Learning About Life

The growing interest in Artificial Life is part of a broader intellectual movement toward decentralized models and metaphors. But even as decentralized ideas spread through the culture, there is a deep-seated resistance to these ideas. People have strong attachments to centralized ways of thinking: they often assume centralized control where none exists. New types of computational tools and construction kits are needed to help people move beyond this “centralized mindset.” Perhaps most important are new tools and activities for children, to help them develop new ways of looking at the world.