What I'm reading (November 2025)
On scientific paradigms, and cognitive biology
I’m starting/revisiting a few key texts for these two questions.
How do scientific paradigms change?
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn. Beyond the simple ‘normal’ vs ‘revolutionary’ science distinction, Kuhn is so knowledgeable and such a clear thinker that my own perspective broadens hours after I read Kuhn. At David Chapman’s suggestion, I’m also considering his previous book The Copernican Revolution which goes into detail at how a bunch of scientists in the 17th century grappled with the realization that it is the earth that rotates around the sun and not vice versa.
A Feeling for the Organism, Fox Keller. This a biography of the Barbara McClintock, badass yogi / Nobel prize winning discoverer of jumping genes. Her discovery deeply challenged the entrenched dogma that DNA → proteins was a one way street, and she was shunned by much of the biology community for decades. McClintock, among other things could reach a deep meditative absorption while running and significantly reduce pain.
Does Science Advance One Funeral At a Time?, Azoulay et al.
We examine how the premature death of eminent life scientists alters the vitality of their fields. While the flow of articles by collaborators into affected fields decreases after the death of a star scientist, the flow of articles by non-collaborators increases markedly. This surge in contributions from outsiders draws upon a different scientific corpus and is disproportionately likely to be highly cited. While outsiders appear reluctant to challenge leadership within a field when the star is alive, the loss of a luminary provides an opportunity for fields to evolve in new directions that advance the frontier of knowledge.
Azoulay was my professor during graduate school and I am trying to think through how he would understand pain science.
What type of information processing do biological systems perform?
Evolution of the Sensitive Soul, Eva Jablonka.
What marked the evolutionary transition from organisms that lacked consciousness to those with consciousness—to minimal subjective experiencing, or, as Aristotle described it, “the sensitive soul”? In this book, Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka propose a new theory about the origin of consciousness that finds learning to be the driving force in the transition to basic consciousness. Using a methodology similar to that used by scientists when they identified the transition from non-life to life, Ginsburg and Jablonka suggest a set of criteria, identify a marker for the transition to minimal consciousness, and explore the far-reaching biological, psychological, and philosophical implications.
This book has provided the best history of cognitive science I’ve come across anywhere.
Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell, Dennis Bray
In clear, jargon-free language, Dennis Bray taps the findings of the new discipline of systems biology to show that the internal chemistry of living cells is a form of computation. Cells are built out of molecular circuits that perform logical operations, as electronic devices do, but with unique properties. Bray argues that the computational juice of cells provides the basis of all the distinctive properties of living systems: it allows organisms to embody in their internal structure an image of the world, and this accounts for their adaptability, responsiveness, and intelligence.
Introduction to Information Theory, JR Pierce.
Beginning with the origins of this burgeoning field, Dr. Pierce follows the brilliant formulations of Claude Shannon and describes such aspects of the subject as encoding and binary digits, entropy, language and meaning, efficient encoding, and the noisy channel. He then goes beyond the strict confines of the topic to explore the ways in which information theory relates to physics, cybernetics, psychology, and art. Mathematical formulas are introduced at the appropriate points for the benefit of serious students.
Soon: Ashby’s Design for a Brain.
This was a time-boxed writing challenge. I may do more of these, given interest.
This is excellent, thank you