My name is Oliver Braganza. I’m a Bonn (Germany) based neuroscientist at the IEECR. My neuroscientific research focus is in pattern separation theory, which I investigate via both experimentation and modeling (see e.g. here or here).
When I first started exploring the question of proxy-measures, out of personal interest, I assumed there must be a theory of this phenomenon. As I searched evening by evening, I found literature in AI-safety and complex systems research, psychology, economics, science studies, sociology, cultural anthropology, and many other fields. It all seemed highly relevant, but didn’t really relate to each other. I started talking to all my friends, family and colleagues about it (thank you for listening) and contacting the authors of the papers I most enjoyed. One of them pointed me to the VW-Foundation fundin ‘Originalitätsverdacht’, which is targeted at precisely the kind of exploratory theory-building research I was trying to find more time for. The VW grant allowed me to go into this project full-time, kick-starting a parallel research trajectory.
What you read here, and in the related papers, is the result of this open exploration. Indeed, I still consistently fail to place the theory within any individual discipline. After presenting the theory at conferences and research groups, ranging from economics to complex systems science and ethics, it has been identified as game theory, organizational psychology, applied information and control theory or sociology.
This website exists for two reasons:
1. A website is ideal to compile all the the different disciplinary aspects and perspectives, allowing every reader to easily jump to the sections they are most interested in. The associated publications are, by necessity, much more narrowly framed.
2. With such an ambitious and extensive project, it is quite obviously essential to foster trans-disciplinary exchange. I am in constant search of potential collaborators within respective disciplines. I depend on your expert opinions.
Finally, I want to single out and thank one person in particular, who has made this exploration possible. Namely Heinz Beck who, beside the VW foundation, is providing me with everything I need on my excursion in the land beyond disciplines.