The hottest Interdisciplinary Substack posts right now

Sperm whales have their own unique way of thinking and understanding the world. It's important not to put their ideas into human categories too easily.
Recent studies show that sperm whales do have a true language, which we are still trying to fully understand. They can express complex thoughts and engage in creative conversation.
The attempt to define 'cetacean philosophy' risks oversimplifying the whales' perspectives. We need more time and careful study before making conclusions about their thoughts and beliefs.

China has a strict system for classifying academic disciplines which includes a recent addition of 'area studies.' This means universities can't create new fields without government approval, keeping academic studies organized but also rigid.
Area studies is important because it combines different fields like politics, economics, and culture to understand specific countries or regions better. This helps in making informed government strategies and improving international relations.
Despite the rise in area studies, there are challenges due to traditional academic boundaries. China is trying to support this field by officially recognizing interdisciplinary studies, which allows for more collaboration and talent development.

To stay relevant as a designer, it's important to move beyond traditional design roles and embrace technology and new skillsets.
The role of design is debated, with some saying it's less important than technology, but in reality, design is crucial for bringing ideas to life.
Being a bridge between disciplines, understanding different mindsets, and learning varied languages can help designers become the lead character in the evolving creative landscape.

Large language models like ChatGPT and Google Bard struggle with interpreting academic research questions accurately.
Coase's analysis in 'The Problem of Social Cost' emphasizes the importance of well-defined property rights and bargaining in resolving externalities.
Specific, focused queries help improve the accuracy of responses from large language models.

Knowledge transfer is more powerful than hoarding knowledge for dominance.
Sharing knowledge freely helps everyone learn and grow.
By promoting knowledge transfer, we can avoid gatekeeping and enable collaboration to solve complex problems.

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Technological progress is advancing at an unprecedented rate, driven by diverse sources like companies and academia.
Institutions like Bell Labs in the past and present-day industrial R&D labs showcase the benefits of structured, well-funded research initiatives.
Non-profit organizations focusing on open science are emerging as crucial players in the scientific community, promoting collaboration, transparency, and interdisciplinary advancement.

10x engineers focus on mastering tools they know, but balancing that with exploring new technologies can lead to career growth.
Being a good coder isn't just about coding more; thoughtful consideration, communication, and engaging with stakeholders are vital.
Avoiding constant context switching, deep work blocks, and using the F.R.E.E framework (Focus, Results-Oriented, Efficiency, Empathy) can boost productivity.

Systems often have hidden complexities that grow beyond their initial purpose, leading to unintended consequences.
Systems can become rigid and resistant to change, focusing on perfecting past plans rather than adapting to new challenges.
Understanding how systems function can help us critically analyze and navigate the systems we interact with in our daily lives.

Cognitive science shifted focus from meaning to information processing with the rise of the computational model.
The narrative mode of cognition, based on intentions and beliefs, is as essential as logical paradigmatic thinking.
Human self-understanding is influenced by cultural meanings and narratives, not just objective biology.

Philology was a universal field that attracted various topics but later specialized, similar to how computation can unify various areas of knowledge.
Computation can act as a uniquely unifying framework, connecting ideas from various fields of knowledge.
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