This blog post examines whether human technological progress can truly overcome the entropy crisis and avoid resource depletion and extinction. Entropy is both the title of this book and the precise way it represents the author’s worldview. What is entropy? While most people have encountered the term at least once in physics class or through reading, it is not a particularly familiar...
Jeremy Rifkin’s ‘Low-Entropy Society’: Could It Be the Solution for Modern Civilization?
This blog post examines whether Jeremy Rifkin’s proposed ‘low-entropy society’ could be the solution to the environmental and social problems facing modern civilization. Introduction Humans have always been curious about the future yet to come. How humanity will live in the future has been a staple topic for writing and drawing contests since elementary school, and many films and...
How does the paradigm define scientific progress?
This blog post explores the essence of change by examining how paradigms determine the direction and pace of scientific progress, moving beyond the common notion that science advances continuously. Thomas Kuhn introduced the concept of the paradigm in his book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” The term “paradigm,” now used across various fields, carried a profoundly shocking...
The Case Against Perfection (Is Designing Children Morally Justifiable?)
If genetic modification makes ‘designer babies’ possible, is it morally justified? Michael Sandel’s book “The Case Against Perfection” explores human dignity and ethical boundaries. Recent science and technology are advancing at an incredible pace. For these advanced technologies to be widely commercialized in society, ethical and social consensus is necessary. Among many scientific...
The Geography of Thought (Why Do Eastern and Western Ways of Thinking Differ?)
This book analyzes the differences in Eastern and Western ways of thinking, explaining that their origins stem from each culture’s historical and social background. It explores how these differences influence behavior and thought in modern society. I first tried to infer the meaning of the title ‘The Geography of Thought’. Before reading the book, the word ‘map’ in the title made me...
Intelligent Design: Divine Creation or Product of Chance?
This blog post examines the debate between science and religion, evolution and creation, focusing on 『Intelligent Design』. It is no exaggeration to say that religion, like science, has existed since the dawn of humanity. And like science, it has developed its framework over time and expanded its influence. However, if the pre-Christian era was a ‘Spring and Autumn Period’ where numerous...
Is it morally justifiable for parents to determine their child’s future through genetic design?
This blog post examines whether the act of designing a child’s future through genetic engineering is morally justifiable. Introduction These days, parents ‘design’ their children. Some might argue that since parents have always exerted significant influence over their children, they have been ‘designing’ them for centuries. However, the new ‘design’ method of the 21st century...
HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, Is the Earth Truly Hot, Flat, and Crowded?
In this blog post, we examine the essence of global warming and the direction of innovation needed to solve it through Friedman’s insights. We frequently encounter issues like the greenhouse effect, extreme weather, and global warming through various media outlets these days, and these terms are no longer unfamiliar. However, it seems we still lack a deep understanding of the...
Can Stephen Jay Gould’s punctuated equilibrium theory fill the gaps in evolutionary theory?
This blog post examines Gould’s punctuated equilibrium theory, focusing on the ‘missing link’ problem that existing evolutionary theory has failed to explain. Historically, newly discovered scientific facts have astonished the world and sometimes plunged it into great turmoil. Among these, Darwin’s theory of evolution stands out as the most representative. Even after more than...
Why is evolution not progress?
This blog post examines why evolution does not always lead to progress, focusing on Stephen Jay Gould’s theory of evolution, and explores the surrounding debate. Introduction ‘Evolution is not progress’. This succinctly summarizes the argument from Stephen Jay Gould’s book ‘Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin’. The author contends that evolution is not...