Though modern and ancient civilizations appear distinct, every new theory or idea evolves from the past, and, in many ways, represents rediscovery and reinterpretation. As such, everything deemed “new” has an ancient origin story. If we look closely, we can observe the dreams, passions, and artifacts of the past in each moment.
Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, two architects of evolutionary theory, independently observed this, seeing a grand, unifying narrative in nature’s patterns, themes, and variations on those themes. If we accept that humans, while distinct in some sense, cannot be disconnected from nature, humans as well as human creations, including AI, are also repeating themes and patterns, varied, and yet always connected to nature’s evolutionary narrative.
Across time, this narrative has however become increasingly intricate, convoluted, and utterly confusing, but at bedrock, the principles or laws driving the complexity persist, either as they did in the past or having since evolved, as windows that reveal our ancient origins. The task, then, for science as well as a life lived according to passion and intellect is the unending search for these core, unifying principles. But it is a precarious time, and our current thinking and training have us unprepared for the complexity ahead.
. . . With its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.
Today, modern scientific thinking and problem solving require an extensive, diverse outlook that is sensitive to the idea that the seemingly insignificant forms or patterns, the old or ancient ways, may untangle our present day mysteries. This, unfortunately, is at odds with the current trend toward specialization, in all walks of life, but especially science.
My training in scientific specializations from Alzheimer’s and cancer to computer science and computational neuroscience reflects a commitment to our collective narrative. And I have often found myself on the outside. But it is from this vantage point that I have observed the possibilities, and I am convinced that there is always a road, even as it is long and difficult, that leads home. This site is an attempt to showcase, as I have found personally, many winding roads do converge.
