COMPLEXITY OF LIFE AND THE INFINITE IMPROBABILITY DRIVE!
Dr. Kim Stansfield
Tuesday 21st February 2023
7.30 for 8pm at Worcester Baptist Church
Life is so complex, so unlikely. Luckily science provides a way of taking complexity and reducing it to a much simpler level that we can understand, and then reconstruct the complex from the simplified understanding. So can this approach be used to estimate probabilities for life emerging from the primordial soup on earth? It’s apparent that to coordinate the parallel and interdependent developments to create even the simplest, viable life forms we have to take a ‘systems’ view.
In his short talk Dr Kim Stansfield will illustrate what he thinks taking a systems view means. On the one hand that might support a biblical interpretation, or, alternatively might require Douglas Adams’ infinite improbability drive described in the comic masterpiece (personal view), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. There will be opportunity to discuss these or other ideas offered by the audience.
About Kim:
In his youth Kim obtained degrees in materials science before moving to industry to work on advanced manufacturing systems in 1990. Over the following 26 years he adapted to various development roles working in intelligent driver support systems, enterprise IT systems and renewable energy systems.
In 2016 he moved to academia at Warwick University’s WMG Dept, where he taught systems engineering and advanced quality management on company sponsored undergraduate and masters apprentice degrees, becoming Associate Prof of Transformational Systems Engineering.
Kim took early retirement at the end of 2020 and subsequently has been collaborating with teams around the world on improving professional systems engineering approaches and the development of sustainable solutions.
At age 29 whilst completing his Ph.D. and happily pursuing life as an atheist, God immediately answered a question Kim asked about his newborn son, and Kim immediately abandoned atheism. He is now a Street Pastor and on the Church Leadership team at St Peter’s Baptist Church, Worcester. He is happily married with three wonderful adult offspring and a gorgeous, annoying cat.
We will be meeting in our new venue, Worcester Baptist Church, Sansome Walk, Worcester WR1 1LN, in the church hall. There is parking available there, for those who are coming by car. Click here to visit the “How To Find Us” page.
Doors open at 7.30pm for cake and coffee, and the talk will begin at 8pm.
To view or download the flyer, please click here.
ALL WELCOME!