scientific and Historical Review of Software Failures in Computational Science

Thomas Huckle and Tobias Neckel

Hosted by Cory Brunson

A true understanding of the pervasive role of software in the world demands an awareness of the volume and variety of real-world software failures and their consequences. No more thorough …

Systems and Cybernetics December 14, 2021

The Web of Meaning

Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find our Place in the Universe

Jeremy Lent

Hosted by Kevin Lindsay

In this episode of Systems and Cybernetics I had the pleasure of spending an hour with Jeremy Lent, talking with him about his newest book The Web of Meaning: Integrating …