David Obon

David Obon holds an international PhD in complexity theory from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in the field of urban and architectural design. His interdisciplinary research has been published in three books and different media, and has led him to teach and give lectures at different international universities.

After completing his thesis laying out the foundations for a non-reductionist unified theory of architecture based on the sciences of complexity, he continued his research trying to reveal the reasons for the unique developments of our species (especially the evolutionary reasons why we have become a lineage of prodigious builders). In this exploration he discovered a new way of understanding the unpredictable and intricate ways nature has of enhancing the creative capacity of a system and how this enabled the acquisition of new and adaptive capabilities.

With the support of scientists from different disciplines, this hypothesis led to a broader and more exhaustive exploration in which the developments of the different domains of knowledge (biology, neuroscience, anthropology, sociology, economics…) could be framed in a common theoretical framework. This high consilience together with the evidence of the fit with a broad interdisciplinary scientific data have led to the proposal for a new Unified Evolutionary Synthesis that, he believes, has much greater explanatory and predictive capacity than the current Modern Synthesis.

Evolution: The Invention of Creativity

This book provides a new vision on evolution in which cosmic evolution, biological evolution and cultural developments are framed in a unifying explanation.

Genes are to life what neurochemical changes are to love: just one part of the tale and not even the best part. By taking the part for the whole, scientific reductionism has established a harmful paradigmatic blindness that impedes understanding evolution in its real dimension. Contrary to what the gene-centric vision postulates, organisms do not evolve passively through a mere random accumulation of genetic mutations. Nor is it mere chance that breathes life into inanimate matter. A new vision in evolution is emerging, one that offers a better and more compelling explanation: All living beings are search engines for new adaptive properties, and this fundamental, sine qua non condition gives ride to the creative, purposeful and intelligent
character of life.

Inferred from current scientific data, this far-reaching hypothesis clarifies not only the main unsolved questions of current evolutionary theory, such as the rise of complexity, the emergence of purpose and the appearance of intelligent designers from non-intelligent dynamics, but also the reason and natural roots from which human rampant cultural evolution unfolds. The argument is parsimonious and highly consilient. Almost nothing new is invented. The data is simply organized under the light of
the appropriate interpretive key. Following this light, not only the origin of life, but also the singular development of our species and the cultural trajectory of human history can be intertwined in a unified evolutionary framework.
The Architect’s Mind: Evolution, Algorithms and Creativity

A brief (evolutionary) history of how we became prodigious builders.

This book contains one of the most fascinating stories ever told: how and why our species became a lineage of great builders. What distinguishes us from the rest of the architect animals? Are we really special? To find out, we will have to follow the most
significant – and exciting! – episodes of our evolution. But as our steps dust off the path we will discover that, hidden by proper names and cultural movements, there is an evolutionary continuum that guides the development of our architecture. It turns out not; the history of architecture is not a fragmentary succession of characters and events. There is a coherent, although unpredictable, advance marked by singularities: when a new cognitive technology transforms and enhances the performance of our brains, it expands the design space and broadens the horizon of innovation. As a result of the unstoppable creativity that drives our development, we are currently on the threshold of a new singularity: artificial intelligence. Knowing the mind of the architect from a historical and ecological perspective is the only way to decisively face this challenge.
Dinámicas Emergentes. La Arquitectura ante el Paradigma de la Complejidad

To confront an increasingly complex reality, we need to build integrative visions that help us guide and clarify our ways of thinking and acting.

This book is, above all, an invitation. An invitation to discover a new way of seeing and thinking about the world, which in turn brings with it a new way of seeing and thinking about architecture. With the help of the sciences of complexity and Edgar Morin’s complex thinking, David Obon opens the doors to a knowledge that transcends disciplinary barriers. It is a knowledge capable of recognizing the multidimensionality of our discipline; a knowledge that does not simplify, but rather reconnects, articulates and clarifies. A knowledge that speaks to us of order and disorder, but above all, it speaks to us of creation. This knowledge has been germinating in multiple disciplines to construct a new emerging paradigm: the paradigm of complexity.

Independent Scholar; Evolutionary thinker and systems theorist

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Books

Evolution: The Invention of Creativity

The Architect’s Mind: Evolution, Algorithms and Creativity

Dinámicas Emergentes. La Arquitectura ante el Paradigma de la Complejidad

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