Abstract and biological complexity

An important throwback message originally in this post. It is the only post of mine at the Metamodern Forum that got both Gortz's (metamodernism) and Rutt's (game b) simultaneous approval. Something to consider maybe?

The MHC's [model of hierarchical complexity] levels are purely abstract and not grounded in this sort of biological complexity. Hence in the abstract such levels can increase ad infinitum without the biological constraints noted above. And yet our bodies and brains do have these constraints, therefore our own complexity is indeed limited by our embodiment. My previous article (Berge 2019), using our embodied cognitive constraints, contextualized the MHC's limitations given its abstract divorce from that embodiment.

I suggest that if we are to have a more meaningful measure of hierarchical complexity it must be tied to our biological constraints. Our models themselves have to operate within these constraints. Infinite abstract complexity and growth seems more a sign of dysfunctional growth like we're seeing in our current crises. And per above and Koonin (2021), each level, while unimodal and symmetric within itself, is different from the other levels and multimodal when comparing the other levels collectively. Hence we need much more that a self-similar fractal measure to model it. That is, if it's to remain human.

I've also suggested that perhaps there is a time for us to decomplexify. It might be appropriate given that our current socio-economic system is depleting natural resources faster than they can be regenerated. This on top of the fact that our fossil-fuel energy system is destroying the atmosphere and oceans at an alarming rate. All of which is directly tied to this notion of unlimited growth, as is not coincidentally our models of complexity. Hence the degrowth movement advises us to live within our means and our ecological limits. All of which might very well require us to take a step back on our complexity obsession to survive. As both articles make clear, biological evolution has repeatedly become simpler when necessary. Instead of thinking that more complexity is the answer to our so-called meta-crisis it just might be that it is the cause and that we might need to engage more voluntary simplicity at this point in our evolution.

I can hear the cries already. But that would be a regression! It would be going backwards! But only if we unconsciously accept the premise of unlimited growth and complexity in one direction. It would after all be in line with evolution itself, which the complexity crowd purports to claim as their own premise. Perhaps we should listen to what evolution actually does instead of following our current dysfunctional obsession with ever-increasing complexity and growth? There's a move in Tai Ji Quan called Step Back and Repulse Monkey. This seems the right time to practice it.