To Rob, John, Marco, Bard and Clayton
>From Rog
This is my response to Rob on the Q
THE Q:
"What do the patterns of higher quality have that those of destruction,
decay and disorder don't?"
ROB:
I really want to just say Quality here but I'd be doing your question a
disservice. One thing that strikes me is that they survive. Patterns of
destruction are by their nature fleeting in that once they destroy, they
fade away. Patterns that have quality may appear to be destructive at first,
but when they last, one might start admitting that they have survivability
and thus have quality in and of themselves.
Quality emerges from survivability. That can be said to be a tautological
truth :-). If I didn't have enough quality in my genes in order to survive
and say it, It would never have been said.
ROG:
Yes. That which is destroyed or decayed fades away. It becomes disorder.
It loses its quality. Patterns of quality -- that are to remain patterns of
quality -- have to survive. This leads us to the characteristics of
survivability in a pattern. How is it that a pattern can sustain itself? Are
there common qualities that patterns which survive have that patterns which
don't survive lack?
I believe the answer to this question is 'yes'. Higher quality, surviving
patterns tend to be self supporting, that is they tend to share the property
that the pattern becomes a virtuous cycle or feedback loop.
For example:
1) Atoms are self-sustaining interaction cycles between subatomic particles.
The atomic nucleous is formed from a self sustaining process of gluon
exchange between quarks. Once the quarks establish this pattern of exchange,
they bind together permanently. Similarly, the electrons of the atom bind to
the nucleous through a self-sustaining feedback loop of photon exchanges
between nucleous and electron. I've oversimplified and SOMized it, but in
essence, all matter is formed from the pattern of quality interaction that
emerges from subatomic particles locking into a repetitive pattern of
interaction.
2) Living cells are formed of a self supporting community of protiens and
molecules interacting in a complex way for their common welfare. The
protiens support each other to avoid entropy and decay, and this emergent
pattern of support is what we call the living cell.
3) Multicellular plants and animals are similarly formed from self-supporting
communities of billions of cells interacting in complex and specialized ways
for their common welfare. The cells work together as a team to avoid entropy
and decay, and the emergent pattern is what we call a plant or animal.
4) Animals that can communicate can form self-supporting communities that
work together for the common welfare. They can specialize in task and
knowledge, sharing and preserving quality to avoid biological calamity while
increasing power and potential to form what we know as an emergent pattern
called a community, society or culture.
5) And so on...
I believe that what I am refering to as 'self-supportingness' is one quality
that patterns of higher quality have that patterns of destruction decay and
disorder don't. I believe the other quality was hit upon in Marco's post
(that higher quality patterns are dynamic and continuously lead you to new
creative exploration), and that when you put the survivability/self
supportability with the dynamic/creative that you are led to patterns of
greater and greater quality of greater and greater span and depth. In other
words, to John's suggestion.
Higher quality patterns are the antithesis of disorder. They are
self-sustaining patterns of interaction that are both stable and dynamic.
They last by changing, evolving and growing. And in the process, higher and
higher levels of quality of increasing depth, complexity and span are
continuously created.
But I could be wrong. Your thoughts on where I am wrong and what I am
missing would be appreciated
Rog
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