Your essay prompted to me think about what we mean by "nature". Is it an entity with a higher level of intelligence? Is "nature" in one part of the universe (i.e. the earth) different from "nature" in another part of the universe? I will leave it to the philosophers to sort it out!
I have been fascinated by biological processes for a long time. What I am beginning to sense is that there is a lot of trial and error going on at all times. Your essay is a good reminder for us to continue learning from these processes and not get stuck in our human ways!
Thanks, Naveen, I'm glad this essay resonated with you! I'm also fascinated with biological processes - during the pandemic I took most of MITx's online bio courses out of sheer interest. They've sparked some interesting ideas and work-related research, but I sure didn't see that coming! Trial and error, as you said ;-)
Thanks, CK! I didn't come up with biomimicry as a field (lots of people from Da Vinci to the Wright Brothers informally used the approach, and it was formalized by Otto Schmitt in the 1950s), but even before I learned about the term, I've long thought that humans' affinity for top-down strategizing isn't the path to maximum benefits - we need to blend that with a measure of bottom-up structure.
What a great post Stephanie! I was so happy to see your topic this evening. I especially liked how you juxtaposed top-down and bottom-up processes. Brilliant. Every time I wear my Gore-Tex rain suit I think about biomimicry. Some of the coolest things we do are great mimics!
Your essay prompted to me think about what we mean by "nature". Is it an entity with a higher level of intelligence? Is "nature" in one part of the universe (i.e. the earth) different from "nature" in another part of the universe? I will leave it to the philosophers to sort it out!
I have been fascinated by biological processes for a long time. What I am beginning to sense is that there is a lot of trial and error going on at all times. Your essay is a good reminder for us to continue learning from these processes and not get stuck in our human ways!
Thanks, Naveen, I'm glad this essay resonated with you! I'm also fascinated with biological processes - during the pandemic I took most of MITx's online bio courses out of sheer interest. They've sparked some interesting ideas and work-related research, but I sure didn't see that coming! Trial and error, as you said ;-)
I love this analogy. Biology as a blue print for running a business. Biomimicry. Is this a concept you created?
Thanks, CK! I didn't come up with biomimicry as a field (lots of people from Da Vinci to the Wright Brothers informally used the approach, and it was formalized by Otto Schmitt in the 1950s), but even before I learned about the term, I've long thought that humans' affinity for top-down strategizing isn't the path to maximum benefits - we need to blend that with a measure of bottom-up structure.
What a great post Stephanie! I was so happy to see your topic this evening. I especially liked how you juxtaposed top-down and bottom-up processes. Brilliant. Every time I wear my Gore-Tex rain suit I think about biomimicry. Some of the coolest things we do are great mimics!