Sourdough as Metaphor
Note: Metaphor mentioned by David Witzel for thinking about Growth in Living Systems during the OGM 2025-11-06 call.
The Story
Someone's Stanford application essay about:
- History of sourdough
- Pioneers crossing the country
- Keeping sourdough starter alive
- Women pioneers keeping it next to their breasts for warmth crossing mountains
The Metaphor
Sourdough as living system:
- Must be fed and maintained
- Needs right conditions (warmth, food)
- Grows and reproduces
- Can be shared and propagated
- Dies if neglected
- Each starter unique
Application to Economics?
David pondering:
- The lively nature (sourdough is alive)
- Growth patterns
- Care requirements
- Sharing and propagation
- Resilience and fragility
"That's as far as I've got, and I need to take it to, um... pizza, much more... much smarter AI now to try and evaluate it"
Why This Metaphor?
Different from mechanical growth:
- Not linear accumulation
- Requires ongoing care
- Lives in relationship
- Can be shared without loss
- Quality matters more than quantity
Economic implications:
- Growth requires tending
- Right conditions matter
- Can't just extract
- Living systems need feeding
- Sharing creates more
Related Concepts
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