#degeneracy — Public Fediverse posts

A quotation from George Orwell

Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1945-12), Review of Herbert Read, A Coat of Many Colours, Poetry Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 4 (1945, Winter)

More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/3040/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #georgeorwell #age #decline #degeneracy #era #generation #generationgap #intelligence #knowledge #progress #prudence #wisdom

A quotation from George Orwell

Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1945-12), Review of Herbert Read, A Coat of Many Colours, Poetry Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 4 (1945, Winter)

More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/3040/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #georgeorwell #age #decline #degeneracy #era #generation #generationgap #intelligence #knowledge #progress #prudence #wisdom

A quotation from Shakespeare

For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds;
Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Sonnet 94, ll. 13-14 (pub. 1609)

More about this quote: wist.info/shakespeare-william/…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #shakespeare #williamshakespeare #breakdown #corruption #degeneracy #depravity #downfall #festering #rot

Yet, even when weighed against this stunning record of #degeneracy, the pardoning by #Trump of his cop-beating foot soldiers represents the lowest moment of this presidency so far, because it was an act not only of naked #despotism but also of outlandish #hypocrisy. By pardoning these #criminals, he exposed a foundational #lie of #MAGA ideology: that it stands with the #police & as a guarantor of #law & order. The truth is the opposite.

#Jan6 #NeverForget #insurrection #PoliticalViolence #coup

Yet, even when weighed against this stunning record of #degeneracy, the pardoning by #Trump of his cop-beating foot soldiers represents the lowest moment of this presidency so far, because it was an act not only of naked #despotism but also of outlandish #hypocrisy. By pardoning these #criminals, he exposed a foundational #lie of #MAGA ideology: that it stands with the #police & as a guarantor of #law & order. The truth is the opposite.

#Jan6 #NeverForget #insurrection #PoliticalViolence #coup

You see, when you're up top looking down on the world with a spyglass it makes you feel like you're the sort of person who *could* hunt something down, like a ship's captain of yore, even if in reality in 2025 you're nothing more than a powerless victim...

#thoughts #self #California #PalisadesFire #wildfire #arson #degeneracy

You see, when you're up top looking down on the world with a spyglass it makes you feel like you're the sort of person who *could* hunt something down, like a ship's captain of yore, even if in reality in 2025 you're nothing more than a powerless victim...

#thoughts #self #California #PalisadesFire #wildfire #arson #degeneracy

It turns out nature has self-limiting control mechanisms.

For example, I am currently in Berlin on a business trip. On my own. With a credit card and pretty close to zero accountability.

And I’m not off injecting heroin into my eyeballs with Iggy Pop because I’M OLD AND TOO F*CKING TIRED!!!

Sometimes I really wish I could rent 25-year old me for a couple of days now that I have the money.

#Degeneracy #TouristActivities

It turns out nature has self-limiting control mechanisms.

For example, I am currently in Berlin on a business trip. On my own. With a credit card and pretty close to zero accountability.

And I’m not off injecting heroin into my eyeballs with Iggy Pop because I’M OLD AND TOO F*CKING TIRED!!!

Sometimes I really wish I could rent 25-year old me for a couple of days now that I have the money.

#Degeneracy #TouristActivities

Matrix | The dude in the red dress.

#matrix #woke #degeneracy

So, basically, #SettlerColonialism - with the added bonus of a #broligarchy overrunning natives in #Greenland to turn the place into their private playground.

Think #Epstein City instead of #EpsteinIsland - like a new privateer cove for the rich and well to do. Basically a husk of its former self, decorated with #privilege and #degeneracy.

#Billionaires dream of building utopian techno-city in Greenland | #PopularScience
https://www.popsci.com/technology/billionaire-freedom-city-greenland/

So, basically, #SettlerColonialism - with the added bonus of a #broligarchy overrunning natives in #Greenland to turn the place into their private playground.

Think #Epstein City instead of #EpsteinIsland - like a new privateer cove for the rich and well to do. Basically a husk of its former self, decorated with #privilege and #degeneracy.

#Billionaires dream of building utopian techno-city in Greenland | #PopularScience
https://www.popsci.com/technology/billionaire-freedom-city-greenland/

If I were in charge of a research center and I saw one of my employees behaving like that I'd fire them immediately. Obviously this person has no fear of such consequences; or even embarrassment as a "professional", in an occupation allegedly based on a search for truth!

#Twitter #birdsite #self #thoughts #society #degeneracy

If I were in charge of a research center and I saw one of my employees behaving like that I'd fire them immediately. Obviously this person has no fear of such consequences; or even embarrassment as a "professional", in an occupation allegedly based on a search for truth!

#Twitter #birdsite #self #thoughts #society #degeneracy

So apparently blatant bald-faced lying about text that appears right next to the reply is acceptable behavior from a "senior research fellow" at one of the top universities in our country?

#Twitter #birdsite #self #thoughts #society #degeneracy

So apparently blatant bald-faced lying about text that appears right next to the reply is acceptable behavior from a "senior research fellow" at one of the top universities in our country?

#Twitter #birdsite #self #thoughts #society #degeneracy

Ey. Take your demoralizing elsewhere. May I recommend #Twitter? No, I'm not calling it X.

"The #left" as a #pejorative must stop, because the talking points are basically so vein and ignorant of the problems that is clearly a result of psy-ops. #ThinkTanks got in your brain, boy.

As for me, I reject the #degeneracy and delusions of grandeur that the average #oligarch has. They're #narcissists and #hedonists. I'm about freeing people from their clutches, not fashion a iron glove.

@polarity

In her first briefing Karoline Leavitt said "This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional". Excuse me? This is a blatant bald-faced lie against our constitution. Why isn't the media reporting it as such?

#news #thoughts #law #constitution #USpolitics #degeneracy #media #mediabias #citizenship

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/28/karoline-leavitt-white-house-press-conference

In her first briefing Karoline Leavitt said "This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional". Excuse me? This is a blatant bald-faced lie against our constitution. Why isn't the media reporting it as such?

#news #thoughts #law #constitution #USpolitics #degeneracy #media #mediabias #citizenship

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/28/karoline-leavitt-white-house-press-conference

Apparently the escape from that is to hold a position of power or authority: in society today, your conduct can be blatantly heinous and people will say it's really justified and you're actually a good person. Must be nice to go through life like that...

#thoughts #wildfires #PalisadesFire #fires #CaliforniaFires #self #society #degeneracy

Apparently the escape from that is to hold a position of power or authority: in society today, your conduct can be blatantly heinous and people will say it's really justified and you're actually a good person. Must be nice to go through life like that...

#thoughts #wildfires #PalisadesFire #fires #CaliforniaFires #self #society #degeneracy

Any time I share my grievances about the Palisades Fire and how I have been victimized multiple times over (not just by the disaster itself, but by the response) all I get in reply is lies, mocking, ridicule, and flat-out bullying.

#thoughts #wildfires #PalisadesFire #fires #CaliforniaFires #self #society #degeneracy

Any time I share my grievances about the Palisades Fire and how I have been victimized multiple times over (not just by the disaster itself, but by the response) all I get in reply is lies, mocking, ridicule, and flat-out bullying.

#thoughts #wildfires #PalisadesFire #fires #CaliforniaFires #self #society #degeneracy

Elon Musk's $1 billion offer to Wikipedia to change its name to "Dickipedia" has sparked a debate about wealth and influence. 💰🤔 Is this a humorous jab or a sign of cultural decay? With so much money, is stirring the pot just brainrot? 🧠💭 Read more about this bizarre proposal here: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/10/25/elon-musk-offers-1-billion-to-wikipedia-to-change-their-name-to-dickipedia #ElonMusk #Wikipedia #Degeneracy #Culture #notfunny

Elon Musk's $1 billion offer to Wikipedia to change its name to "Dickipedia" has sparked a debate about wealth and influence. 💰🤔 Is this a humorous jab or a sign of cultural decay? With so much money, is stirring the pot just brainrot? 🧠💭 Read more about this bizarre proposal here: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/10/25/elon-musk-offers-1-billion-to-wikipedia-to-change-their-name-to-dickipedia #ElonMusk #Wikipedia #Degeneracy #Culture #notfunny

Finally got a car insurance policy: all done on computer with Allstate, whose chat box is run by Indians. At least they don't call up their customers and bully them with multiple swear words, which is more than I can say for Americans these days...

#self #thoughts #insurance #carinsurance #society #degeneracy #offshoring #outsourcing

Finally got a car insurance policy: all done on computer with Allstate, whose chat box is run by Indians. At least they don't call up their customers and bully them with multiple swear words, which is more than I can say for Americans these days...

#self #thoughts #insurance #carinsurance #society #degeneracy #offshoring #outsourcing

It's been a *long* time since I was able to really put the screws on somebody who wronged me. Feels good TBH.

#thoughts #self #insurance #carinsurance #society #bullying #degeneracy

It's been a *long* time since I was able to really put the screws on somebody who wronged me. Feels good TBH.

#thoughts #self #insurance #carinsurance #society #bullying #degeneracy

I did my part: blocked their number and warned that if they dare to harass me any further they will be subjected to legal action. I might also say my swearing and screaming back at him over the phone was frankly impressive, considering how I was caught by surprise. 😶

#thoughts #self #insurance #carinsurance #society #bullying #degeneracy

I did my part: blocked their number and warned that if they dare to harass me any further they will be subjected to legal action. I might also say my swearing and screaming back at him over the phone was frankly impressive, considering how I was caught by surprise. 😶

#thoughts #self #insurance #carinsurance #society #bullying #degeneracy

Oh, so now I'm literally called up and bullied by an insurance agent who calls me "a fucking bitch"? WTF!? People who behave like that ought to be put behind bars (or, better yet, in a labor camp). We've normalized bullying so much it's out of control. Time to crack down. HARD.

#thoughts #self #insurance #carinsurance #society #bullying #degeneracy

Oh, so now I'm literally called up and bullied by an insurance agent who calls me "a fucking bitch"? WTF!? People who behave like that ought to be put behind bars (or, better yet, in a labor camp). We've normalized bullying so much it's out of control. Time to crack down. HARD.

#thoughts #self #insurance #carinsurance #society #bullying #degeneracy

@ekmiller

Interesting insight of brain functions requiring both:

• electromagnetic neural nets oscillations sync
+
• underlying chemical dendritic neuronal triggers

» . These two mechanisms likely
work together to dynamically form functional networks. «

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627324002782

HT @ekmiller @matrig @StefanoFusi et al !!

ps: only dubious x
#MixedSelectivity new term ie:
#MultipleRealizability
#NeuronalEnsemble
#NeuralReuse
#Degeneracy
#Redundancy
#Contextualism
#Overlapping

#Neuroscience

@ekmiller

Interesting insight of brain functions requiring both:

• electromagnetic neural nets oscillations sync
+
• underlying chemical dendritic neuronal triggers

» . These two mechanisms likely
work together to dynamically form functional networks. «

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627324002782

HT @ekmiller @matrig @StefanoFusi et al !!

ps: only dubious x
#MixedSelectivity new term ie:
#MultipleRealizability
#NeuronalEnsemble
#NeuralReuse
#Degeneracy
#Redundancy
#Contextualism
#Overlapping

#Neuroscience

@ehud

• Candidate #1

The iconic #KrebsCycle that sits at the heart of metabolism

https://nick-lane.net/books/transformer-the-deep-chemistry-of-life-and-death/

• Candidate #2

#MultipleRealizability et:

#NeuronalEnsemble
D Hebb et al.

#NeuralReuse
M L Anderson et al.

#Degeneracy #Redundancy
G M Edelman et al.

#Contextualism
C Klein et al.

#Overlapping
L Pessoa et al.

https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12914

@ehud

• Candidate #1

The iconic #KrebsCycle that sits at the heart of metabolism

https://nick-lane.net/books/transformer-the-deep-chemistry-of-life-and-death/

• Candidate #2

#MultipleRealizability et:

#NeuronalEnsemble
D Hebb et al.

#NeuralReuse
M L Anderson et al.

#Degeneracy #Redundancy
G M Edelman et al.

#Contextualism
C Klein et al.

#Overlapping
L Pessoa et al.

https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12914

@NicoleCRust

If I understand your question,
I will go for brain lesions research showing but instead reduction then plasticity —concept that everyone confuses/mixes with:

L. Pessoa et al.
#Overlapping

GM Edelman et al.
#degeneracy
#redundancy

Michael L Anderson et al. #NeuralReuse

D Hebb et al.
#NeuronalEnsemble

then as well, wtf differs those from: #MultipleRealizability ?

https://plato.stanford.edu/archivES/FALL2017/Entries/multiple-realizability/

@NicoleCRust

If I understand your question,
I will go for brain lesions research showing but instead reduction then plasticity —concept that everyone confuses/mixes with:

L. Pessoa et al.
#Overlapping

GM Edelman et al.
#degeneracy
#redundancy

Michael L Anderson et al. #NeuralReuse

D Hebb et al.
#NeuronalEnsemble

then as well, wtf differs those from: #MultipleRealizability ?

https://plato.stanford.edu/archivES/FALL2017/Entries/multiple-realizability/

@sganguli

L. Pessoa et al.
#Overlapping

GM Edelman et al.
#degeneracy
#redundancy

Michael L Anderson et al. #NeuralReuse

D Hebb et al.
#NeuronalEnsemble

@sganguli

L. Pessoa et al.
#Overlapping

GM Edelman et al.
#degeneracy
#redundancy

Michael L Anderson et al. #NeuralReuse

D Hebb et al.
#NeuronalEnsemble

@junosz

oh no please do not add another one, please no J!

IMHO AFAIK J's Multiple Realizability better fits into:

L. Pessoa et al.
#Overlapping

GM Edelman et al.
#degeneracy
#redundancy

Michael L Anderson et al. #NeuralReuse

D Hebb et al.
#NeuronalEnsemble

see:
https://mastodon.online/@Neurograce/110697810878967152

@junosz

oh no please do not add another one, please no J!

IMHO AFAIK J's Multiple Realizability better fits into:

L. Pessoa et al.
#Overlapping

GM Edelman et al.
#degeneracy
#redundancy

Michael L Anderson et al. #NeuralReuse

D Hebb et al.
#NeuronalEnsemble

see:
https://mastodon.online/@Neurograce/110697810878967152

@elduvelle_neuro I agree with @beneuroscience @kofanchen and @alicia_izquierdo here. One very broad way to look at it could be the classic nature (genes, evolution --> #neuroethology) vs nurture (environment, epigenetics --> behavioral #neuroscience)?

To slightly rephrase what others have stated - #neurothology studies the mechanisms that the brain has evolved to function in its natural conditions. If I were to draw a venn diagram for this, there could be/is an intersection between the 2 sets (behavioral neuroscience and neuroethology) but they are 2 different sets. There's #EfficientCoding based on response to natural statistics of the animal's environment that I think lies at the intersection. While there may be a behavioral response to a stimulus in the lab, it doesn't mean that the stimulus even exists in the statistics of the animal's natural environment.

In a lab, you can rewire the auditory cortex of a ferret's brain and they can start "seeing" with their auditory cortex but it doesn't mean that in a "normal" animal's brain that's what happens.

https://www.nature.com/articles/35009043
https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/25/science/rewired-ferrets-overturn-theories-of-brain-growth.html
https://web.mit.edu/surlab/publications/Newton_Sur04.pdf

I think of it this way -- there could be several mechanisms to achieve the same output (behavior) in a lab setting but that doesn't mean that the brain actually uses any or all of those mechanisms in its natural environment. Heck, even in the natural environment the brain could (and very likely does) exhibit #degeneracy where distinct structural units could give rise to the same function (behavior) under different circumstances.

Also, given the diversity of responses to the OP, adding #neurobuzz @neurobuzz 🙂​

@dlevenstein
#degeneracy
#redundancy
#NeuralReuse
#overlapping
et al.

@dlevenstein
#degeneracy
#redundancy
#NeuralReuse
#overlapping
et al.

@manisha @Neurograce @neuroscience @cogsci @cogneurophys

Interesting links!!!

I understood it properly that your definition of #degeneracy will closely/loosely overlap with:

1. Michael L. Anderson #NeuralReuse definiton

2. @PessoaBrain #overlapping definition

3. Hebb's #NeuronalEnsemble

yea or nay or #degeneracy + #redundancy or else ?

@manisha @Neurograce @neuroscience @cogsci @cogneurophys

Interesting links!!!

I understood it properly that your definition of #degeneracy will closely/loosely overlap with:

1. Michael L. Anderson #NeuralReuse definiton

2. @PessoaBrain #overlapping definition

3. Hebb's #NeuronalEnsemble

yea or nay or #degeneracy + #redundancy or else ?

@karihoffman yeah #degeneracy seems to be ubiquitous and in my PhD lab we started doing lots of sensitivity analyses after the papers from Eve's lab came out like this one -- Similar network activity from disparate circuit parameters and then we did a lot of background research on where the ideas came from for neuroscience. That's how we came across the 2 papers I cited earlier.

We did a lot of work on degeneracy across the scales in #neuroscience. Last year we wrote a review where we emphasize that LFP interpretations require recognition of degeneracy across multiple scales -- Active Dendrites and Local Field Potentials: Biophysical Mechanisms and Computational Explorations #ShamelessPlug :P

side note and a bit #offtopic -- 2 members wrote a big review on degeneracy and my contributions were only mentioned in the acknowledgment section 😢​ I was a grad student at the time and didn't know any better and still struggle with who should get acknowledgement vs authorship. Kinda sad how academia doesn't follow some community-approved norm for giving scientists credit -- see my poll here https://neuromatch.social/@manisha/110556283019459141 -- still struggling with how to approach that topic with the PI as that was one of the many reasons why I am no longer an active academic but trying to change how #academia and #science work -- starting with our very own neuromatch.social -- we have lots of things planned and all instance members are welcome to join us in changing how we do and communicate science #neuromatchstodon @academicchatter

@Neurograce if you use this discussion to guide future talks/research, I would be very grateful if you cite the discussion thread. I know that's not how things are done traditionally but who says we can't change traditions? This way we can all start working as a community of scientists collaborating together and giving ample credit to each other rather than competing against each other :)

@neuroscience @cogsci @cogneurophys @neurobuzz #neurobuzz #neuromatchstodon

@karihoffman yeah #degeneracy seems to be ubiquitous and in my PhD lab we started doing lots of sensitivity analyses after the papers from Eve's lab came out like this one -- Similar network activity from disparate circuit parameters and then we did a lot of background research on where the ideas came from for neuroscience. That's how we came across the 2 papers I cited earlier.

We did a lot of work on degeneracy across the scales in #neuroscience. Last year we wrote a review where we emphasize that LFP interpretations require recognition of degeneracy across multiple scales -- Active Dendrites and Local Field Potentials: Biophysical Mechanisms and Computational Explorations #ShamelessPlug :P

side note and a bit #offtopic -- 2 members wrote a big review on degeneracy and my contributions were only mentioned in the acknowledgment section 😢​ I was a grad student at the time and didn't know any better and still struggle with who should get acknowledgement vs authorship. Kinda sad how academia doesn't follow some community-approved norm for giving scientists credit -- see my poll here https://neuromatch.social/@manisha/110556283019459141 -- still struggling with how to approach that topic with the PI as that was one of the many reasons why I am no longer an active academic but trying to change how #academia and #science work -- starting with our very own neuromatch.social -- we have lots of things planned and all instance members are welcome to join us in changing how we do and communicate science #neuromatchstodon @academicchatter

@Neurograce if you use this discussion to guide future talks/research, I would be very grateful if you cite the discussion thread. I know that's not how things are done traditionally but who says we can't change traditions? This way we can all start working as a community of scientists collaborating together and giving ample credit to each other rather than competing against each other :)

@neuroscience @cogsci @cogneurophys @neurobuzz #neurobuzz #neuromatchstodon

@Neurograce If I had to choose 1 word it would be -- #degeneracy

I could be wrong but this is likely the first few papers (by Tononi and Eldelman and others) to talk about it in depth and then was adopted by the #neuroscience field

Degeneracy and complexity in biological systems

Measures of degeneracy and redundancy in biological networks

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=degeneracy+neuroscience&sort=pubdate&sort_order=asc

@neuroscience #neuromatchstodon @cogsci #neurobuzz @cogneurophys

@Neurograce If I had to choose 1 word it would be -- #degeneracy

I could be wrong but this is likely the first few papers (by Tononi and Eldelman and others) to talk about it in depth and then was adopted by the #neuroscience field

Degeneracy and complexity in biological systems

Measures of degeneracy and redundancy in biological networks

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=degeneracy+neuroscience&sort=pubdate&sort_order=asc

@neuroscience #neuromatchstodon @cogsci #neurobuzz