The Roman Philosopher Lucius Anneaus Seneca (4 BCE-65 CE) was perhaps the first to note the universal trend that growth is slow but ruin is rapid. I call this tendency the "Seneca Effect."

Monday, August 1, 2022

My Career in Science: the First Months of Freedom!

 


After retiring from my university, I am now involved a lot with the Club of Rome. In the photo, you see me wearing a t-shirt that reproduces the "Base Case" scenario of the 1972 report "The Limits to Growth." On the 50th anniversary of that publication, we published a new report, titled "Limits and Beyond," that summarizes the story and discussed its relevance for us and for our future. 
 

A few months ago I decided to retire. Actually, I ran away screaming from my university, and I never set foot again in my department afterward. And I do not plan to set foot in it again, ever. 

So, how is the life of a retiree scientist? It is a dream. Freedom from bureaucracy, paperwork, research reports, grant writing, attending meetings, being part of committees, all that. I don't have to spend the 1h 30' of commuting time that I used to spend every day to go to my office and back. To say nothing about not having to torture those catatonia-suffering creatures that go under the name of "students." I feel like a retiree executioner! 

More than all, I feel as if I had returned to when I was a postdoc at Berkeley, in the 1980s. At that time, I didn't have paperwork to do, no teaching, no committees, and no performance reports. I could spend 100% of my time on research. It was wonderful: I remember that the libraries of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory were open all night for researchers. And I did spend entire nights browsing the shelves. To say nothing about the bookstores in town: it was there that I discovered the concept of "peak oil." 

Today, university libraries have become fortresses where you can enter only if you are fully masked and if you reserve a seat in advance. But they have become useless: the Internet gives us possibilities that we wouldn't have dreamed of in the 1980s. It is a dream if you are trained in science, if you like science, if you love science, (I still do, despite the sad state of science, nowadays). 

The whole scientific knowledge of the world is at your fingertips. You can jump from paleontology to cosmology, to thermodynamics, to microbiology, or anything you fancy to learn. True, some of this knowledge is hidden behind the hideous paywalls that publishers use to make obscene profits, but I daresay that the relevant knowledge is mostly available for free. Nobody wants to publish behind a paywall anymore, except for papers they don't care much about because it is the cheap way to publish, and it gives them academic "points." But the relevant work, no, everyone wants it to be read!  

That leaves a problem: how do you wade through so much information? The mass of data that you can summon onto your screen is enormous, the problem is that you risk losing yourself in a galaxy of irrelevance. In my case, I rely a lot on blogs. Blogs often provide high-quality information, sometimes truly excellent information written by scientists or by experts in their fields. Nothing like the chaotic environment of social media (to say nothing about the censorship). And nothing like the boring platitude of scientific journals. 

But how do you organize your information flux from blogs? It is easy: you use a feed reader. I am always surprised at discovering how few people use feed readers to organize their information. It is simple, costs nothing, and it insures that you never miss the sources you think are relevant. And you decide what you want to read: you are not a slave to the search algorithms of whatever search engine or social media you use. I use "theoldreader.com," but there are many similar ones. Try one, your views of the world will change. You may also want to try "substack.com" -- it is the same idea: it allows you to select the subjects you are interested in. But it works only with substack blogs, whereas a generic feed reader will cover practically all the available Web sites.

There remains the problem of the sheer limits of time and the capability to absorb so much information. There is the risk to become an Internet larva, spending all the time available surfing this and that. 

I am trying to cope with this problem. For one thing, I am dropping certain activities that I think are too time-consuming, and scarcely productive. For one thing, I am considering whether to resign from my position as editor at the "Biophysical Economics and Sustainability" journal. It is an interesting journal in terms of its theme, but it is still steeped in the old and obsolete scientific publishing paradigm of hiding papers behind paywalls. 

Then, I think I'll drop Twitter, too. Too much noise and too little content. It is not the same for Facebook, which still allows one to present reasonably structured information -- you just have to be careful to avoid censorship, which you can do if you phrase your statements carefully. About Metaverse..... well, I still don't know what it is, but I think that you won't be able to force me into it, not even threatening me with a shotgun.

So, with all this information coming in, what is coming out? A list of what I am doing would be boring for you, but let me just tell you that I am in a burst of activities -- I don't think I've ever been so productive as a scientist as now!

Quickly, I am publishing articles in scientific journals, and I am able to publish articles that I see as relevant (and also sometimes fun. That's the way science should be, I think). Among the latest articles, one is a co-authored study on the concept of a 100% renewable-powered society (spearheaded by Christian Breyer). Another (together with Ilaria Perissi) is a re-examination of the "Mousetrap Experiment" that simulates a chain reaction, shown first in Walt Disney's movie "Our friend the atom." Another paper (still with Ilaria) is about transforming the story of "Moby Dick" into a boardgame. The reviewers seem to be a little perplexed, but I think we'll be able to publish it. And there are more papers in the pipeline. 

Then, books. The main one is "Limits and Beyond," a new report to the Club of Rome that reassesses the story of the famous 1972 book, "The Limits to Growth." Then, my previous book, "The Empty Sea" (together with Ilaria Perissi),  is being published in Chinese. It will appear in September. More books are in the pipeline, one is titled "The Age of Exterminations." I think that it will not be easy to find a good publisher for this one -- a little gloomy, to say the least! Anyone among readers has suggestions? 

And then there are blogs and discussion groups. Let me just say that I am fascinated by the concept of "holobiont" and I am dedicating a lot of time to it. I have a blog on holobionts, that I think I will transfer soon to Substack. Right now, the way I see the concept is in terms of the "extended holobiont" synthesis. It will be published (I hope) as a chapter in a new book edited by Jean Pierre Imbrogiano and David Skribna.

The holobiont is, I think, a new paradigm that can help us frame many of the things that are causing us so much trouble nowadays. Holobionts are the building blocks of the ecosystem, and also of human-made social and economic systems.  The whole idea of holobionts is to emphasize collaboration and avoid competition. Holobionts mean sharing, creating, and living. It is the way of all the creatures of the ecosystem. Gaia herself is a giant holobiont -- the master of them all! Then, of course, we are all holobionts ourselves. 

And so, onward, fellow holobionts! 

  



40 comments:

  1. Congratulations. Good luck with your future work.

    I agree with you about the blogs - the only social media I use is LinkedIn. For practical issues, such as fixing a lawn mower, YouTube is great.

    I am a chemical engineer. During COVID all conferences became virtual, and the conventional wisdom was that that was the way of the future, even if the disease went away. That wisdom was incorrect. In-person conferences are back. I am attending one in October where there is not even an option for video participation. I guess that personal contact is always important.

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    1. Yes, conferences are returning. But we are traveling less than before, and this is a good thing.

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  2. Excellent news Ugo. You may well become better known for your post retirement work than for your years of academic work. I hope so ...
    ArtDeco

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    1. You know that I made the historical mistake of using the term "Seneca Effect" when I could have termed it the "Bardi Effect" -- and so I lost my chance to achieve immortal fame. On the other hand, James Lovelock called the ecosystem "Gaia" and not, as he could have done, "Jim" :-)

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  3. this is great news for all of us who have followed you over many years. How you managed to pen such an eclectic blog with professorial responsibilities amazes me. Best of luck to you and a great stroke of us who follow you. I have great hopes for great work from you. Congratz!

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  4. You should try to export your OPML list of feeds from TheOldReader and import it in Feedly using this URL: https://feedly.com/i/cortex
    The interface is much much more practical (especially the "card view" feature) and you even have Leo; an AI "research assistant" to help you screen the published articles according to rules you define... But you have to pay for that service. Otherwise, you can have up to 100 feeds free...

    I've tried lots of readers when Google closed its reader and this one is the best by far...

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try that!

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    2. I had been using Feedly before switching to the old reader. So, I found that my old settings are still there! It seems to be much improved with respect to the version I used. So, I may move back to it. Thanks again

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    3. I Used Inoreader as It had the highest number of feeds in a free plan. Nowadays they have limited it. So..I exported it and moved to....a mail software thunderbird..
      Btw. I was pleased to see that some Science groups in usenet are still active.

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    4. I also use feedly. Great tool.
      Ugo, could you publish OPML with your source list? I bet we have some common blogs to read but I am also sure you have some interesting ones I don't follow.
      Keep up with great articles. Thank you.
      Cheers!

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    5. Good idea. I'll see to that as soon as I have a moment

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    6. Here it is: https://filedn.com/lyUXRiMEi7D5JuCun9F9Ir0/UgoBardisubscriptions.opml

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    7. Thank you. Lot of interesting reading.

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  5. Being retired is wonderful, but I suspect that you will go through delayed withdrawal symptoms. We all go through our working life pretending that we are relevant, to our profession, organisation, workmates etc. You will find even newer ways to remain relevant, your blog keeps you in our focus. And being freed of the constraints upon what you say I am sure you will thrive.

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    1. Things always change, indeed. Who knows what the future will bring to us? Dark cloud at the horizon.....

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  6. Congratulations, Ugo! At some point your profiles need updating to your new and exciting projects you recently hinted at ;-)

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  7. You are also becoming quite the comedian: "on the concept of a 100% renewable-powered society".

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    1. Мы вас похороним!

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    2. And you know how the Soviets ended up... :-)

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    3. Вы не понимаете, Это Другое

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    4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7GkKiiPT7c

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  8. ["There remains the problem of the sheer limits of time and the capability to absorb so much information. There is the risk to become an Internet larva, spending all the time available surfing this and that. "]

    Hey ! ... What's wrong with becoming an Internet Larva ?
    You might estrange family & friends; ... and you might accelerate the general health degeneration that comes with the passage of time .... but mutating into a whole new specie ?! Totally worth it !! ;-)

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    1. Changing my DNA into that of an insect.... always been my dream from when I saw "The Fly"!

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  9. Ugo, me he acordado de ti por dos tema (perdona el uso de castellano).
    1.- Un concepto de Humberto Maturana llamado UEDON (Unidad Ecológica Dinámica Organismo-Nicho ) puede quizá relacionarse con el Holobionte. Aparece en ésta noticia:
    https://www.uchile.cl/noticias/186207/el-estudio-sobre-evolucion-que-concito-el-interes-de-humberto-maturana

    2.- The Line... La ciudad futurista de Mohamed Bin Salman... será la Constatinopla del Imperio Globalizado de Oriente ahora que el Imperio Globalizado se está separando en dos?

    Sigue disfrutando

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    1. I know Maturana. His idea of autopoiesis has many points in common with the holobiont concept.

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  10. Yes, feed reader's are great. Seeing how – for better or for worse – I'm engrossed in the Apple ecosystem, I use Reeder 5. However, I'm currently in the process of migrating my feeds to an OS-agnostic app which goes much further than a "mere" feed reader. Readwise's new app Reader. It's currently in private beta, which I'm in, and I can verify that it works as good as it looks.

    https://readwise.io/read

    As I'm allowed to invite people in, let me know if you're interested: allan[swirly-thing]ff2f.com.

    But Substack? No, not a chance. I've got no interest in joining one of those walled-garden publishing platforms (like Medium), and nor do I have any interest in publishing with software that isn't open source (partially because I prefer knowing that I'll be able to maintain full control and ownership over content in perpetuity without having to worry about terms changing sometime down the road).

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    1. I am uncertain on what to do. For one thing, it seems to me that blogger is positively sabotaging my blogs. Substack is an independent circuit that doesn't depend on the Google search engine. On the other hand, you are right: Substack is a self-contained entity -- not really walled, because it is accessible by the feed readers (unless you want to make your blog private). I have to think about that. And, yes, I am interested in the new reader. I'll write to you at your address.

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  11. Congratulations on your retirement! Enjoy your freedom.

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  12. a trivial question...I want a T-shirt like yours!

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    1. https://www.zazzle.com/the_limits_to_growth_shirt-235215168485068330

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  13. Felicidades!! Dr. Bardi, le sigo hace mucho tiempo. Soy un informatico jubilado (comence con tarjetas perforadas 😃) Si me permite una pregunta, usted cree que somos muchos en el planeta?? y que esa es una de nuestras dificultdes actuales. Saludos de un Informatico prehistorico.

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  14. Congratulations Ugo, enjoy your time

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  15. Ugo, your study on the concept of a society powered 100% by renewable energy is vague on the resources needed. I am sure you are familiar with the work of Simon Michaux on this subject. The best and most comprehensive study to me is here https://www.gtk.fi/en/current/a-bottom-up-insight-reveals-replacing-fossil-fuels-is-even-more-enormous-task-than-thought/.
    Here is the conclusion: "In conclusion, this report suggests that replacing the existing fossil fuel powered system (oil, gas, and coal), using renewable technologies, such as solar panels or wind turbines, will not be possible for the entire global human population. There is simply just not enough time, nor resources to do this by the current target set by the World’s most influential nations. What may be required, therefore, is a significant reduction of societal demand for all resources, of all kinds. This implies a very different social contract and a radically different system of governance to what is in place today. Inevitably, this leads to the conclusion that the existing renewable energy sectors and the EV technology systems are merely steppingstones to something else, rather than the final solution. It is recommended that some thought be given to this and what that something else might be."

    I humbly submit that it contradicts your view. Do you have any arguments to make?

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    1. Of course! But this criticism is flawed from the beginning, when he says "replacing the existing fossil fuel powered system" -- this is not possible. We are not searching for a replacement of the existing system. We are looking for a complete overhauling of it, rebuilding in a form that will not be so horribly resource-hungry. It won't be so easy, as the first guy who climbed the Everest said at the beginning.

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  16. Surplus Energy Economics by Dr. Tim Morgan makes a compelling case that we face an impossible task transitioning to renewables based on energy limits not to mention the environmental impacts. The conclusion is "there is no alternative" to the death spiral of energy based economies sputtering along due to debt and financialization.

    Most credentialed experts focus on the science and stop short of conspiracy talk to stay relevant while giving lip service to collectivism and degrowth.. when the map becomes the territory, find a new map with hopeful outcome. Other experts align with politics and draw nice returns.

    Resilience website confirms these false claims on available mineral and fossil fuel inputs as well as surplus energy.

    Well-sourced skeptics with historical context explain the progression of Malthusian agenda.. managed economic contraction, social engineering, weaponized health interventions to achieve desirable and humane population reduction, narrative control, regulatory capture, strategic philanthropy and state violence and coercion.

    Skeptics and groups that share inconvenient truths are either coopted or marginalized. Some groups start out with noble mission then become fronts for the agenda pushing models that confirm bias and align with stated goals and timelines for top-down solutions.

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    1. It must be the heat that does strange effects to people's heads

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  17. The only problem I see with blogs is that there is no check of any kind, and so it becomes difficult to separate quality information (such as that coming from the likes of yourself) from unsupported claims that may *look* legit, but which may sometimes be insidiously misleading.

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  18. Ah.... well, Marco, if you write a blog, you have your personal reputation at stake. If you coauthor a flawed paper, and you publish it behind a paywall, then you are reasonably safe that nobody will criticize you. And that's why so much that's published in scientific journals is akin to the stuff that comes out of bulls' rear ends

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    1. In the early days of the internet there was a meme "The truth is paywalled, but the lies are still free." Aparently even that isn't true anymore as publishers can now charge for half truths and opinions. Maybe the truth is simply not profitable anymore.
      ArtDeco

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