David Rousseau

Bio: David Rousseau is an academic researcher from University of Wales, Trinity Saint David. The author has contributed to research in topics: Systems theory & Systems philosophy. The author has an hindex of 14, co-authored 34 publications receiving 389 citations.

General Systems Theory: Its Present and Potential†

Abstract: In the first part of this paper, I present a brief overview of contemporary research addressing key questions about General Systems Theory (GST), such as what it is, what form it might take, whether developing it is a realistic prospect, how close we are to having it and what practical activities could help us develop it further. In the second part, I consider the early general systemists' ambition to leverage GST to build a ‘better world’, and address the question of what could be meant by this, from a systems perspective. I argue that GST should have a key role in working towards such a world. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Systems Philosophy and the Unity of Knowledge

Abstract: The world as we experience it appears to be a kind of unity, and yet different sectors of the academy have apparently incommensurable world views. For example, in the social sciences, the possibility of objective knowledge is disclaimed (constructivism); whereas in the natural sciences, it is insisted upon (e.g. physicalism). In this paper, I argue that Systems Philosophy suggests that there are empirical grounds for considering that there is an intelligibly ordered reality underlying the phenomena of the experienced world and that a unity of knowledge is therefore possible in principle. I discuss possible ways in which work towards such unification can be approached. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Foveated 3D graphics

Abstract: We exploit the falloff of acuity in the visual periphery to accelerate graphics computation by a factor of 5-6 on a desktop HD display (1920x1080). Our method tracks the user's gaze point and renders three image layers around it at progressively higher angular size but lower sampling rate. The three layers are then magnified to display resolution and smoothly composited. We develop a general and efficient antialiasing algorithm easily retrofitted into existing graphics code to minimize "twinkling" artifacts in the lower-resolution layers. A standard psychophysical model for acuity falloff assumes that minimum detectable angular size increases linearly as a function of eccentricity. Given the slope characterizing this falloff, we automatically compute layer sizes and sampling rates. The result looks like a full-resolution image but reduces the number of pixels shaded by a factor of 10-15.We performed a user study to validate these results. It identifies two levels of foveation quality: a more conservative one in which users reported foveated rendering quality as equivalent to or better than non-foveated when directly shown both, and a more aggressive one in which users were unable to correctly label as increasing or decreasing a short quality progression relative to a high-quality foveated reference. Based on this user study, we obtain a slope value for the model of 1.32-1.65 arc minutes per degree of eccentricity. This allows us to predict two future advantages of foveated rendering: (1) bigger savings with larger, sharper displays than exist currently (e.g. 100 times speedup at a field of view of 70° and resolution matching foveal acuity), and (2) a roughly linear (rather than quadratic or worse) increase in rendering cost with increasing display field of view, for planar displays at a constant sharpness.

Patterns of Discovery : An Inquiry into the Conceptual Foundations of Science.

Abstract: There has been surprisingly little systematic analysis of mental or other processes by which discoveries are made or of the role of theory in leading to scientific, and especially medical, discoveries. A great many poets have written about their own inspiration. Lowe's magnificent "Road to Xanadu" comes close to telling us exactly where Coleridge got many of his ideas for the "Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan." Some biographies of scientists include comments on the circumstances under which inspiration occurred and led to important new insights in medicine. But for the most part there is silence and a void. What people forget so regularly is that discovery is not very apt to come from the analysis of vast quantities of more or less mechanically collected data; that ideas and the insights which go to make up theory and lead to discovery have just as real impetus from inspiration as do the