I’m glad the SFI is exploring these questions about the nature of intelligence. It’s essential in this new so-called “Age of Intelligence” (Sam Altman). But it’s hard to tell who the intended audience is. Generally, it’s quite rudimentary in terms of its depth. Worse, experts who skew primarily physicalist / materialist are brought in to make claims about intelligence with basically no critical examination from the hosts. I would love to hear more of a critical examination of these viewpoints, and an exploration of alternative viewpoints on consciousness, mind, and intelligence, perhaps even some idealist perspectives now that the hard problem of consciousness is growing ever more intractable and pressing.

The show is now an inch deep with 5-10 experts per episode instead of depth with one expert. It’s so disappointing. There’s a bunch of commentary on the episode as the episode is in flight - just let the people speak!

If you like ideas and the confluence of everything, you’ll love Complexity. The only possible drawback is you may get tired of saying “WOW!”

I’m not sure what’s changed, but I no longer return to this podcast. It used to be the source of about half of my interesting thoughts — it was so high energy and connective and the passion of the host for the topic rang through as if there was nothing more important than complexity science. Now it would seem that complexity podcast is more like simplistic podcast! The ideas are now so banal and lifeless and scripted. It’s like it’s targeting The Joy of Why audience, but without the joy, and without the fascination with why. Join us next week for the next episode of The Job of Because. It’s too bad it really was a special part of the internet.

The new reboot of Complexity podcast is very different. It has all the science I love, and “high” production values (sound effects and scoring) and “best” practices (male-female voice alternations, etc.). But somehow it feels a bit overproduced, overwritten, over-rehearsed, flatly delivered. I am probably not its target audience (longtime listener, academic professor in adjacent science areas). It seems aimed at a more popular accessible level, which is great - donors for instance, not least! Even for that purpose, I wonder if it could gain some ineffable sparkle from being read standing up in a room with “audience” even just >3 humans, maybe one or more from its target audience? This is an intimate medium and a subtle flatness can be unfortunately important. The text occasionally veers from clear top-level plain-speak statements (almost tropes

Simply atrocious, misleading content

I love this podcast and always look forward to listening.

As someone relatively new to the field, I like the new format 100x better than the old one. Whereas previously there was no attempt to explain unfamiliar concepts, names, or references, now there is clearly a desire to introduce these ideas to a wider audience. Love it!

Garfield brought intellectual stimulation and points of view that didn’t oversimplify and dumb down concepts to help people “understand.” We understand better when expected to understand - we can rise to the occasion. These episodes are slow, basic and full of annoying generic terms such as “great biodiversity” and “rich history” and remind me of an NPR story. There’s already so many simplistic explanatory podcasts… this one used to be different because it hit smart and hard - these new episodes need to step it up, badly.

I loved the show before the relaunch when Michael Garfield was the host. It is now unlistenable to me. It is overproduced and undertalented. The ideas speak for themselves in long form content with a host asking the right questions. Your audience is smart enough to follow concepts that can be difficult to grasp and they do not need to be infotained. Please bring Garfield back!

The previous series was excellent. The new one is too simple with hardly any depth to the presentations at all. Would have been better to produce this series as a companion to the previous series rather than replacing it.

Season 2 Episode 1’s wooden writing somehow manages to talk down to one of the most erudite and curious audiences in podcasting. What a disappointment by SFI…

Great to hear the return of this podcast. First episode as good as ever and wonderful new host.

I absolutely love this podcast. It lays out some plain English while also challenging the intellect. I’m captivated.

I really enjoyed the content; hope there are new releases soon

So stimulating, it will keep your car warm on an icy day as your brain buzzes along. More ants episodes please!

SFI will likely be the court of advisors and prognosticators who make the continuation of humanity possible. These entertaining, sober, and thoughtful analyses of the complexities of our time are vital to understanding complex social and epidemiological phenomena ranging from origin of life algorithms to COVID-19 to meme warfare on social media. Anyone and everyone who feels humanity is worth saving needs to listen to, rate, and viralize this podcast in their social media and personal circles.

Great topics and very interesting guests, but the host gets in the way. More basic, open-ended questions would allow the guest to tell their story and let the subject matter unfold. Instead it sometimes feels like a competition for air-time as the host tries to say everything and map out his agenda for what should be a conversation.

Phenomenal podcast. The guests are great and the concepts they talk about are fascinating. Michael Garfield is a marvelous interviewer. It’s worth listening to this show just to hear his questions.

My true review would be 3 or 4 stars, but in order to increase the informational content of my review I’m giving it 2 stars. This is a fascinating podcast with really great guests discussing boundary-pushing ideas in the sciences. If you’re familiar with the Santa Fe Institute and what it’s all about, then you’ll find this podcast interesting. The host is highly knowledgeable, dedicated to his subject matter, and well-prepared for every interview. The issue is that he talks too much. He overwhelms guests (and listeners) with 2-, 3-, even 5-part questions that often make it difficult to follow a straight line through the conversation. Yes, there’s value in drawing connections between different thinkers and different disciplines, but the host does so too early and often to be useful. Guests are sometimes audibly flummoxed by long-winded questions that stray from the subject matter or try to make connections that are too tenuous or metaphorical. I think it’s important to give adequate space and care to the ideas of those working in complexity and complexity-adjacent fields. These scientists are working with subtle ideas that take time and effort to grasp. This calls for a bit more discipline and care in structuring and conducting their interviews. All of that said, I’m a regular listener to this podcast, and it often generates moments of real clarity and insight. It’s a valuable addition to the intellectual environment and I hope it keeps going.

Revealed, reviewed, reapplied, reconsidered in this brilliant podcast. Looking forward to the new political economy & equality focused examinations & policy recommendations. After all, talk is “cheap”, SFI should seek more political influence in leading real economical change 🙏

This is what the slow creep of good intentions looks like. Though tangentially related to complexity and science, this podcast consistently pushes Narrative above scientific analysis. While the outcomes being sought are in many cases laudable, advocating for a social position isn’t the same thing as doing the real science that many of these social advances have been built on. This is not a science podcast.

It’s obvious Michael puts extraordinary effort in covering salient topics and finding guests that are authentic and truly care about being a positive force in this world - the insights they bring to bear are still mind-blowing every. single. time. Thanks and keep up the great work!🙏

There’s a lot of inflammatory rhetoric out there about science and overstated research that doesn’t actually amount to much, or is flat out methodologically unsound. I appreciate this podcast for not doing any of that. The host is well-versed and asks thought provoking and deep questions. The guests are typically understated and incredibly competent. I always finish one of these podcasts feeling like I learned something and with several interesting threads to think about

So glad to see a popular locally made pod.

Host is great at synthesizing academic research and making it accessible to general public. SFI is an amazing place and this podcast showcases it's greatness in delicious, hearty, and swallowable morsels

An incredible podcast for the intellectually curious. Thank you for bringing complexity science directly into our ears.

I’ve long been very interested in the goals and methods of the SFI and this podcast is a great way to get a peek at it all. Host Michael Garfield does an incredible job guiding the conversations and tying them to other ideas. This is my favorite podcast.

The moderator’s soliloquies and incessant references to prior podcasts and SFI personalities detract mightily from the context, content and personality of the interviewees and the program. I imagine he takes as much as 50% of the program time. Good interviewers asks questions to open a doorway for the interviewee, not box them in to the interviewers agenda.

I got into this podcast heavily during their COVID-19 Transmission series. Excellent conversations addressing some really fascinating topics. Some of the science and complex systems talk is a bit it is over my head, but I always look forward to these podcasts!

Laurence Gonzales makes a great conversation partner with Michael Garfield, playfully exploring the wild blue yonder of minds, brains, and the worlds which shape them. Great fun!

Originally found out about Santa Fe listening to the Making Sense podcast episode with David K. and have no looked back. They discus a wide range of different disciplines from the micro to the macro level, all while making it digestible. It’s this reason why I’m pursuing this topic at the professional level.

I’m a long time fan of the work of the Santa Fe Institute and had somehow missed this podcast. It’s amazing, in particular the recent Transmission series with David Krakauer blew me away. In each episode Krakauer talks about five papers written by SFI-related scholars. It’s pure pleasure to listen to a brilliant and well-read individual like Krakauer simply explain things as he understands them. I’ve since told everyone I know to listen to this show.

For those thinkers who are attempting to awaken to the world of complex systems and understand their own experiences in the context of complexity, this podcast is for you. It is insightful, thought-provoking, and expanding. Especially in these times when we are each being confronted with the inextricability from our reality and complexity, this podcast is utterly important. Become more systems literate and enjoy the curiosity that these discussions will spark!

Very nicely presented and fun to listen to.

Whether it’s water resources, telecommunications, or the electrical grid system, seems like government regulators & policymakers are having a hard time trying to govern complex networks. Would love to hear some research on the intersection of complexity theory and the law.

Absolutely breathtaking in scope and detail. Wonderful guests, but my highest praise goes to Michael Garfield who manages to ask brilliant questions, listen attentively, and synthesize his guests’ answers in a way that I, as a non-scientist, can not only understand but also induces a desire to keep learning more. Thanks for teaching me and inspiring me.

This podcast fills a gaping hole in the podcast market. Super interesting stuff, helpful for learning about new and exciting research in complex systems. Off to a great start!

Very interesting material, and a great window into the world of complex systems and how experts think about them.

Important stuff presented in a way that even this non-scientist can understand. Highly recommended!

Would give it six stars if I could! Interesting, engaging, great for the gym, car, or while cleaning.

For those who know, the Santa Fe Institute is one of the most amazing hotbeds of brilliant science on the planet (Rolling Stone called SFI a "Justice League of renegade geeks") – and this podcast is WAY overdue. Superb and detailed conversations on potentially world-changing research into everything from the economy as an ecosystem to the origins of life to the way we make decisions as collectives, any listener – even those familiar with the discipline of complex systems science – is bound to pick up some new bold new tools to change their thinking and improve their understanding of the world. Can’t wait to hear more episodes!