Evolution Versus Revolution

Revolutionary and evolutionary theorists have very different views about change; Fein writes in favour of evolution. He proposes an integrated model of social evolution, one that accounts for the complexity, inconclusiveness, and impediments that characterize social transformations.This multi-dimensional approach recognizes that change is always saturated in conflict. Major changes are rarely initiated by conscious decisions that are automatically implemented; power and morality generally control the direction that significant alterations take. Fein explains how the social generalist dilemma places our need for both flexibility and stability in opposition to each other such that non-rational mechanisms are needed to produce a solution. He also describes how an "inverse force rule" dictates that small societies are bound together by strong social forces, whereas large ones are secured by weak forces. This suggests that social roles are likely to become professionalized over time.If social change is, in fact, analogous to natural rather than artificial selection, we may be in the midst of an only partially predictable middle class revolution. Indeed, the current impasse between liberals and conservatives may be evidence that we are in the consolidation phase of this process. Should this be the case, a paradigm shift, not a classical revolution, is in our future.

Leading economists discuss post–financial crisis policy dilemmas, including the dangers of complacency in a period of relative stability. The Great Depression led to the Keynesian revolution and dramatic shifts in macroeconomic theory and macroeconomic policy. Similarly, the stagflation of the 1970s led to the adoption of the natural rate hypothesis and to a major reassessment of the role of macroeconomic policy. Should the financial crisis and the Great Recession lead to yet another major reassessment, to another intellectual revolution? Will it? If so, what form should it, or will it, take? These are the questions taken up in this book, in a series of contributions by policymakers and academics. The contributors discuss the complex role of the financial sector, the relative roles of monetary and fiscal policy, the limits of monetary policy to address financial stability, the need for fiscal policy to play a more active role in stabilization, and the relative roles of financial regulation and macroprudential tools. The general message is a warning against going back to precrisis ways—to narrow inflation targeting, little use of fiscal policy for stabilization, and insufficient financial regulation. Contributors David Aikman, Alan J. Auerbach, Ben S. Bernanke, Olivier Blanchard, Lael Brainard, Markus K. Brunnermeier, Marco Buti, Benoît Cœuré, Mario Draghi, Barry Eichengreen, Jason Furman, Gita Gopinath, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, Andrew G. Haldane, Philipp Hildebrand, Marc Hinterschweiger, Sujit Kapadia, Nellie Liang, Adam S. Posen, Raghuram Rajan, Valerie Ramey, Carmen Reinhart, Dani Rodrik, Robert E. Rubin, Jay C. Shambaugh, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Jeremy C. Stein, Lawrence H. Summers

M. Rycroft, FacultyMember, InternationalSpaceUniversity e-mail:[email protected] "The Space Transportation Market: Evolution or Revolution?" was the question which was the focus for the papers presented, and also the Panel Discussions, at the fifth annual Symposium organised by the International Space University. Held in Strasbourg, France, for three lively days at the end of May 2000, the Symposium brought together representatives of the developers, providers and operators of space transportation systems, of regulatory bodies, and of users of the space transportation infrastructure in many fields, as well as experts in policy and market analysis. From the papers published here, it is clear that today's answer to the question tends more towards evolution than to revolution. The space launch industry is still not a fully mature one, and is still reliant on at least partial funding by governments. Better cooperation is essential between governments, launch providers, satellite builders and satellite operators in order to reduce the problems which the space transportation market faces today.

It is widely understood that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution completely revolutionized the study of biology. Yet, according to David Sloan Wilson, the Darwinian revolution won’t be truly complete until it is applied more broadly—to everything associated with the words “human,” “culture,” and “policy.” In a series of engaging and insightful examples—from the breeding of hens to the timing of cataract surgeries to the organization of an automobile plant—Wilson shows how an evolutionary worldview provides a practical tool kit for understanding not only genetic evolution but also the fast-paced changes that are having an impact on our world and ourselves. What emerges is an incredibly empowering argument: If we can become wise managers of evolutionary processes, we can solve the problems of our age at all scales—from the efficacy of our groups to our well-being as individuals to our stewardship of the planet Earth.

HEP data structure systems, such as ADAMO, BOS, CHEETAH, JAZELLE, ZEBRA, etc., are not static but continue to evolve, some slowly, others more quickly. Large systems have been built on them, and by a careful comparison of their usage in experiments, one should be able to better understand which way to go. It is crucial to preserve the current investment while exploiting new computing technology.Experiments at large colliders are taking data and doing physics (or about to do so), so one can now compare practical experiences with different data management solutions in the area of: Simulation of Interactions and their Detection, Data Acquisition, On Line Management, Description of Detector and other Equipment, Experiment and Data Processing Bookkeeping, Reconstruction Algorithms, Event Display and Statistical Data Analysis.The articles in these proceedings are by contributors who are active in developing computer systems for Experimental Particle Physics where the organisation of the data plays an important role, as well as those who are building systems and packages to make this work easier.