The black hole of finance: creation and destruction in life, the economy, and the universe
The universe exhibits a strong tendency to create – the universe itself arose out of nothing; galaxies, stars, and planets formed out of the primordial plasma; life began and evolved; human beings acquired the faculty of language and created complex societies. The universe can also destroy – stars collapse to form black holes; ecosystems collapse when stressed or deprived; companies and ventures fail; organisms die.

This talk presents a common mechanism for creation and destruction in life, the economy, and the universe, based on the concept of information. There is a natural tendency for information to be created and, once created, to evolve into more complex forms. By the same mechanism, however, there is an equally natural tendency for these complex forms to degrade, malfunction, and collapse. Implications for economics, ecology, and cosmology will be discussed by Professor Seth Lloyd, Oxford Martin Visiting Fellow and Nam P. Suh Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Date: 27 February 2018, 17:00 (Tuesday, 7th week, Hilary 2018)
Venue: Oxford Martin School, 34 Broad Street OX1 3BD
Venue Details: Corner of Catte and Holywell Streets
Speaker: Professor Seth Lloyd (Visiting Fellow, Oxford Martin School)
Organising department: Oxford Martin School
Organiser: Oxford Martin School (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: events@oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
Topics:
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/event/2528
Booking email: events@oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
Cost: Free
Audience: Public
Editor: Hannah Mitchell