Asya Ruken
PhD Philosophy
BLUE Fellow
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Winter
2024
Exploring freedom in self-organizing natural and social systems
BLUE Fellow
Winter
2024

Background

My project, 'Structures of Life and Structures of Domination,' proposes a redefinition of freedom through the lens of self-organization, bridging diverse disciplines, including philosophy, physics, biology, ecology, and political science. It challenges the traditional human-centric view of freedom, suggesting that all entities, from individual organisms to entire ecosystems, inherently pursue autonomy and order. This approach applies thermodynamic concepts to understand social and ecological structures, offering new perspectives on environmental ethics and societal organization.I argue that both natural and social systems exhibit a form of freedom in their intrinsic quest for self-organization against entropy. The project aims to analyze how these systems preserve and augment their internal complexity, illuminating the fundamental principles underpinning life and freedom. This interdisciplinary study can provide insights into the dynamics of domination and resilience in both natural and human realms, potentially reshaping our understanding of environmental policies and the structures of societal governance.

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