05 • The Meaning Crisis - by Stefan Lesser
Does a collapse of meaning result in the collapse of a civilization?| stefanlesser.substack.com
Does a collapse of meaning result in the collapse of a civilization?| stefanlesser.substack.com
If we can't have certainty, we can settle for plausibility, and still find what is profound.| stefanlesser.substack.com
Rationality involves more than just being logical. Is a capability for insight what differentiates us from machines?| stefanlesser.substack.com
The three interconnected axes of the space of meaning: coherence, purpose, and significance.| stefanlesser.substack.com
Our capacity to make sense of the world impacts our understanding, our beliefs, our actions, our creations, and our culture. What are the consequences, if we get it wrong?| stefanlesser.substack.com
Our fundamental grasp is intuitive: embodied understanding of how parts are structured so they function as a whole — deeply embedded in subconscious, pre-conceptual, cognitive processing.| stefanlesser.substack.com
Dynamic, self-organizing feedback processes structure our attention. What can guide us to insight, can also lead us into self-deception.| stefanlesser.substack.com
It is not enough to understand how the world works. We also need to understand how and why we participate in it, to be able to function and thrive as autonomous agents in a complex environment.| stefanlesser.substack.com
Conference presentation of my essay “A New Cognitive Perspective on Simplicity in System and Product Design” at SPLASH Pasadena 2024.| Mirror of the Self
I’ll be presenting my Onward! Essay about simplicity at Splash Pasadena 2024 on October 24th.| Mirror of the Self
What part do software developers and designers play in the Meaning Crisis?| Mirror of the Self
Paper review: Brian Foote, Joseph Yoder • Big Ball of Mud (2001)| Mirror of the Self
How many programmers do you need to change a lightbulb?*| Mirror of the Self
We are more productive than ever, but we are also more dependent than ever on the technologies that make us so productive.| Mirror of the Self
Paper review: Niklaus Wirth • A Plea for Lean Software (1995)| Mirror of the Self
You’re invited to the next online discussion about simplicity on Thursday, 9th May 2024.| Mirror of the Self
Sketching the bigger picture of the structure that has been emerging out of my research so far.| Mirror of the Self
You’re invited to the next online discussion about simplicity on Thursday, 11th April 2024.| Mirror of the Self
You’re invited to the second online discussion about simplicity.| Mirror of the Self
Some early observations from the first online discussion about simplicity. Before we can find meaning, do we first have to feel lost?| Mirror of the Self
A surprising connection between »The Nature of Order« and cognitive linguistics offers a path to rectify Alexander's fantastical metaphysical explanation of mind in matter.| stefanlesser.substack.com
In a world centered around what we have, let’s not get confused about what we need to become.| stefanlesser.substack.com
Are you supposed to start believing in magic, esoteric, spiritual woo-woo to understand »The Nature of Order«? A rationalist's guide to reading Christopher Alexander.| stefanlesser.substack.com
A brief summary and recollection of the second half — posts 14-26 — of my Mirror of the Self series.| stefanlesser.substack.com
Let’s start into the new year with a recollection of the story so far to refresh our memory on important concepts already covered in all 13 posts from 2022.| stefanlesser.substack.com
Propositional tyranny made us lose touch with other kinds of knowing. How can we re-connect to the knowledge we have lost and to our self, our world, and other people?| stefanlesser.substack.com
How artists and creators inspire awe by finding a meaningful connection between their product of creation and their self.| stefanlesser.substack.com
Presentation review: Rich Hickey • Simple Made Easy (2011)| stefanlesser.substack.com
Paper review: Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. • No Silver Bullet — Essence and Accident in Software Engineering (1986)| stefanlesser.substack.com
Paper review: Peter Naur • Programming as Theory Building (1985)| stefanlesser.substack.com
Paper review: Melvin E. Conway • How Do Committees Invent? (1968)| stefanlesser.substack.com
We figured out a way to scale software development to create ever more utility and power. Unfortunately, this also seems to always create a lot of complexity. Why?| stefanlesser.substack.com
Design is a process of reciprocal realization. If we want to arrive at something simple, we need to participate in this fundamental process of mutual adaptation.| stefanlesser.substack.com
We live in a culture that favors generic, universal, context-independent solutions that scale. But we long for specific, local, context-dependent solutions that make us feel connected.| stefanlesser.substack.com
What can we do to make things so easy to understand that it just needs a “click” and then we “get” it?| stefanlesser.substack.com
A cognitive-scientific perspective on Christopher Alexander. My presentation at the Building Beauty Nature of Order webinar — video and transcript.| stefanlesser.substack.com
