QUICK THOUGHTS

Open studio: I was looking for something ...

10/3/2025

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(Marcus & Yogi)

As part of the open studio days at the Creative Cluster in Vienna on Oct 3 and 4, 2025, The ZoNE invited casual conversations with guests and the public, where we asked questions about life and the strange times we live in, showed examples of our work, and planned the next steps, after "Pushing the Boundaries," for our arts & science collective.

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The World is Not a Set

9/14/2025

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(Yogi)

We admit, it's been a very long time since we've last published a new chapter of our book "Beyond the Age of Machines."

But then, the new chapter 12, just out now, called

"The World is Not a Set,"

is also a very special one, and it comes with two very significant appendices: one on the

"Limitations of Mathematical Modelling"

and the other on

"What is Category Theory?".

Together, they make up the very methodological and epistemic core of the argument we present in the book. So go and have a read! We promise they are well worth your time.

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An evolving web of complex relations ...

9/7/2025

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(Yogi)

I am excited to report that I have been asked by the wonderful Andrea Hiott of the Love & Philosophy podcast to bring yet another passion in my life together with the other strands that I've been weaving over the last few decades. This is an essay about relations, like much of my other work, but this time it is human relations. It is called

"An Evolving Web of Complex Relations"

and is a manifesto for more self-reflection and maturity in our relationships, rather than futile discussions about what kind of relationship structure suits all of us.

It comes with a beautiful little video by Marcus Neustetter:

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This is the end ... but the end is only a new beginning

8/31/2025

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(Yogi)

Just a quick note by Yogi to mark the official end of the project. I'm both sad and elated at what we've achieved, and that I will no longer have to deal with university bureaucracy.

This is end, my friend. But just like Ragnarök, an end is always also a new beginning.

And even though funding may have run out, we are not done yet here. There are many exciting developments still on the way:

Yogi and Marcus will continue working on the book, the shorts, and the full lecture series,
Paul and Kevin are on track to finish their PhD theses by the end of 2025, and we'll document their progress (and the mongraphs that will come out of their work) here,
we have a number of exciting manuscripts in the pipeline, some very close to completion (as preprints, at least),
there are definitely more popular essays coming from Yogi,
we may convene additional online discussion groups (the whys and wherefores to be determined),
there will be some deeper reflections by Yogi on the project in due time, and
who knows what else will be happening here,

so stay tuned!

But, for now, we'll say "so long, and thanks for all the fish!"

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Final Project Workshop: Pushing the Boundaries – Agency, Evolution, and Emergence

6/29/2025

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(Yogi & Marcus)

The workshop “Pushing the Boundaries: Agency, Evolution, and Emergence”, held from June 29 – July 4, 2025 at Berghotel Tulbingerkogel near Vienna, brought together researchers from biology, neuroscience, and philosophy to advance interdisciplinary thinking on the nature of life, agency, and evolution.

Unlike traditional scientific conferences, the event emphasized interactive formats, short discussion starters, and creative exercises to foster dialogue, collaboration, and fresh perspectives.

Key Themes by Day:

Day 1 – Formal Approaches to Organization & Agency:
Introduced project results, including a critique of reductionist “machine views” of life and the proposal of a process-oriented, naturalist framework for understanding living systems and agency.
Day 2 – Complexity & Emergence:
Explored computational vs. organizational approaches to complexity, focusing on emergence, constraints, and the role of ecosystems.
Day 3 – Evolution & Constraints:
Examined how internal and external constraints shape open-ended evolution, highlighting organismic agency and the role of information, normativity, and complexity in biology.
Day 4 – Beyond the Age of Machines:
Discussed new frameworks for understanding agency, critiqued the free-energy principle, considered the role of ecology and history in biology, and explored reforming biological education.
Day 5 – Synthesis & Outlook:
Consolidated insights through a collective mind map, highlighted models as epistemic tools, and seeded future collaborations across disciplines.

Overall Outcomes:

The workshop challenged entrenched assumptions in biology, particularly mechanistic and reductionist perspectives.
It emphasized agency, emergence, and organization as central to understanding life and evolution.
The format successfully fostered creative, rigorous, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
A new transdisciplinary research community began to emerge, committed to developing dynamic frameworks for the study of living systems.

Conclusion:
The event marked the beginning of a long-term effort to reshape how biology and philosophy conceptualize life. By adopting more process-oriented, situated, and interdisciplinary approaches, participants aim to build a richer and more nuanced understanding of organisms, evolution, and agency.

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Playing the Castle - with Micca Manganye and the ZoNE (Schloss Lind, Styria)

6/7/2025

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(Yogi & Marcus)

As part of our "REWILDING" exhibition at Schloss Lind - das ANDERE heimatmuseum in Styria (in collaboration with The ZoNE, and with essential support from the Salvatorhaus in Murau), we staged a very special percussion performance by Micca Manganye which was accompanied by projections by Marcus Neustetter.

Here are three videos of the performance:

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Workshop Planning Retreat: Rax

6/2/2025

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(Yogi & Marcus)

To plan our final workshop of the project, we climbed (Paul, Kevin & Andrea) or ascended the Rax mountain by cable car (Yogi & Marcus), staying at the wonderful Ottohaus. Cut off from civilization, we plotted our machinations using analog technology:

Company was good, food and drink were plenty, and an exciting master plan for the workshop emerged almost spontaneously under these circumstances, even though the weather didn't entirely cooperate ...

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Outreach Exhibition: "REWILDING" - Schloss Lind

5/10/2025

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(Yogi & Marcus)

The second main outcome of our outreach project is an exhibition at Schloss Lind - das ANDERE heimatmuseum in Styria, which deals with the concept of "REWILDING." It is a collaboration with The ZoNE with support from the Salvatorhaus in Murau.

The summer season at the Schloss opened on May 10. The exhibition will run into the fall of 2025.

"Rewilding is not about reverting to a past state of nature, but about regenerating, reconnecting, and reframing our relationship with the world. The crises of modernity stem from a shift in attitude—from participation with nature to possession and control—leading to alienation, disenchantment, and fragmentation. Rewilding is thus a philosophical and practical shift: a re-embedding of ourselves into the living web of nature, not as passive observers but as active participants and stewards. It is not abandonment, but cultivation—a kind of responsible, regenerative gardening. This reframing challenges the dominant narrative of ownership and control, inviting a more integrated, experiential, and relational way of being. Like a walk through a park or a garden of forking paths, THE ZoNE’s series of activations in Schloss Lind and its garden search for a shift in perspective that rewilding demands."

Together with the opening of the exhibition, we also launched a limited-edition art book on the topic of "REWILDING" (Schloss Lind - Parkbuch #4). You can see a few excerpts from it in the gallery below. Contact us if you are interested in purchasing a hard copy!

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Humans have agency, algorithms do not

5/6/2025

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(Yogi)

Yogi was invited to contribute a spotlight called "Humans have agency, algroithms do not" to the 2025 report of the UN Development Program which is entitle "A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI" (PDF available here).

Yogi's spotlight makes the argument that AI can only augment human autonomy, agency, and freedom if used right, but cannot replace meaning and creativity in our lives, as it has no agency on its own. Only living beings that manufacture themselves can choose their own goals and realize what is relevant in their environment.

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The Blind Spot (Again!) - a discussion with Evan Thompson

4/29/2025

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(Yogi)

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Warum wir KI falsch verstehen ...

4/12/2025

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(Yogi)

For the German speakers among us: Yogi appeared on a podcast called "Interessante Zeiten" ("Interesting Times") with Tobias Maerz to talk about artificial vs. biological intelligence, what kind of science we need for a sustainable society in the 21st century, and how we can survive the coming metacrisis. (Detailed description in German below.)

Gesprächstthemen (zusammengefasst von Tobias Maerz):

KI und die biologische Perspektive

In unserem Gespräch mit Johannes tauchen wir in die aktuelle KI-Debatte ein und beleuchten einen oft übersehenen Aspekt: die biologische Perspektive. Johannes erklärt, warum er die Entwicklung einer allgemeinen künstlichen Intelligenz (AGI) momentan für unwahrscheinlich hält und zeigt fundamentale Unterschiede zwischen KI-Systemen und lebenden Organismen auf.

Besonders spannend ist seine Analyse, warum KI als "Supertechnologie" fungiert, die andere Technologien verstärkt – mit teils problematischen Folgen. Welche konkreten Gefahren sieht Johannes in der militärischen Nutzung von KI und welche Probleme birgt das aktuelle Geschäftsmodell hinter KI-Entwicklung?

Bei all den Kollapsszenarien stellt sich die Frage: Brauchen wir Hoffnung, um als Gesellschaft zu überleben?

Wissenschaftsreform und alternative Weltbilder

Im zweiten Teil spricht Johannes über sein aktuelles Buchprojekt zur Reform der Wissenschaft. Er kritisiert den vorherrschenden Materialismus, der von den griechischen Philosophen bis in unsere moderne Technologiewelt reicht, und plädiert für ein alternatives Weltbild, das Emergenz und Offenheit betont.

Wie verhält sich dieser Ansatz zu spirituellen Konzepten wie dem "Intersein" von Thich Nhat Hanh oder der Tiefenökologie? Wir sprechen auch über menschliche Beziehungen als Schlüsselrolle im Umgang mit den aktuellen Krisen.

Wege aus der Meta-Krise

Zum Abschluss beleuchtet Johannes die "Meta-Krise" aus philosophischer Sicht und beantwortet die drängende Frage: "Was kann ich als Einzelner tun?" Überraschend einfache Ansätze für Veränderung im Kleinen werden diskutiert. Ein besonderer Fokus liegt auf der Kraft der Gemeinschaft – wie können wir zusammen an Veränderungen arbeiten, die wirklich etwas bewirken?

Ein Gespräch, das grundlegende Fragen zu Technologie, Wissenschaft und gesellschaftlichem Wandel berührt und neue Perspektiven eröffnet.

-----
Über Tobias:
Tobias März ist internationaler Berater für Solarenergie, Sprecher bei der Letzten Generation und gibt Vorträge zum Umgang mit der Klimakrise. Seit über 20 Jahren setzt er sich ein für Lösungen für Klimawandel und weltweite Armut und reist dafür beruflich in Länder wie Bangladesch und Pakistan. Nach 10 Jahren als Consultant gab er sein entspanntes Angestellten-Dasein auf, um noch direkter die Welt zu gestalten. Als Klimaaktivist (Letzte Generation), Gemeinschaftsgründer und Speaker. Tobias ist Gründer von Wir und die Welt e.V. (Projekte in Bangladesch) und Mitgründer des Wohnprojekts Bergfritzenhof bei Freiburg.

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INTANGIBLE - in the space between art and science (gallerie rauminhalt)

3/27/2025

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(Yogi & Marcus)

As a central part of our innovative outreach strategy, we collaborated with the Viennese art & science collective The ZoNE and nexus_art + science. Our main outreach event was an exhibition at gallerie rauminhalt in Vienna that took place from Mar 28 to May 3, 2025.

Our exhibition “INTANGIBLE” brought together artists, scientists, and philosophers to explore one big question: what makes life different from machines?

The exhibition turned complex scientific and philosophical ideas into experiences through art installations, videos, and interactive displays. Visitors were invited to think about:

The Ontology of the Undefinable – how to face the limits of what we can know and express about life.
Beyond the Age of Machines – a book project concerned with why living beings have their own agency and self-organization, unlike artificial systems.
Worldmaking – how each organism shapes its own world through actions and experiences.

Events associated with the exhibition included guided tours with artists and scientists, a “Philosophers’ Day,” and a new art–science salon with talks and performances.

The aim of our outreach is not just to show art or explain science, but to create a lasting dialogue between the two—opening up new ways of thinking about life, knowledge, and our place in the world.

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The Self-Manufacturing Cell - JAN-HENDRIK HOFMEYR

3/20/2025

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(Yogi)

As part of our outreach program, we organize a series of public online discussion sessions with philosophers, biologists, and other researchers who do work that is relevant to our own project. The format is that of a short introductory presentation by our guests, followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A session involving the whole audience.

This discussion revolves around Jannie’s work on modeling a whole self-manufacturing cell. He builds on the relational approach developed by the theoretical biologist Robert Rosen, who first proposed a principle of closure (to what he called efficient causation) as the distinguishing feature of living systems. Jannie, in a series of important papers published in 2017, 2018, and 2021 adapts Rosen’s theory to the actual biochemical and structural organization of a cell, and extends the formalism to include the possibility of open-ended behavior and evolution. We discuss the challenges of capturing life in a model, and what we can learn from theory in biology which combines mathematical and conceptual aspects.

Jan-Hendrik (Jannie) Hofmeyr is Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Stellenbosch. He is a molecular cell physiologist with varied research interests: computational systems biology, metabolic regulation within the framework of control analysis, code biology, and category theoretical modeling. Since discovering the work of Robert Rosen, he has focused on understanding how living cells are able to manufacture themselves autonomously, or, in Rosen's words, how they are closed to efficient causation.

For those of you who'd like to learn more, there is a three-part interview with Jannie and Yogi called "Mapping Theories of Life into Cell Biochemistry:" (YouTube links embedded). There, we discuss Rosen, Jannie's own modeling efforts, and the next steps a theory of the organism needs to take in a lot more detail.

And here is Rosen's classic book "Life Itself."

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Living with Fatigue in a Society that Does Not Care

3/17/2025

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(Yogi)

The good news is: after one-and-a-half years of post-viral MCAS and ME/CFS (a form of Long COVID), Yogi is feeling better. Obviously, this condition, with its brain fog, general fatigue, post-exertional malaise, sensory overload, fun new allergies, and constant balance issues did not help in terms of deep thinking and the smooth progress of the project.

On the other hand, this challenge also provided an opportunity for deceleration, focus, and reflection.

Yogi writes about his experience here, in case you want to learn more about the disease and society's callous reaction to those who suffer from it.

To raise awareness, Yogi is volunteering to do outreach work for the Viennese science fund WWTF and its initiative to understand the long-term complications of COVID better.

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We are not machines!

3/8/2025

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(Yogi)

Here is an extremely interesting and wide-ranging conversation between Fotis Tsiroukis and Yogi on Andrea Hiott's Love & Philosophy Podcast:

The conversation touches on themes of agency, the limitations of a computationalist worldview and the importance of tough love in guiding humanity towards a more sustainable and meaningful future.

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Beyond Networks: final version is published!

2/7/2025

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(Yogi & Andrea)

Our collaborative paper "Beyond Networks: Explaining Dynamics in the Natural and Social Sciences" (with James DiFrisco) is now published as a chapter in "Modeling the Possible," a volume of philosophical essays edited by Tarja Knuuttila, Till Grüne-Yanoff, Rami Koskinen, and Ylwa Sjölin Wirling.

The preprint was published earlier, in Dec 2023.

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Church-Turing-Deutsch: New Animated Short

1/15/2025

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(Yogi)

We have yet another short animated video for you: it introduces chapter 7 of "Beyond the Age of Machines."

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The Blind Spot - ADAM FRANK

1/9/2025

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(Yogi)

“There can be no experience of the world without the experiencer and that, my dear friends, is us.”

This discussion revolves around “The Blind Spot” (2024), a book co-authored by physicists Adam Frank and Marcelo Gleiser with philosopher Evan Thompson. It discusses the importance of science for the survival of humanity in our current moment of metacrisis, but also takes a critical stance towards interpretations of scientific knowledge that neglect the uniquely situated standpoint of the limited human observer. Using numerous examples from physics, biology, and cognitive neuroscience, it proposes various ways to overcome this “blind spot” towards a more grounded, humane, and sustainable science for the 21st -century.

Adam Frank is professor of computational astrophysics at Rochester University, with a research focus on magnetic flows involved in star formation and the dynamics of planetary nebula. He is also an active researcher in the field of astrobiology, studying the planetary impacts of our own civilization, in order to better understand the evolution of potential exo-civilizations. Adam is a very active science communicator, co-founder of the 13.7 and 13.8 science blogs, frequent contributor to NPR and the New York Times (among other major media outlets), and the author of books such as “About Time,” “Light of the Stars,” and the “Little Book of Aliens.”

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TWO short animated videos out today!

1/9/2025

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(Yogi)

We have a double-whammy for you today: the release of TWO short videos. The first is about chapter 5 of "Beyond the Age of Machines" ...

... and the second covers chapter 6:

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Appendix 3: Some Words About Set Theory

1/5/2025

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(Yogi)

For those interested in matters such as the foundations of math, paradoxes, and weird hypersets, we now have an appendix on set theory in "Beyond the Age of Machines" that discusses all these topics. You can access the full text here.

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Full Lecture: The Age of Machines

12/24/2024

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(Yogi)

Here's a little present for the holidays: we've completed our second full lecture for "Beyond the Age of Machines." It provides an introduction to the book:

You can find the full text of the chapter here.

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The Art of Modeling

12/21/2024

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(Yogi)

Just in time for the holidays! Chapter 11 of "Beyond the Age of Machines" is here! A centerpiece of the book called "The Art of Modelling:"

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KunstHaus Wien - Museum Hundertwasser: Dialogführung Erdzeitalter & Universum

12/11/2024

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IYogi)

Yogi was asked by KunstHaus Wien - Museum Hundertwasser in Vienna to provide a guided tour through the exhibition by artist Anne Duk Hee Jordan, entitled "The End is Where We Start From."

We discussed the difference between natural ecologies and artificial technologies, process thinking for overcoming restraining categories, and natural intelligence vs. algorithic mimicry.

Here is the blurb (in German):

Zusammen mit dem Evolutionsbiologen und Naturphilosophen Johannes Jäger und Veronika Hackl (KunstHausWien) wird die Ausstellung The End is Where We Start From von Anne Duk Hee Jordan beleuchtet. Duk Hee‘s künstlerischen Positionen legen den Grundstein für Fragen rund um die Entstehung der Welt, die Kreislaufbewegung des Seins bis hin zur künstlichen Intelligenz (oder ihrer Dummheit).

In der dialogischen Tour durch diesen Ausstellungsparcours wird eine Brücke zwischen Kunst und Wissenschaft geschlagen, die das tiefe Nachdenken über die Prozesse der Welt und des Universums anregen.

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Philosophers in Studio

12/3/2024

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Johannes Jaeger, Andrea Loettgers, Paul Poledna, and Kevin Purkhauser join Marcus Neustetter and Bronwyn Lace in studio for a creative discussion. Afterwards Neustetter plays with some of the marks made during the dialogue about process and research.

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Perspectival Realism - MICHELA MASSIMI

11/28/2024

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(Yogi/Andrea/Kevin)

”Perspectival realism is not a brand of convergent realism because there is nothing to converge to. All we are left with are chains of indicative conditionals through which our inferential reasoning with perspectival models routinely takes place.”

The idea that scientific knowledge is shaped by various perspectives is one of the most recognizable concepts in the philosophy of science. At the same time, the concept is complex and often used in diverse or inconsistent ways, which has led some philosophers to argue for a more unified approach. We talked to Michela about why perspectival realism is essential for contemporary philosophy of science and what is meant exactly by “the dynamic and context-dependent nature of scientific knowledge.”

At the request of Michela, this conversation was not recorded.

Michela Massimi is a Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests span scientific perspectivism, the history and philosophy of science, and epistemology. She has been advocating a new take on perspectival realism, which appeared in a monograph entitled “Perspectival Realism: Knowledge from a Human Vantage Point."

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