Radical Complexity (John T. Murphy)

@johntmurphy.bsky.social

199 Followers 205 Following

PhD, MA Ed. Former researcher at Argonne National Lab, University of Chicago, and Northern Illinois University. Archaeology, Anthropology, and Computation. Finding complexity in the past to build a better future.

The cover of a book entitled "If the Past Teaches, What Does the Future Learn?" edited by John T. Murphy and Carole L. Crumley. The cover photo is a set of ruins, with partially crumbled stone walls demarcating a number of rooms of a structure, with a dry, mountainous landscape in the background. The logo of the sponsoring organization, IHOPE, is in the foreground.
A ViewMaster Bicentennial set, with red-white-and-blue viewer plus reels and a canister container with a cartoon version of Washington Crossing The Delaware.
A section from a 1993 dissertation in which the author, describing an archaeological site, writes, "It is possible, but not possible, that this is a remnant of an old training track for horses." How it is simultaneously possible and not possible is a genuine extension of quantum mechanics that, presumably, both can and cannot open up new avenues of theory.
A puzzle box depicting the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission, with Earth, the Moon, and the Command Module and Lunar Excursion Module in the background. The puzzle is Milton Bradley, 500+ pieces. The box is worn because it is over 50 years old.
Fall leaves, wet, on a dark background.
An image showing a browser URL bar for PR100.gov, and the response from the server, "Page not found".
A screenshot of the linked web page for Project 2029 (Progressive Grassroots Version), with text: Project 2025 was built over decades; we don't have that much time. Project 2029 PGV is a Progressive vision for the future of our country, one that repairs the damage of the current administration and sets a course for a new American future. The goal of the project is to collaboratively generate a response to 'Project 2025'. Project 2025 took decades; we do not have that time. But we have the means to create a community to 'crowdsource' the document. Ideally this would form a fulcrum for a broader Progressive movement in response to the extreme components of Project 2025 that have been revealed by the administration's actions. We need a new vision; we need new leaders; and we need them on a short time scale. The project consists of: A work-in-progress main document: Project2029-PGV.pdf A github repository for collaboration on the text of the main document A Zotero collection of references cited in the text A Discord community server for discussions about the text and the project
A collection of text from the website linked in the post: "My deep belief is that anthropology and archaeology, by giving us a wider view of what's possible, can help us make our world better, and that it can help us reach a diverse, equitable, inclusive, resilient, and just society. I believe that the path toward this is exciting and full of beauty and wonder; it is an exploration of the full scope of the human journey on earth. Despite being a 'computer guy' - or maybe because of it - I believe technology in general, and computation specifically, will play a role, but it is likely to be minimal; simplicity is a better guide. The real resources on which we need to draw are the lived experiences of individuals, the rich histories of all peoples and nations, and basic goodness and humanity of all of us who share the planet. I'm exploring this by reading, traveling, writing, and thinking. Having learned that archaeology has missed out on many of the past's lessons, there is an exciting research path ahead, and, along with it, a personal journey. I've decided to call what I do, "Radical Complexity." I hope more people will join me on the trip." Also a picture of myself with road-construction-barrel man from a Missouri rest area.
A picture of the campaign merch T-shirt for Kat Abughazaleh, running for Congress in Illinois's ninth district, with the slogan, "What if we didn't suck?"
A photo of part of the cover of the bestest book ever about using urban forms from ancient and prehistoric cities to inform our possible responses to challenges of today and tomorrow. The title of the book is "If the Past Teaches, What Does the Future Learn?" which I, John Murphy, would like to take credit for, but was in fact written by my co-author, Carole Crumley. The subtitle is "Ancient Urban Regions and the Durable Future". The book, which has lots of other authors and contributors, is the result of NSF funding and a production of IHOPE, an organization of researchers focusing on the 'Integrated History (and Future) of People on Earth'. The cover photo is a set of ruins: the remains of stone walls and dirt floors in multiple levels with arid mountains in the distance under a cerulean sky. Because archaeology is cool.
Image from the ProPublica article, with an image of distorted classified ads for tech jobs above text reading: The video caused a flurry of outrage, yet the system has survived to this day, largely unchanged, protected by congressional dysfunction and the interests that are served by the status quo, the tech industry and the immigration law bar. Advocacy groups representing American tech workers have attacked the system repeatedly, challenging the notion that H-1Bs are bringing in the world’s “best and brightest” by pointing out that the program makes no attempt to identify exceptional talent beyond requiring a bachelor’s degree, relying instead on a lottery to award the visas. The real appeal of H-1Bs for employers, worker advocates say, is that they can pay their holders an average of 10% to 20% less, as several studies have found to be the case, which has helped suppress tech wages more broadly.
The title page of an economic paper entitled 'Supply Constraints do not explain house price and quantity growth across US cities', by Loui, Mongdragon, and Wieland, March 2025.
An image from a restaurant website showing a grilled bell pepper stuffed with melted queso surrounded by two quesadillas, chorizo, grilled beef strips, and grilled onions, with the restaurant name, "La Parilla Suiza", indicating that it is authentic Mexico City Food. Cheese is available for additional cost. Calorie count is, mercifully, not shown.
A picture of a zen garden on a sunny, summer morning, shot from a cool, shaded a meditation structure, with the caption "A better world is possible."
An Easter-themed inflatable pink and yellow Tyrannosaurus rex with white and green bunny ears on a suburban lawn preparing to rampage through the neighborhood and wielding a pair of decorated eggs like grenades.
An award issued by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to John Murphy for work supprting modernizing the electric power grid in Puerto Rico.
A picture of a conical mound of earth covered in snow, surrounded by a wood fence, with several leafless trees on top and a background of clouds illuminated from below by the breaking dawn.
View of a portion of the earthworks in Newark, Ohio, on January 1st 2025. A low linear mound extends and intersects with a large circular portion.