<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Membership&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; | &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="http://every.org/humansontheloop"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Donations&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; | &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2eCYA4ISHLUWbEFOXJ8C5v"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Spotify&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; | &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="http://youtube.com/michaelgarfield"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YouTube&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; | &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humans-on-the-loop/id1152767505"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Apple Podcasts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We live in simulated worlds of our own making, detecting patterns in the chaos and complexity of raw experience and boiling them down into operable categories and generalizations. Sometimes we do this well, and sometimes…&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This week’s guest, computer scientist and game designer &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://chaim.io/"&gt;Chaim Gingold&lt;/a&gt;, wrote what I consider the best book available on the history and sociality of simulations: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780262547482"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (MIT Press) takes readers from the prehistory of modern computing through the post-war development of cybernetics and systems thinking and into the entangled relationship of video games, military info-tech, civil engineering, software-based education, and complexity science that forms today’s “invisible environment.” &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sim City is more than a legendary video game. It is case study in how the digital revolution reshaped the ways we think, teach, design, and govern…and how what simulation as a mode of discourse can hide and reveal, oppress and empower us. In this dialogue we explore the the tensions between games and play, the analog and digital, abstraction and tactility, and mysticism and colonialism in simulation-induced experiences. We investigate the rise and fall of Sim City game developer MAXIS, weave threads through the history of computing and software development, systems science, and the philosophy of technology, and ask:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What makes some abstractions better than others?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you enjoy this conversation,&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;join the &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://discord.gg/CmJCy6XkP9"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wisdom x Technology&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Discord server and&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;consider &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;becoming a member&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; for access to the complete archives, study groups, and community calls.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Founding members also get access to the entire twenty hours of lecture and discussion from my recent course, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://weirdosphere.mn.co/spaces/19231614/feed"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Live in the Future&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; at Weirdosphere.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Show Links&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Explore &lt;a target="_blank" href="http://askfuturefossils.com/"&gt;the interactive knowledge garden&lt;/a&gt; grown from over 250 episodes• Dig into &lt;a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/podcast"&gt;nine years of mind-expanding podcasts&lt;/a&gt;• Explore &lt;a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/podcast"&gt;the Humans On The Loop dialogue and essay archives&lt;/a&gt;• Browse &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/shop/futurefossils"&gt;the books we discuss on the show&lt;/a&gt; at Bookshop.org• &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://calendly.com/michaelgarfield/consulting"&gt;Hire me&lt;/a&gt; for speaking or consulting&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mentions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will WrightJohn Conway’s Game of LifeVannevar BushAlan Kay &amp; Xerox PARCEd Catmull - &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780593594643"&gt;Creativity, Inc.&lt;/a&gt;James Clerk MaxwellEthan MollickBrian Sutton-SmithGottfried LiebnizLarry OwensJay ForresterLauren F. KleinEdgar MitchellRusty SchweickertJulian of NorwichChris LangtonKen ForbisMark ZuckerbergElon MuskSam AltmanSam Arbesman - &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9781541704480"&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Magic of Code&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/223"&gt;Timothy Morton&lt;/a&gt;Donna HarawayNick Bostrom&lt;a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/h-15"&gt;Joshua DiCaglio&lt;/a&gt; - &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9781517912079"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Scale Theory&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Stanislaw Lem - &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780547538518"&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Cyberiad&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/165"&gt;Kevin Kelly&lt;/a&gt; - &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780201483406"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Out of Control&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Stewart Brand &amp; The Whole Earth CatalogFred Turner - &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780226817422"&gt;F&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780226817422"&gt;&lt;em&gt;rom Counterculture to Cyberculture&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;De Kai - &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780262049764"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Raising AI&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And in case you missed it:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit &lt;a href="https://michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2"&gt;michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe&lt;/a&gt;</description>

Humans On The Loop

Michael Garfield

Chaim Gingold on Building SimCity & Simulation as Discourse

AUG 20, 202586 MIN
Humans On The Loop

Chaim Gingold on Building SimCity & Simulation as Discourse

AUG 20, 202586 MIN

Description

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe"><strong>Membership</strong></a><strong> | </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://every.org/humansontheloop"><strong>Donations</strong></a><strong> | </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2eCYA4ISHLUWbEFOXJ8C5v"><strong>Spotify</strong></a><strong> | </strong><a target="_blank" href="http://youtube.com/michaelgarfield"><strong>YouTube</strong></a><strong> | </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humans-on-the-loop/id1152767505"><strong>Apple Podcasts</strong></a></p><p>We live in simulated worlds of our own making, detecting patterns in the chaos and complexity of raw experience and boiling them down into operable categories and generalizations. Sometimes we do this well, and sometimes…</p><p>This week’s guest, computer scientist and game designer <a target="_blank" href="https://chaim.io/">Chaim Gingold</a>, wrote what I consider the best book available on the history and sociality of simulations: <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780262547482"><em>Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine</em></a> (MIT Press) takes readers from the prehistory of modern computing through the post-war development of cybernetics and systems thinking and into the entangled relationship of video games, military info-tech, civil engineering, software-based education, and complexity science that forms today’s “invisible environment.” </p><p>Sim City is more than a legendary video game. It is case study in how the digital revolution reshaped the ways we think, teach, design, and govern…and how what simulation as a mode of discourse can hide and reveal, oppress and empower us. In this dialogue we explore the the tensions between games and play, the analog and digital, abstraction and tactility, and mysticism and colonialism in simulation-induced experiences. We investigate the rise and fall of Sim City game developer MAXIS, weave threads through the history of computing and software development, systems science, and the philosophy of technology, and ask:</p><p>What makes some abstractions better than others?</p><p><strong>If you enjoy this conversation,</strong> <strong>join the </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://discord.gg/CmJCy6XkP9"><strong>Wisdom x Technology</strong></a><strong> Discord server and</strong> <strong>consider </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe"><strong>becoming a member</strong></a><strong> for access to the complete archives, study groups, and community calls.</strong></p><p><strong>Founding members also get access to the entire twenty hours of lecture and discussion from my recent course, </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://weirdosphere.mn.co/spaces/19231614/feed"><strong>How to Live in the Future</strong></a><strong> at Weirdosphere.</strong></p><p><strong>Show Links</strong></p><p>• Explore <a target="_blank" href="http://askfuturefossils.com/">the interactive knowledge garden</a> grown from over 250 episodes• Dig into <a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/podcast">nine years of mind-expanding podcasts</a>• Explore <a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/podcast">the Humans On The Loop dialogue and essay archives</a>• Browse <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/shop/futurefossils">the books we discuss on the show</a> at Bookshop.org• <a target="_blank" href="https://calendly.com/michaelgarfield/consulting">Hire me</a> for speaking or consulting</p><p>Mentions</p><p>Will WrightJohn Conway’s Game of LifeVannevar BushAlan Kay & Xerox PARCEd Catmull - <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780593594643">Creativity, Inc.</a>James Clerk MaxwellEthan MollickBrian Sutton-SmithGottfried LiebnizLarry OwensJay ForresterLauren F. KleinEdgar MitchellRusty SchweickertJulian of NorwichChris LangtonKen ForbisMark ZuckerbergElon MuskSam AltmanSam Arbesman - <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9781541704480"><em>The Magic of Code</em></a><a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/223">Timothy Morton</a>Donna HarawayNick Bostrom<a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/h-15">Joshua DiCaglio</a> - <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9781517912079"><em>Scale Theory</em></a>Stanislaw Lem - <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780547538518"><em>The Cyberiad</em></a><a target="_blank" href="http://michaelgarfield.substack.com/165">Kevin Kelly</a> - <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780201483406"><em>Out of Control</em></a>Stewart Brand & The Whole Earth CatalogFred Turner - <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780226817422">F</a><a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780226817422"><em>rom Counterculture to Cyberculture</em></a>De Kai - <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/24290/9780262049764"><em>Raising AI</em></a></p><p>And in case you missed it:</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe</a>