To continue where I left off in my previous posting: level two seems to entail the source of cycles. Very mystically, the Aeons represent time-periods in which particular facets of consciousness/energy are being developed. We can also expect something like "timers", "pacers", etc., to have their origin here. The notion of recurrence has already been mentioned in respect to hyparxis and autopoiesis. Organisms have to maintain themselves, homeostasis, etc. and they need food/energy from outside sources to do that. Exchange of substances, circulation in a sense is expected to accomplish that feature.

Level three shows the building of form, the organization of form and function, in the Young model there is stage 3, the taking on of a center. In esoteric teaching there is the idea of elementals (micro-elements, life-atoms, whatever you want to call these building blocks of life) taking a form that is organized by some (semi)conscious factor - be it plants, animals or humans. We can take stage 5 and stage 6 as the ensemble of psychophysiological forces, in stage 5 less developed qualities and in stage 6 more or higher developed qualities - something to research a little deeper. Keep in mind that plants are not the stupid creatures one might be inclined to think. No, there is now proof that some plants recognize certain predators and produce chemicals to attract the enemies of such predators. A guy at Wageningen University has researched that stuff, I believe for his PhD. Fascinating.

Stage 4 can be taken as a combination of combinations between "stages" (be it substances, elements, functions). In a simple way one can look at this stage as the infrastructure ("body") of an organism, and look at the psychological/cognitive functions as higher "stages" (or possibilities, spheres, influences, functions, energies) expressing themselves through the body. It all boils down to a very intricate meshwork of hierarchical-heterarchical components forming an ensemble, sometimes designated as holarchy. I suppose that biologists know quite some things about the cell at this point in time (certainly more than about embryology), so this might provide a good starting point for a study of biological process.

Posted by m_euser at 9:18 AM CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Comparing the ideas of Arthur Young with John Bennett can be fruitful. It made me realize that Bennett's hyparxis, a time-like power, actually has a lot to do with level two in the Young model. In modern parlance one could say that agency has to do with level two (and with level one). Will, related to the concept of hyparxis, is active on level two. On a similar note, we can say that the Ancients related Kundalini, the Life-force or shakti, to adaptation of and to the environment. As I have written in an evaluative article about Young (see my ebook), level two has to do with interaction with the environment taken in the widest sense.

The 'axis' Level two-Level one seems to me correlated to the inner flow of consciousness. Also, decision making seems to involve level two (emotions, a.o. in the Young model, stage 6) and level one. Lots to research!

On a sidenote: Bennett associates the property of 'spin' with hyparxis (for photons/elementary particles). Something to keep in mind. Light is the connecting factor between the Macro, level 1, and level two ('soul' level in Young's model). Stage six is important in my own fourfold model as it is the intermediate regulating factor between level 1 and the lower levels.

Interaction and events seem primary to time to me. Time looks like an abstraction. Thinking about this, I realized that a proper designation for level two might be something like 'Duration', rather than time. It also is the level where all kinds of elements are unfolded from the bosom of level one. Stage two in Young's model could be correlated with the Serpent force (Kundalini) about which Subba Rao had some interesting things to say. More about him in another posting.

One more thing: stage six is on the right side of the sevenfold arc as per Young. It seems to have to do with regulation (astrological symbol: planet Mars). Sometimes the ancient symbol of Scorpio (generation) is associated with stage 6 (which can also be taken as transformation in a spiritual sense - when appropriate. There is so much symbology applicable here. Think of the Eagle with the serpent in its claws - the symbol of regulated life-force, ideally spiritual Regeneration.). Stage two has also designated a symbol: Jupiter-Zeus-Chronos (Chronos as Duration rather than time!). How Sagittarius fits in is not entirely clear to me, but it seems to be correlated with the many classes of micro-elements that are generated at this level. In esoterism, the nine prajapatis (with Jupiter making the tenth) seem to be mightily involved with this - the Gnostics have their system of Aeons (Time-Duration again!) which has a whole lot of meanings attached (see Simon Magus in his Gnostic system).

What I am looking for in all this is formost generative force, regulation, interaction, adaptation, selection out of available options, choice, to name a few correlatives to this level. One can expect that biological systems will display some or all of these features. Recurrent life (force) is something that can be correlated with hyparxis too, and it makes sense when we think about autopoietic systems that rebuild themselves constantly.

It pays off to do some study of ancient symbols when researching the fundaments of a true holistic science!

Posted by m_euser at 8:14 AM CET

Updated: Monday, 25 February 2008 3:16 PM CET

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

To get a feel for the importance of substance in the continuity of life and many other issues, you could study books like: "The Possibility of Metaphysics: Substance, Identity, and Time" by E. J. Lowe; Clarendon Press, 1998.

For now, I direct my attention to the process of creation as a whole, but I'll come back to considerations of substance when necessary to my investigations. Keep in mind that I use the old Eastern method of study: first get a global picture, then descend into more detailed descriptions. Ponder about these things and your intuition will develop alongside with your experience in life.

Posted by m_euser at 4:44 PM MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

In my holonic model, value and meaning play a role in the whole of the process of the descent of the micro-element along the arc and the subsequent ascent. The macro-system can perform "judgments" as to what to do (a role for consciousness). The "levels" can in some sense be described as "spheres": on the left there is more emphasis on physical-energetic side (and information), on the right side there is more emphasis on principles of consciousness, although there may be visible expressions, like in (level of ) organization of production and distribution of substance or flow of value (money, esteem, mission statement, moral idea) through a system.

The supervisory role of will, c.q. consciousness, is conform the ideas of Assagioli, and some of that can be found in cognitive models of the mind, like ideas of Baars in his book "In the theater of consciousness". Keep in mind that this pertains to a global function. That is simply necessary to explain the workings of the system, to explain the integrity and autonomy of process. Consciousness as such is whole, transcending earthly time, while attention is partial and in time (transactional, I think).

The idea of substance as eternal and indestructable is very old. It is the necessary ground that makes the value experience possible. It is the only way the qualia problem can be solved! It connects the different levels. On the macro-level it can take the form of a kind of light-substance. Not only ordinary light, but also subtle forms of it exist. This light can carry a pattern (encoded, enfolded), not a strange idea since scientists and technologists have succeeded in artificial encoding of radio and television content as a superimposed signal on broadcast waves. The pattern is unfolded, decoded in later stages, notably levels 3 and 4. But this is all food for research when we research the producer subsystem in conjunction with input system, decoder, converter, etc.

Posted by m_euser at 9:48 PM MEST

Updated: Friday, 7 September 2007 10:40 AM MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

The left side of the arc shows Objectification, the taking of distinct form, while the right side shows De-objectification, i.e. adding of value to the "object". In economic terms, valuing has to do with pricing, or money. In psychological terms, there's a range of values, especially on the social level (value judgments, norms), beliefs, etc. On the more abstract level there's aesthetic judgment and (internalized) moral values.

This passage from objectification to de-objectification is pretty well established in many quarters, including economy (as in adding value and price), esoteric teaching, and also in such theories as Leontiev's activity theory. See links

http://www.comnet.ca/%7Epballan/AT2.htm

http://www.comnet.ca/%7Epballan/AT.htm

http://www.comnet.ca/%7Epballan/Mentevol.htm

http://www.comnet.ca/%7Epballan/functionalism.htm

I did not convert to dialectical materialism, the thing is simply this: every research angle can yield some useful points of view, elements in the big mosaic of life. It's like the seven blind people touching the elephant in the parable. They each report a different structure of the elephant and couldn't understand each other. They fiercely disagreed as to how the elephant looked like. Yet, they all reported correctly about a small part of reality. So, look at the world from different angles and try to integrate different points of view, as far as is possible, logically and philosophically speaking.

Posted by m_euser at 1:58 PM MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

On second thought, this blog will serve as a back-up blog for my blogspot blog. You never know what is going to crash when..

 The new blog is all about integrative science & philosophy. It is a natural philosophy about science in general, including the sciences, psychology, biology. A little excursion into spiritual realm and mythology may be made if necessary for the exposition of my ideas.
The main train of ideas comes from researchers like Jim Miller (Living Systems Theory), John Bennett (systematics), and Arthur Young (Theory of Process) or is related to these inputs. My background is physics, psychology and I have a good knowledge of diverse esoteric teachings.

 I am developing a true holonic model (first of its kind, I believe) of the manifest cosmos, especially as seen on our planet Earth. It entails a reinterpretation of Arthur Young's Theory of Process (TOP). As I do this in my free time, progress may be slow. Yet, it already looks very promising. You can have a look at the priliminary model:

There's a lot to be elucidated about the model, like the overlay/interfacing/interweaving of micro-development within the macrosystem, and a whole host of other things, not in the least the emergence of loops (reflexivity),  but I have to do some research on more examples first to make it a little clearer for you and myself.

If you have constructive comments to make, please do so.

Posted by m_euser at 11:06 PM MEST

Updated: Friday, 24 August 2007 11:14 PM MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

The beauty of the model I sketched is breathtaking. It begins to look very much like Arthur Young's model, but I have to do more research on that. The devil is always in the details..

Basically, my model shows how an entity (a "seed") gains its independance thru the mediation of subsystems of a macro-entity. The seed that becomes a plant..the plant that generates the new seed. The cycle of life!

 As an addition to what I said in my previous postings I have to say that Arthur Young's idea of ionic and covalent bonds begin to make sense now to me. On level two there is attraction and repulsion, as shown in my example of the zygote. It is attracted towards the center of egg-production. Besides that there is the attraction of the parents-to-be on the reincarnating soul.  Even more impressive is stage 3, where we see the covalent bond, the placenta, the sharing between mother and child-to-be, necessary to feed the embryo and fetus.

Note the relation Pattern-Form, like genetic pattern and resulting form, through the mediation of the generative subsystem.

Also note the left side of arc as a development of form and basic function, until separation of "object" (fetus/baby) and "Self"/subject (mother) takes place. The right side of the arc shows cognitive/emotional development (a lot of research still needed). 

 PS: this blog is continued in a new format at:

http://integrativesciencephilosophy.blogspot.com/ 

Posted by m_euser at 10:34 AM MEST

Updated: Saturday, 25 August 2007 10:52 PM MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

In addition to the previous posting: we see on level one (macrolevel) freedom of the system to procreate or not.  On the levels two to four we see subsystems at work, bringing a subsubsystem (a fertilized cell) to the stage of organism. Quite a thing that is happening there!

We can use the work of Jim Miller to correlate subsystems with these levels or (possible combinations of)  "stages" on diverse levels.  The streams of energy and information have been mapped by him as processed by subsystems (ingestor, converter, producer, extruder, decider; input, decoder, network (transmission, transport), encoder, etc., to name a few). 

It struck me that level two shows selection at work. In the previous posting there is a selection  of which of the sperms reaches the ovum and which one(s) penetrate the outer layer of it.  Another example concerns images: we get bombarded by images and some attract sustained attention. Do we pay enough attention to the images from within? At any rate, we evaluate images (unconsciously or consciously) and choose which ones we will develop further (give form, flesh and body).  The decider subsystem of Miller is at work here! See how important these considerations are for our well-being? These systems play a role in the creation spiral (Assagioli, Knoope, and others, to be dealt with): from wish to realization.

 Another thing to have a look at is the possible identification of eternal patterns with level one (which are reflected on level 3 as forms) and hyparxis with level two. Level three shows both of the above factors as there is a combination of forces/principles taking place here. All very tentative, but again with tremendous theoretical and practical importance. Level four as a combining operator must be researched as well.

Lastly, John Bennett  has developed some mathematical notions (four types of pencil, alpha, beta, gamma, delta in his work "Dramatic Universe, volume 1). He has extra "time"- dimensions added to the known four dimensions in physics. It is clear to me that patterns ("pattern-space")  qualifies as in some sense orthogonal to the four dimensions. It is like the ideal that can be realized: it even can have an ontological status as the image that is (on its own level) but not yet has become (in space-time). The hyparchic factor can qualify as a connector of some kind: it looks to me that it connects micro with meso, and macro with mesolevel. Very important, how else can levels communicate signals with each other? Whether it can be seen as a rotating factor that brings certain patterns to bear on physical reality remains to be seen. Such operations in an extended framework of dimensions may prove very insightful. They may, for example, finally solve the riddle of the instant correlation of photons (Alain Aspect experiment!).  The idea is that photons remain connected (but in another dimension! - perhaps their vibrational patterns remain coupled in pattern space (level one, wholeness) - which may be expressed through hyparxis via a lock in phase-relation). Scientists are always looking for invariances, so, here we may find something like invariance of phase-relation or something similar. But, I'm looking ahead a bit.

<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/creation+energies+form+hormones+binding+action" rel="tag">creation, energies, form, hormones, binding, action, energies, values, philosophy</a>

Posted by m_euser at 3:35 AM MEST

Updated: Monday, 13 August 2007 4:34 PM MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

 An important step forward in developing the model is to have a brief look at the generative process. All through antiquity there have been philosophical speculations about the origin of our world and kosmos. See for example:

 http://www.esotericarchives.com/proclus/metaelem.htm

Being, Life and Intellect are principles that occur or are operative at each level or sphere of kosmos. We will have to remember that later on.

For now, I envisage to take level one in my model (the macrolevel) as where the "seed" is latent: the germ-plasm  is present in the parents-to-be. These parents are clearly macro relative to the seed they carry.There is a potential, latent, human being on level one, the person to be born.  However, it is not until the couple actively engages in the procreative act (driven by attraction, level two and three motivating forces, probably modulated by level one cultural/social influences and considerations)  that the  ovum is fertilized or "created". That activity is level two function, a social level, where an exchange of substances take place and messages are communicated.

The fertilized egg or zygote travels to its destiny, in the womb,develops into a blastula (with two poles: embryoblast, an inner cell-layer, and trophoblast (the outer cell-layer)) and has to bind to the intra-uterine wall, a critical stage where rejection, repulsion, can occur, leading to spontaneous abortion. Today, more is known about the mechanism of binding, the development of the trophoblast, the hormones involved, etc., so, we may refine our understanding of this whole process considerably. 

The question here is: "to bind or not to bind"! Talking about evaluation...

In level three and four we see the womb acting as a matrix for the embryo to develop its form and function.

These three stages are remarkably akin to the following, quoted from  

 http://jdt.unl.edu/emanate.htm :

" First, an initial identity of the product with its source, a sort of potential existence; second, an indefinite procession or unfolding of the product from its source, and third, a contemplative visionary reversion of the product upon its source, in which the product becomes aware of its separate existence and thereby takes on its own distinctive form and definition"

The third step looks very much like the instinctive awareness of the fetus, but certainly the birth-process is an often painful event where awareness of separation will be present (although not in a self-conscious form).

Level four in the Arthur Young model shows object-Self relationship and I like to take that level as the fetal stage where awareness of separate existence exists (fetus as "object") and  labor takes place ( birth, the presentation of "the product or object" to the outside world). We will have to look at the substages of level four, e.g. to substages six and seven (mobility and goal completion, birth proper?). 

BTW, level two is Self-object relation and here it is that the creation process occurs. Macro and meso create an object (fertilized ovum).

When the baby grows up to an adolescent it becomes capable of reproduction itself. By then it has developed  higher level (1 and 2)  functions.

Higher stages 5, 6, 7 can be seen as involving instinct/emotion, emotion/cognition and abstract thought/understanding, though we must be careful not to take this as a separation of these principles operating (subdivisions of kama, BTW, mixtures occur with prana, manas, etc.). Developmental literature shows that principles overlap or interpenetrate, sometimes portrayed as partly overlapping Gauss-curves (partly interpenetrating spectra of consciousness may be better!) . I do wonder about the operation of principles in the four elements/levels. It can get very complicated as we may see later in an example/analysis of the creation spiral. Nature mixes and combines! BTW, the left arc (stage 1, 2, 3, and 4) show formation while the right arc (stage 4, higher substages; stage 5, 6, 7) show instinct and development of cognitive-emotional functions (stage 6 and 7 especially for the latter functions).

This all pertains to the appropriate sublevels of the human fractal. We have to discriminate it all more in detail later and pay attention to phase transitions.

<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/creation+energies+form+hormones+binding+action" rel="tag">creation, energies, form, hormones, binding, action, energies, values, philosophy</a>

Posted by m_euser at 5:47 PM MEST

Updated: Monday, 13 August 2007 6:20 PM MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Some additional remarks: 

1. The first level as macro-level has specific characteristics of being a gateway to  other macro-levels. To give an example: archetypes occur as symbols in thought and speech. Language forms a gateway from the individual to the collective, across space and time. Long after someone is dead, his or her words may continue to have an influence on people through written word, audio or videorecordings, etc. 

2.  The process of communication may yield fresh insights as to the usebility of the model. Four aspects of communication must be researched. 

3.  Human brain  has, relative to the body,  a global function. The neocortex is heavily involved in language and symbolic processing. Also, the brain influences organs locally by secreting hormones and neurotransmitters. These can be seen as messengers. 

4.  The second level shows evaluative function. The regulation of emotion through  norm and meta-emotion is subject of research.  Complicated networks of meaning arise through experience, education, etc.
There seems to be some inherent fuzziness associated with this  level (and sublevel two of levels in general). From elementary particles to ever shifting shades of meaning, all very fuzzy. 

5. On the cell level one can see the famous "key-lock" "mechanism"  operating in binding of substances to receptors. One can see this as an evaluative mechanism: a protein fits in the lock or it doesn't. If it does a whole sequence of steps follows (a program).

6. All the above bears testimony to the meta-model  I have sketched thus far. It must all be carefully reseached, of course.  Many more examples must be charted from literature and experience and some general observations and philosophical considerations must be made before we can conclude that the meta-model holds true in general. This model might subdivide in more detailed models subsequently, depending on the field of study.

<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/signal+energies+form+messenger+binding+action" rel="tag">signal, energies, form, messenger, binding, action, energies, values, philosophy</a>

Posted by m_euser at 10:17 PM MEST

Updated: Monday, 6 August 2007 10:28 PM MEST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink