No Skyhook, But A Damned Fine Crane

Our reader Henry has sent along a thought-provoking item about a mechanism by which complex systems can bootstrap themselves into existence: autocatalytic sets. The idea is particularly intriguing in its metaphorical generality, and its applicability may well extend beyond chemistry to social and political domains as well.

Have a look. An explanatory article is here, the scientific paper mentioned in the article is here, and a Wikipedia entry on the subject is here.

2 Comments

  1. Autocatalytic? So that’s what catalytic converters are for!

    Jeffery Hodges

    * * *

    Posted May 11, 2012 at 4:45 pm | Permalink
  2. Yes, Jeffery. That’s what they’re for.

    Posted May 12, 2012 at 2:57 pm | Permalink

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