The Graph of Life in a Post-Relational World

In this November 2022 post for The New Stack, sponsored by Neo4j, Scott examines the age-old problem of outmoded systems — whether they be technological, sociological, or psychological — that are sustained long past their expiration date.

Image of “The Transformation of Maria” from the Complete Restored Version of the classic 1927 Fritz Lang film “Metropolis,” now in the public domain.

“We build so much dependency upon our systems being just functional enough, that we’re afraid to change them, or even to think about what such changes might entail. Our infrastructure is ‘infra-‘ for a reason: we don’t really want to know about it all that much.”