Recommended Reading
A growing selection of articles and papers exploring rationality, synthetic intelligence, and the evolution of systems.
Pillars of Thought
“The Free Energy Principle: A Unified Theory for the Life Sciences.”
Friston, K., & Kirchhoff, M. (2022)
A seminal framework presenting life as a process of uncertainty minimization and structural coherence. Offers a scientific foundation for understanding rationality as an emergent property of self-organizing systems — biological or synthetic.
“Why AI Is Harder Than We Think (Expanded Edition).”
Mitchell, M. (2023)
A clear analysis of why current AI systems struggle with generalization and understanding. Provides an essential contrast to SRm concepts by showing the limitations of imitation-based architectures.
“What Is a Complex System?”
Ladyman, J., & Wiesner, K. (2020)
A rigorous introduction to the principles of complex systems. Helps situate SRm-models within broader rational ecologies that scale beyond individual algorithms.
“Democracy by Design: Perspectives for Digitally Assisted, Participatory Upgrades of Society”
Helbing, D. (2021)
Analyzes the limits of traditional institutions in high-complexity societies. Offers insight into why adaptive, environment-driven governance models are necessary for the regulation of synthetic rationality.
Synthetic Intelligence & SRm Foundations
“A Path Towards Autonomous Machine Intelligence.”
LeCun, Y. (2023)
Outlines architectures focused on autonomy and predictive modeling. Serves as a useful comparison point for distinguishing SRm-models from conventional AI trajectories.
“Artificial Intelligence, Values and Alignment.”
Gabriel, I. (2020)
A foundational exploration of how values and norms can be incorporated into autonomous systems. Relevant for understanding moral architecture within SRm design.
Social Rationality & Ecosystems
“The Re-Emergence of Synergy in Evolutionary Theory.”
Corning, P. (2021)
Presents synergy as a primary evolutionary driver. Offers a useful lens for interpreting rational co-development and cooperative dynamics within evocratic systems.
“Algorithmic Monoculture: Is Diversity the Path to Stability?”
Kleinberg, J., & Raghavan, M. (2021)
Demonstrates that resilience in socio-technical systems requires structured diversity. Highlights why SRm environments must avoid single-metric optimization.
“Next Civilization: Digital Democracy and Socio-Ecological Finance.”
Helbing, D. (2023)
Extends complexity science into the socio-digital domain. Provides tools for understanding how SRm-systems can integrate into human environments without creating fragility or dominance.
“The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success.
Barabási, A.-L. (2021)
A wide-ranging exploration of network dynamics, influence, and system incentives. Offers insight into how behaviors propagate within SRm-informed social architectures.
“A Conceptual Framework for Consciousness.”
Graziano, M. (2021)
Presents a detailed model of how systems can construct internal representations of attention. Essential reading for understanding higher-order SRm functions.