Insignificant molehill sometimes more important than significant mountain.
—Charlie Chan
The comprehensive study of systems lies in the synthesis of the study of substance or structure (that is, weights and measures, otherwise known as quantities) and the study of form or pattern (patterns are mapped and involve qualities).
Complexity theory, as developed by the Santa Fe Institute, seeks to explain how systems might begin from a random or chaotic state and yet produce complex order. It's used as the basis for studying the behavior of animals, organizations, and the human immune system among other things. The diagram below shows how complexity theory works in terms of human knowledge.
We can understand the basic situations in which we operate in terms of our degree of certainty. How far from being certain are we when we do something? How far from agreement with others are we when we act?
What is the Butterfly Effect?
The so-called "butterfly effect" comes into play in the new understanding of the universe. It refers to the meteorologic metaphor of seemingly insignificant acts having far-reaching consequences, what one person referred to as "revenge effects." In the intelligence community this is known as blowback.
In a linear system, for every action a person makes there is a response that the person can predict or state with certainty. Gregory Bateson liked to use the example of kicking objects to illustrate this concept. He said that kicking a stone gives energy to the stone, and it moves with that energy. Past and future are interchangeable in this system and there is little or no likelihood of a different outcome.
That's very much like Newtonian mechanics — or what's left of the old tradition.
But when Mr. Bateson kicks a dog, he cannot predict with certainty what the dog's reaction will be. If he knows the dog well enough he can assume that there will be a certain range of responses, but he cannot state with certainty which response will occur.
This unpredictable behavior is the essence of a nonlinear system, of quantum mechanics and chaos theory — the scientific concepts that overthrew Cartesian reductionism and opened up that very old can of worms.
Holistic, schmolistic
God is everything that exists, plus some more that doesn't exist. Everything you encounter is to encounter God. —Rabbi Rami Shapiro
Living beings come out of rocks and go back into rocks. —Stephen Harding
[The natural] laws are not forces external to things, but represent the harmony of movement immanent in them. —from the Yijing
In Kabbalistic lore, it is acknowledged that creation is the Divine Essence linked in a chain of being across the breadth of the universe. This chain is the spark of life as well as the physical universe.
This is to some the Jewish version of the Dao, for both systems are mystical approximations of quantum physics.
They offer a satisfying circular movement that humans readily accept and contemplate — the myth of eternal return, the enduring traditions of seasonal regularity, the Ouroboros.
In circular movement we seem to have brought eternity into the confines of our limited comprehension. It is both eternal and confined, hence offers a glimpse of an eternal truth which the Newtonian tradition has neglected. We can't even define "reality" without getting into circularity but there is no obstacle to using such a concept as a heuristic principle justified entirely by its usefulness. —J.M. Jauch
This most ancient of concepts found its way from our distant past into our present and future. It provides a framework for systems theory in ancient Chinese science and modern Western science.
All systems — objects or phenomena — have structural qualities that interact with each other. This interaction produces a constant state of internal motion, which is predictable. All systems in the universe have the same structural qualities and follow the same pattern of motion. Hence, it is possible to use the obvious qualities of one system to describe the less obvious or hidden qualities of another. — Professor Liu Yanchi
The new interplay of sciencies, philosophies and cultures is an exciting frontier. Just as the new science offers a Daoist view of the universe and Eastern philosophies echo modern physics, it's now possible for Western doctors to employ traditional Chinese medicine in their practices.
Cybernetics and system theory are studied by traditional Chinese doctors. Western architects and construction companies dabble in Feng Shui philosphies and practices. Complexity theory and other new sciences are embraced by traditional Feng Shui practitioners.
The jewel that we find, we stop and take it
Because we see it; but what we do not see
We tread upon. — Measure for Measure II, 1
Gregory Bateson defined the receipt of information as "news of difference," with perception of difference limited by threshold. Whatever differences are too slowly presented or very slight will not be perceivable.
For example, cats track moving objects, not stationary ones; prey that remains still is less likely to be detected than prey in motion.
This concept is useful for understanding elements of Santiago Cognition Theory, especially statements like
the world everyone sees is not the world but a world, which we bring forth with others.
The world is a "social phenomenon," and we will perceive phenomena based largely on our conceptual (sensory intake solely based on physical constitution) and our ultural context (Heisenberg's "nature exposed to our method of questioning").
Francisco Varela says
Mind and world arise together.