Finding Sense in our World of Chaos

and Restoring the Balance

Image: Joshua Earle - unsplash

References by Chapter

1. Blowing out the Light

  1. MacIntyre, A. (2007) After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, Third Edition. University of Notre Dame Press.
  2. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (2000) Joint Vision 2020: America’s Military - Preparing for Tomorrow. Strategy Division, Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy
  3. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004) The 9/11 Commission Report. 
  4. Kagan, D., Schmitt, G. and Donnelly, T. (2000) Rebuilding America’s Defenses, Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century. The Project for the New American Century.

2. Morality in Crisis

  1. Smith, A. (2010) The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Penguin Classics.
  2. Karenga, M. (2012) Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics. Routledge.
  3. Ferguson, R.B. (2013) ‘The Prehistory of War and Peace in Europe and the Near East’, in D.P. Fry (ed.) War, Peace, and Human Nature: The Convergence of Evolutionary and Cultural Views. Oxford University Press.
  4. Fry, D.P. and Söderberg, P. (2013) ‘Lethal aggression in mobile forager bands and implications for the origins of war’, Science
  5. Boehm, C. (1999) Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior. Harvard University Press.
  6. Wilson, D.S. and Wilson, E.O. (2007) ‘Rethinking the Theoretical Foundation of Sociobiology’, The Quarterly Review of Biology

3. Foundations for Trust

  1. Du, A. et al. (2018) ‘Pattern and process in hominin brain size evolution are scale-dependent’, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
  2. Hrdy, S.B. (2011) Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding. Harvard University Press.
  3. Crespi, B.J. (2016) ‘Oxytocin, testosterone, and human social cognition’, Biological Reviews.
  4. Dunbar, R.I.M. (2012) ‘Bridging the bonding gap: the transition from primates to humans’, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
  5. Tarr, B., Launay, J. and Dunbar, R. (2014) ‘Music and social bonding: “Self-other” merging and neurohormonal mechanisms’, Frontiers in psychology.
  6. Tomasello, M. (2006) ‘Why Don’t Apes Point?’, Roots of Human Sociality. Routledge. https://pages.ucsd.edu/~rnunez/COGS155_Readings/Tomasello_06.pdf

4. Basics of Balance

  1. Wynne-Edwards, V.C. (1962) Animal Dispersion in Relation to Social Behaviour. Oliver & Boyd. ps 8/9
  2. Sahlins, M. (1974) Stone Age Economics. Tavistock Publications,
  3. Dobrizhoffer, M. (1882) An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People. Vol. II,. John Murray/Project Gutenberg.
  4. Skene, K.R. (2020) ‘In pursuit of the framework behind the biosphere: S-curves, self-assembly and the genetic entropy paradox’, Biosystems, 190
  5. Rockwood, L.L. (2006) Introduction to Population Ecology. Blackwell Publishing.
  6. Dewar, R.C. and Maritan, A. (2014) ‘A Theoretical Basis for Maximum Entropy Production’, in R.C. Dewar et al. (eds) Beyond the Second Law: Entropy Production and Non-equilibrium Systems. Springer.
  7. Skene, K.R. (2022) ‘How can economics contribute to environmental and social sustainability? The significance of systems theory and the embedded economy’, Frontiers in Sustainability

5. Complexity’s Moral Rules

  1. Cilliers, P. (1998) Complexity and Postmodernism: Understanding Complex Systems. Routledge.
  2. Pegram, T. and Kreienkamp, J. (2019) Governing Complexity: Design Principles for Improving the Governance of Global Catastrophic Risks. The Global Challenges Foundation.
  3. Cilliers, P. (2000) ‘Rules and Complex Systems’, Emergence, A Journal of Complexity Issues in Organizations and Management
  4. Gunderson, L.H. and Holling, C.S. (2002) Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems. Island Press.
  5. An easy reading summary is provided by Walker, B. and Salt, D. (2006) Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Island Press.
  6. Allen, C. and Holling, C.S. (2008) Discontinuities in Ecosystems and Other Complex Systems. Columbia University Press.
  7. Mitchell, E.G. and Pates, S. (2025) ‘From organisms to biodiversity: the ecology of the Ediacaran/Cambrian transition’, Paleobiology,

6. Earth History

  1. Damasio, A. (2018) The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling and the Making of Cultures. Pantheon Books.
  2. Luo, G. et al. (2022) ‘Mechanisms and climatic-ecological effects of the Great Oxidation Event in the early Proterozoic’, Science China Earth Sciences.
  3. Ossa Ossa, F. et al. (2022) ‘Moderate levels of oxygenation during the late stage of Earth’s Great Oxidation Event’, Earth and Planetary Science Letters,
  4. Butterfield, N.J. (2007) ‘Macroevolution and Macroecology Through Deep Time’, Palaeontology.
  5. Hoffman, P.F. et al. (2017) ‘Snowball Earth climate dynamics and Cryogenian geology-geobiology’, Science Advances,
  6. Brocks, J.J. et al. (2017) ‘The rise of algae in Cryogenian oceans and the emergence of animals’, Nature,
  7. Cunningham, J.A. et al. (2017) ‘The origin of animals: Can molecular clocks and the fossil record be reconciled?’ BioEssays,
  8. Zhang, F. et al. (2018) ‘Extensive marine anoxia during the terminal Ediacaran Period’, Science Advances,
  9. Bian, L. et al. (2023) ‘A 20-million-year reconstruction to decipher the enigmatic Cambrian extinction – Ordovician biodiversification transition’, Earth and Planetary Science Letters,
  10. Algeo, T.J. and Shen, J. (2024) ‘Theory and classification of mass extinction causation’, National Science Review,
  11. Crockford, P.W. et al. (2023) ‘The geologic history of primary productivity’, Current Biology,
  12. Pinker, S. (2018) Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, Allen Lane, pps 19, 233 etc.

7. Why Things Go Wrong

  1. Mahadevan, N., Gregg, A.P. and Sedikides, C. (2023) ‘How does social status relate to self-esteem and emotion? An integrative test of hierometer theory and social rank theory’, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,
  2. Boehm, C. (1999) Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior. Harvard University Press.
  3. UNHRC (2018) Report of the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar.
  4. New Lines Institute (2024) ‘Genocide in Tigray: Serious breaches of international law in the Tigray conflict, Ethiopia, and paths to accountability’.
  5. Tavris, C. and Aronson, E. (2008) Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions and Hurtful Acts. Pinter & Martin Limited.

8. Delusion’s Evolutionary Role

  1. van Anders, S.M., Goldey, K.L. and Kuo, P.X. (2011) ‘The Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds: Integrating testosterone and peptide responses for classifying social behavioral contexts’, Psychoneuroendocrinology,
  2. Crespi, B.J. (2016) ‘Oxytocin, testosterone, and human social cognition’, Biological Reviews,
  3. Eisenegger, C., Haushofer, J. and Fehr, E. (2011) ‘The role of testosterone in social interaction’, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
  4. Fuxjager, M.J., Oyegbile, T.O. and Marler, C.A. (2011) ‘Independent and additive contributions of postvictory testosterone and social experience to the development of the winner effect’, Endocrinology
  5. Rieger, N.S. et al. (2018) ‘Behavioral and neuroendocrine plasticity in the form of winner and loser effects’, in Routledge International Handbook of Social Neuroendocrinology.
  6. Robertson, I. (2012) The Winner Effect: How Power Affects Your Brain. Bloomsbury Publishing.
  7. Panasiuk, M., Hertz, A. and Gale-Grant, O. (2019) ‘Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine Receptor 1 Expressing Neurons Are Instrumental in Appetitive Aggression’, The Journal of Neuroscience
  8. Jędras, P., Jones, A. and Field, M. (2013) ‘The role of anticipation in drug addiction and reward’, Neuroscience and Neuroeconomics,
  9. Liening, S.H. and Josephs, R.A. (2010) ‘It Is Not Just About Testosterone: Physiological Mediators and Moderators of Testosterone’s Behavioral Effects’, Social and Personality Psychology Compass
  10. Carré, J.M. et al. (2017) ‘Exogenous Testosterone Rapidly Increases Aggressive Behavior in Dominant and Impulsive Men’, Biological Psychiatry,
  11. See K.E. et al. (2011) ‘The detrimental effects of power on confidence, advice taking, and accuracy’, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,
  12. Owen, D. and Davidson, J. (2009) ‘Hubris syndrome: an acquired personality disorder? A study of US Presidents and UK Prime Ministers over the last 100 years’, Brain: A Journal of Neurology,
  13. Coates, J.M. and Herbert, J. (2008) ‘Endogenous steroids and financial risk taking on a London trading floor’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
  14. Lammers, J., Stapel, D.A. and Galinsky, A.D. (2010) ‘Power increases hypocrisy: moralizing in reasoning, immorality in behavior’, Psychological Science
  15. Brannon, S.M. et al. (2019) ‘Exogenous testosterone increases sensitivity to moral norms in moral dilemma judgements’, Nature Human Behaviour, Schurr, A
  16. Schurr, A. and Ritov I. (2016) ‘Winning a competition predicts dishonest behavior’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  17. Geniole, S.N. et al. (2017) ‘Effects of competition outcome on testosterone concentrations in humans: An updated meta-analysis’, Hormones and Behavior,
  18. Nitschke, J.P. and Bartz, J.A. (2020) ‘Lower digit ratio and higher endogenous testosterone are associated with lower empathic accuracy’, Hormones and Behavior
  19. Carney, D.R. and Mason, M.F. (2010) ‘Decision making and testosterone: When the ends justify the means’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
  20. Tourish, D. (2018) ‘Dysfunctional Leadership in Corporations’, in P. Garrard (ed.) The Leadership Hubris Epidemic: Biological Roots and Strategies for Prevention.
  21. Ou, J. et al. (2021) ‘Testosterone reduces generosity through cortical and subcortical mechanisms’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  22. Wu, Yin et al. (2019) ‘Testosterone administration increases social discounting in healthy males’, Psychoneuroendocrinology.
  23. Edelstein, R.S., Chopik, W.J. and Kean, E.L. (2011) ‘Sociosexuality moderates the association between testosterone and relationship status in men and women’, Hormones and Behavior,
  24. Luberti, F.R. et al. (2024) ‘Testosterone rapidly increases men’s emotion-based dehumanization of a conservatively dressed woman’, Psychoneuroendocrinology,
  25. Ian Kershaw, “Hitler 1936 - 1945”, 2000, Penguin Books
  26. Baron, R. (2005) ‘So Right It’s Wrong: Groupthink and the Ubiquitous Nature of Polarized Group Decision Making’, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology.
  27. The concepts of competitive insecurity and over-anticipation arise from my own experience of working with adolescent boys.
  28. Tavris, C. and Aronson, E. (2008) Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions and Hurtful Acts. Pinter & Martin Limited.
  29. Xiao, F., Zhou, H. and Lin, H. (2025) ‘Decoding small peptides: Regulators of plant growth and stress resilience’, Journal of Integrative Plant Biology.
  30. Manghwar, H. et al. (2022) ‘Brassinosteroids (BRs) Role in Plant Development and Coping with Different Stresses’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
  31. Yañez-Guerra, L.A., Thiel, D. and Jékely, G. (2022) ‘Premetazoan Origin of Neuropeptide Signaling’, Molecular Biology and Evolution
  32. Laudet, V. and Markov, G.V. (2018) ‘Evolution of Hormonal Mechanisms’, in Encyclopedia of Endocrine Diseases.
  33. Al-Salami, I. et al. (2024) ‘The Secret Life of Microbes: The Expanding Role of Microbes in Shaping Endocrine Health’, GenoMed Connect.

9. Paranoia’s Progression

  1. Sabe, M., Zhao, N. and Kaiser, S. (2021) ‘A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of cocaine-induced psychosis in cocaine users’, Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
  2. Pope Jr, H.G. et al. (2021) ‘Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids, Violence, and Crime: Two Cases and Literature Review’, The American Journal on Addictions
  3. Hussain, B. et al. (2025) ‘Misuses of anabolic androgenic steroid and its associated psychological distress in Pakistani bodybuilders’, Rawal Medical Journal
  4. Chomsky, N. (2005) Imperial Ambitions: Conversations with Noam Chomsky on the Post 9/11 World. Hamish Hamilton.
  5. DeGroot, G.J. (2004) The Bomb: A Life. Jonathon Cape.
  6. Leona Marshall Libby, quoted in DeGroot, G.J. (2004) The Bomb: A Life. Jonathon Cape.
  7. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (1947) The Evaluation of the Atomic Bomb as a Military Weapon. Harry S. Truman library
  8. Butler, L. (1998) ‘The Risks of Nuclear Deterrence: From Superpowers to Rogue Leaders’, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, 2 February.
  9. Meyers, K.E. (1999) Miller Tells of ‘Crucible’ Origins, The Harvard Crimson.
  10. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (2000) Joint Vision 2020: America’s Military - Preparing for Tomorrow. Strategy Division, Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy
  11. Adam Curtis, The Trap Part 1. F**k You Buddy (2007).
  12. Greenway, H.D.S. (1992), ‘Islamic Fundamentalism May Become New, Principal Threat to the Western World’. Pittsburg Post-Gazette, 1st May.
  13. Huntington, S.P. (1997) The Clash Of Civilizations: And The Remaking Of World Order. Simon & Schuster
  14. Schmidt, E. (2023) ‘US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence’. Routledge.
  15. 2024 Report to Congress: Executive Summary and Recommendations. (2024). U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
  16. 2025 Annual Report to Congress - Executive Summary (2025). U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
  17. President Donald J. Trump (2025) Launching the Genesis Mission, The White House.

10. The AI Alignment Fallacy

  1. Luscombe, R. (2026) ‘Anthropic researchers say AI could cause human extinction by 2030’, The Guardian, 10 September.
  2. Pandey, N. (2026) Could AI Kill All Humans Within 10 Years? ‘Godfather Of AI’ Says 10% Risk Isn’t Unreasonable, NDTV.
  3. Booth, R. (2026) ‘“We’re plausibly close to crossing the line”: are warnings of uncontrollable AI coming true?’, The Guardian, 5 September.
  4. AI Safety Index (July 2026) Future of Life Institute.
  5. Hendrycks, D. (2025) Introduction to AI Safety, Ethics, and Society. Taylor & Francis.
  6. Pegram, T. and Kreienkamp, J. (2019) Governing Complexity: Design Principles for Improving the Governance of Global Catastrophic Risks. The Global Challenges Foundation
  7. Mitleton-Kelly, E. (2003) ‘Ten Principles of Complexity & Enabling Infrastructures’, in 'Complex Systems and Evolutionary Perspectives on Organisations: the Application of Complexity Theory to Organisations', Elsevier
  8. Skene, K.R. (2024) ‘Systems theory, thermodynamics and life: Integrated thinking across ecology, organization and biological evolution.’, Biosystems
  9. Cilliers, P. (2000) ‘Rules and Complex Systems’, Emergence, A Journal of Complexity Issues in Organizations and Management
  10. See, for instance, Esmaeilzadeh, H. and Vaezi, R. (2022) ‘Conscious Empathic AI in Service’, Journal of Service Research
  11. Aubrey, K. (2025) ‘What’s the Difference Between Deep Learning Training and Inference?’, nvidia.
  12. Mills, T. (2026) ‘The AI Energy Crisis: Powering the Next Generation’, Harvard Science Review, 3 August.
  13. Stamford, C. (2026) ‘Gartner Says Data Center Electricity Consumption to Grow 26% in 2026’, Gartner.