SynTalk

Do we die ‘because’ we stop breathing? Is it possible to say how ‘a’ cancer is caused? Do causes exist? Are they (always) universal, uniform, & a priori? Are all phenomena eventually multi-causal and probabilistic? Might cause be a feature of the mind? Is the ‘concept’ of cause essential? What explains changes in the world? What role do (say) our senses, culture, technology, institutions, & chance play? Why do grasshoppers jump randomly once in a while? Can randomness also have causes? Is the effect invalid without the (correct) cause? Does technology (the ‘how’) often precede science (the ‘why’)? Is understanding of causality, however, both beneficial and satisfying? Can certain pockets of genome or organisms be more mutation prone? Do hotspots of innovation emerge in a similar fashion? What is the ultimate cause of risk taking? Might heightened resilience lead to lesser disruption? Why do certain honey bees go to certain flowers? Are ultimate causes eventually evolutionary? Was the world always as it is today? Can we live without ultimate causes? Must we keep looking for causality even in a playful world? &, what is it that ultimately survives everything else…? SynTalk thinks about these & more questions using concepts from innovation studies (Prof. Anil K. Gupta, IIM Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad), philosophy (Prof. T. S. Rukmani, Concordia University, Montreal), & biology (Prof. L. S. Shashidhara, IISER, Pune). Listen in...