Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Bio
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.
Stories (121)
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Fumfer Physics 17: When Space, Matter, Information, and Time Must Scale Together
Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner flip their ongoing exploration of an information-based cosmos to ask what IC forbids. Rosner argues that in IC the scale of space, number of objects, total information, and cosmic age must co-scale, ruling out “fuzzy” universes where matter dwarfs information capacity. IC, like mainstream physics, demands self-consistency: macroscopic objects persist independent of viewpoint.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Interview
Fumfer Physics 16: Gravitational Lensing as Information, What Warped Photons Reveal
Gravitational lensing can be read as an informational process: gravity reshapes photon trajectories, encoding maps of mass and curvature into observable distortions, magnifications, and time delays. On galactic and cluster scales, lenses reveal dark matter distributions; on cosmic scales, cumulative lensing and expansion geometry alter apparent sizes and brightnesses across look-back time. Compact objects—black holes, neutron stars, brown dwarfs—add microlensing noise that, in aggregate, conveys counts of nonluminous matter, though single remnants rarely dominate. Observing a younger, smaller universe at greater distances that still spans our sky reflects both curvature and expansion history. In short, warped light is measured information.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Education
Fumfer Physics 15: Gravitational Lensing Discoveries and the Limits of the Big Bang Model
In this interview, Scott Douglas Jacobsen speaks with Rick Rosner about the recent surge in gravitational lensing discoveries and their implications for cosmology. Rosner explains how modern instruments are producing vast amounts of data, sometimes straining existing theoretical frameworks. He outlines the history of the Big Bang model, from Hubble’s redshift law to the cosmic microwave background, and its ongoing refinement through inflation and the ΛCDM model. Reflecting on confirmation bias, Rosner considers how his own information-centric perspective shapes his interpretations. The discussion underscores both the resilience of the Big Bang framework and the open questions driving contemporary astrophysics.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Education
Fumfer Physics 14: Dynamic Mathematical Organisms
In this dialogue, Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner explore the nature of organisms as products of evolution and information-processing systems. Jacobsen frames organisms as dynamic mathematical objects shaped by natural laws and mathematics, raising questions about higher purposes. Rosner highlights that many microorganisms, even without brains, display behaviours through tropisms and adaptive responses. Organisms survive by building internal models of their environment, predicting outcomes, and adjusting behaviour. They process sensory input through contextual frameworks that give information meaning. Rosner emphasizes evolutionary traits, the seven biological life processes, and the negentropic quality of life that maintains order in the face of entropy.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Education
Riane Eisler on Fibonacci Numbers, AI, and the Search for Truth
Riane Tennenhaus Eisler (born July 22, 1931, Vienna) is an Austrian-born American social systems scientist, cultural historian, futurist, attorney, and author. As a child she fled Nazi-occupied Austria with her parents in 1939, lived seven years in Havana’s industrial slums, and later emigrated to the United States; she went on to earn a B.A. (magna cum laude) and J.D. from UCLA. Eisler is best known for The Chalice and the Blade (1987), which introduced her “domination vs. partnership” framework for analyzing social systems. Her latest book is Nurturing Our Humanity with anthropologist Douglas Fry, Oxford University Press, 2019.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Education
Fumfer Physics 13: Information, Entropy, and the Universe’s Memory
Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner explore the elusive meaning of information in the universe. Jacobsen frames physical impacts, like smashing a rock, as information exchanges, then asks how fluids, solids, and plasmas differ in recording such exchanges. Rosner notes humans treat information as news or signals, but cosmically, “it from bit” theorists see every quantum event as informational. Yet many events, like collisions or solar reactions, leave no lasting record. He compares this to consciousness, where micro-events are integrated into larger patterns. The dialogue highlights entropy, durability of records, and whether the universe meaningfully “remembers” its countless micro-events.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Education
Is This the Rights' Fight? Wrong Turn on Right 3: Utah Murder Trial, Extremism, and Political Scapegoating. Content Warning.
Irina Tsukerman is a human rights and national security attorney based in New York and Connecticut. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in National and Intercultural Studies and Middle East Studies from Fordham University in 2006, followed by a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 2009. She operates a boutique national security law practice. She serves as President of Scarab Rising, Inc., a media and security strategic advisory firm. Additionally, she is the Editor-in-Chief of The Washington Outsider, which focuses on foreign policy, geopolitics, security, and human rights. She is actively involved in several professional organizations, including the American Bar Association’s Energy, Environment, and Science and Technology Sections, where she serves as Program Vice Chair in the Oil and Gas Committee. She is also a member of the New York City Bar Association. She serves on the Middle East and North Africa Affairs Committee and affiliates with the Foreign and Comparative Law Committee.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Criminal
Fumfer Physics 12: Do We Face Infinite Whys and Finite Hows?
Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner debate whether the limits of knowledge lie within philosophy, physics, or both. Rosner explains that what was once metaphysics has largely been replaced by theoretical and experimental science, leaving philosophy more concerned with humanity’s relationship to existence. While physics seeks the "how" of reality, philosophy pursues the "why," which may be infinite. They discuss the logical foundations of existence, the role of contradictions, and how quantum mechanics blurs certainty at micro scales but stabilizes at macro scales. Even with a “final theory,” Rosner argues, our assumptions can always be questioned.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Education
African Humanists: Funding Travel and Navigating Visa Barriers
Tauya Chinama is a Zimbabwean freethinker, educator, and advocate for human rights and cultural preserver. Trained in philosophy and theology, he transitioned from religious study to humanism, emphasizing intellectual honesty, dialogue, and heritage-based education. As a teacher of heritage studies, he works to integrate indigenous knowledge and languages into learning systems, arguing that language carries culture, history, and identity. Chinama is active in Zimbabwe’s humanist movement, contributing to interfaith dialogues, academic research, and public discourse on secularism, ethics, and education reform. He champions the preservation of Shona, Ndebele and other local languages while critiquing systemic barriers that weaken local language education.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Interview
Fumfer Physics 11: Is Information in the Universe Preserved or Lost Over Time?
Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner discuss whether information is ultimately preserved or lost in both human minds and the universe. Jacobsen suggests that minds accumulate information until cognitive decline, while Rosner emphasizes that contradictions do not erase prior knowledge but reframe it within context. Extending the analogy, Rosner argues that the universe may form “thoughts” over billions of years, similar to how the brain integrates sensory and memory inputs. However, because each universal “thought” takes about 15 billion years, humans cannot perceive its arc of knowledge or decay within our limited lifespans.
By Scott Douglas Jacobsen4 months ago in Education
