Divergent Futures

Divergent Futures discusses sustainability, philosophy, and systems thinking. It addresses issues like corruption, recycling challenges, transjectivity, complex problem-solving, and the pragmatic use of knowledge. It explores evolutionary influences on morality, regenerative design principles, and the limitations of language in representing complex ideas.

Sustainability Philosophy Systems Thinking Ethics Epistemology Circular Economy Regenerative Design Environmental Impact Complex Problem-Solving Language and Communication

The hottest Substack posts of Divergent Futures

And their main takeaways

How Corruption Happens: Emotional Processing & Echo-Chambers

19 implied HN points • 26 Aug 24
🎭️ Culture Internet culture Content creation Echo Chambers
  1. Growing popularity can change creators, making them less authentic and more like performers. They often have to say what their audience wants to hear instead of what they truly believe.
  2. As creators gain power, they may fall into emotional traps, becoming defensive and judgmental. This often leads to unethical behavior as they lose sight of their original values.
  3. Emotional processing is key to maintaining integrity. Taking time to reflect and surround oneself with honest feedback can help leaders avoid corruption and stay true to their values.

The Pragmatists Handbook: Transjectivity

2 HN points • 13 Sep 24
📖 Philosophy Epistemology Metaphysics Ethics Ontology Aesthetics
  1. Truth isn't just about what's real or what we feel; it comes from how we connect with the world around us. This idea is called transjectivity, showing that understanding comes from our interactions.
  2. The way we categorize things, like calling a chair a 'chair', is influenced by both what we see and how we use it. It's about finding what fits well in our lives, not just what exists independently.
  3. Our views and meanings can change based on our experiences and environment. This means that understanding truth is flexible and evolves as we learn and grow.

Circular Economy, Challenges for the Recycling and Repurposing Models

19 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Waste Management Energy Recycling Economic Models
  1. Recycling requires a lot of energy. To make recycling effective, we need to ensure we have enough energy left over for future use, not just for recycling now.
  2. Repurposing items can be costly at a large scale. It's often cheaper to produce new items because mass production is more efficient than repairing unique, broken items.
  3. The main focus should be on reducing waste, not just on conserving resources. Waste creates urgent problems like pollution and health issues, which need more attention in discussions about sustainability.

Systems Thinking, Objects and Networks

0 implied HN points • 08 Oct 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Systems Thinking Urban planning Environmental Policy
  1. Complex problems like climate change need complex thinking. We can't just look at individual parts; we must see the whole system and how it all connects.
  2. When people want to change things but can't, it's often because of poor communication and coordination between different groups. Both developers and planners might have good intentions, but they need to work together to make real progress.
  3. To really solve problems, we should focus on the bigger picture and the relationships around the issue. By understanding the system we are in, we can find better ways to create meaningful change.

The Pragmatists Handbook: Functional Analysis

0 implied HN points • 12 Sep 24
📖 Philosophy Pragmatism Ethics Language Identity
  1. Pragmatism is a really helpful philosophy because it focuses on the function of ideas rather than just their definitions. This way, discussions can become more meaningful.
  2. Functional Analysis helps clarify debates by asking what the purpose of a term or concept is instead of getting stuck in arguments over definitions. For example, understanding what a 'table' does helps settle disputes about its design.
  3. Truth is considered a tool in Pragmatism, used to navigate life and communicate effectively. It's not fixed and changes based on its function in each situation.
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Scope 3 Emissions: Why they are so Elusive?

0 implied HN points • 20 Aug 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Emissions Sustainability Carbon accounting Supply Chains Environmental Impact
  1. Calculating Scope 3 emissions is tough because companies often stop at their immediate suppliers. It gets complex as you need to trace emissions back through multiple tiers of suppliers.
  2. Scope 3 emissions include not just what a company directly causes but also the emissions from the entire supply chain. This can lead to overlapping calculations and make it hard to get accurate data.
  3. Understanding these emissions helps companies see their true environmental impact. However, setting boundaries for analysis is crucial to avoid getting lost in endless calculations.

Pragmatic Epistemology: An Evolutionary Argument

0 implied HN points • 11 Aug 24
📖 Philosophy Epistemology Ethics Evolutionary Theory Knowledge Cultural Studies
  1. Knowledge is a tool that helps humans survive, similar to how a hammer or smartphone is useful. It exists because it serves a purpose in our lives.
  2. Our ability to know things is influenced by what has been useful throughout history, which means knowledge can vary between individuals and groups based on their needs and survival.
  3. There are two types of knowledge: individual knowledge, which is somewhat universal, and group knowledge, which can be relative and culturally specific. This can sometimes lead to conflicts between personal beliefs and group traditions.

The Topology of Morality: How Evolution Can Help Us Understand Ethics

0 implied HN points • 09 Jul 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Metaethics Evolution Morality Cognition
  1. Morality is influenced by both nature and nurture. Our genes and environment shape how we understand right and wrong.
  2. Moral intuitions can emerge from evolutionary processes. They help us adapt and cooperate as groups, which is essential for survival.
  3. There isn't one perfect moral theory. Different cultures and individuals can have varied moral beliefs, but we can strive to improve our moral understanding together.

Regenerative Design: Ecotech Policies

0 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Ecology Design Waste Management
  1. To sustain our environment, we need to enhance the interactions within ecosystems. By doing this, the waste we produce can be managed better and turned back into useful resources.
  2. We should focus on using more natural materials in our products, which will break down and help nourish the environment instead of creating pollution. For example, swapping plastic for biodegradable options like cardboard.
  3. Building designs can integrate more green elements, like plants and trees, to help manage temperature and purify air. This connects our structures back to nature and supports ecosystem health.

Regenerative Design: Biotic Sustainability

0 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Ecology Waste Management Circular Economy Resource Management
  1. Sustainable populations need to manage their resources carefully to avoid ecological collapse. When a population grows too large for its environment, it can deplete resources and lead to a collapse.
  2. The circular economy concept aims to recycle resources and manage waste effectively, but it can be challenging due to the laws of thermodynamics. Living systems manage energy and waste in a way that avoids chaos and disorder.
  3. Ecosystems thrive on diversity. Different organisms can fill various roles and niches, helping to maintain balance and sustainability, while human systems often lack this necessary diversity to effectively manage waste.

Sustainability: An Introduction

0 implied HN points • 30 Sep 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Circular Economy Resource Management Environmental Impact Human behavior
  1. Sustainability means creating systems that can last forever, not just using solar panels or wind turbines. It's about how we live and use resources in a way that doesn't deplete them.
  2. The way we consume resources needs to change to match the planet's ability to regenerate them. Ideas like a Circular Economy and Degrowth suggest we can consume smarter and build better without running out of resources.
  3. Caring about sustainability isn’t just about the planet. It’s about people too. Everything we need comes from others, so if we want to take care of ourselves, we should care about how we treat our environment and society.

The Problem with Language: Fuzzy Categories and Central Members

0 implied HN points • 07 Aug 24
📖 Philosophy Language Cognition Argumentation Knowledge Mathematics
  1. Language is a tool that helps us communicate but is not always perfect in representing ideas. It evolved to be useful but can lead to misunderstandings because categories are often fuzzy.
  2. When we think of a category, like 'cat', we picture a common example based on our experiences. This average image may overlook other varieties and details.
  3. Using math can improve our understanding of complex ideas. It helps us avoid confusion in discussions and see the world in a clearer, more precise way.