[FRIAM] Truth: “Hunh! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing!”

Thu Oct 19 10:18:46 EDT 2017

Thanks.  I'm quite relieved to read this, since I think it to be "true."
 And the term "mail in" is now part of my lexicon.

On Thu, Oct 19, 2017 at 1:15 AM, Prof David West <profwest at fastmail.fm>
wrote:

> Quite the opposite. The system at the root of my definition is optimized
> for 'all improv, all the time'. When that 'improv' ability is diminished by
> fixed, rote, performance, that is when the system fails. When you listen to
> a really good jazz group, or an orchestra learning a new piece (or playing
> it the first X number of times) everyone is doing 'improv' i.e. actively
> listening to each other and their instruments and making deliberative and
> intentional actions towards their own instrument - that is really great.
> But, the thousandth time the same piece is played in the same concert hall,
> much of that active/deliberative/intentional aspect is lost and the
> performers merely act by rote. They could be asleep and rely on muscle
> memory to produce the sounds, which, by the way, start to sound exactly
> like the notes on the sheet of paper, technically correct but without soul.
>
> Actors use the term, 'mail it in' to describe performances that are done
> without thought. Tom Cruise is an actor oft accused of mailing it in
> because everything he does, regardless of film or character, is the same -
> it is Tom Cruise, not the character he is supposed to be portraying.
>
> davew
>
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 18, 2017, at 02:09 PM, Merle Lefkoff wrote:
>
> Are you suggesting that if individuals begin to--shall we say--"improvise"
> that it disturbs the potential emergence of an harmonic system?  I'm not
> sure I understand what you mean by "mail in their part of the overall
> performance."
>
> On Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 12:58 PM, Prof David West <profwest at fastmail.fm>
> wrote:
>
> Steve,
>
> My definition refers to a single system - a single system and is not
> intended to suggest anything about interacting systems, nor anything
> external to itself. I do assume that this system is contained within a
> complex system which is the source of the input signals detected by the
> sensors. I similarly assume that the effectors may transmit signals to
> the containing system but want to leave that aside for the moment.
>
> I could metaphorically equate my system to a neural network brain within
> the skin of a human being — but again would prefer to simply focus on my
> system in a non-anthropomorphized manner; just to keep things simple and
> to avoid the potential for diversions into side conversations.
>
> I am also using neural networks - without naming things as such - again,
> to avoid distractions, this makes explanations clumsier, but it serves
> my purpose for the moment.
>
> The connecting web can route any input to any output, using a near
> infinite number of pathways. More importantly it can route any
> combination of inputs to any combination of outputs along any of the
> near INFINITE (I yell only to point out the combinatorial explosion of
> pathways) number of routes (circuits).
>
> Now imagine that this system is an organism and that the connection of
> some [input | set of inputs | pattern of inputs] to [an| set of |
> pattern of] outputs increases its survival potential. Further imagine
> that this system is highly dynamic and acutely optimized to assure than
> and and all input/s are conveyed to the most useful output/s (with
> useful being simply the increase or maintenance of survival potential.
> The web of input-output connects can be 'rewired' in "real time," i.e.
> in whatever unit of time exists between receipt of the next inputs.
>
> Now imagine that a/some sensors seem to receive the same input over and
> over again and, due to "fatigue" they either shut down and fail to relay
> the input to the web, or they lock into constantly sending the same
> input value to the web without regard to whatever was actually sensed.
> System fault.
>
> Similarly, a particular pathway (set of pathways) are utilized more
> often when receiving a particular pattern of inputs and those pathways
> channelize, essentially become fixed. System fault because the ability
> of the system to adapt is impaired. This would be particularly evident
> if the pattern of inputs begins to subtly change, but change enough that
> the pattern of outputs should be modified and they are not.
>
> Whenever these faults occur, the system as a whole starts behaving as if
> A (set of inputs) IS B (set of outputs). That simply use of the verb 'to
> be' is my definition of "truth," and it is purely local  because it is a
> condition/state of the individual system.
>
> Very quickly - imagine several such systems interacting. Your marching
> band for example. For each member of the band as a single organism (of
> the type discussed above) all the other members of the band are simply
> part of a containing complex system. When each of the individual systems
> are using their innate ability to route the 'right' inputs to the
> 'right' outputs the outcome can be cacophony that morphs into an
> exquisite performance. But when individual systems start to fail -
> establish truthiness - start to "mail in" their part of the overall
> performance, the band as a whole and your enjoyment of their performance
> is bound to suffer.
>
> davew
>
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 17, 2017, at 04:58 PM, Steven A Smith wrote:
> > Dave sez:
> > > It is certainly possible for one sensor-web-effector state machine to
> > > "infect" another, i.e. stimulate a second machine to replicate the
> > > behavior. If that happens we have 'convergence' which is nothing more
> > > than collective 'fault'/ 'defectiveness'.
> > >
> > It sounds as if you believe that resonance, mode locking, phase locking,
> > tidal locking, etc.  are somehow defective ways for systems to
> > interact.   I can agree that they are modestly less interesting than
> > more chaotic systems.   While *I* might find a marching (esp. if they
> > are goose-stepping) army aberrant (and abhorrent), I might find a
> > *marching band* or *synchronized swimmers* or a dance-troupe following a
> > choreography (e.g. Cirque de Soliel perfomance) somehow beautiful.  And
> > I would suggest these are examples of what you are judging as
> > "defective"?   I suppose that since only a *subsystem* of the units
> > (dancers/musicians/soldiers) are mode/phase-locked for the duration of
> > the march/performance, that this is only a partial example and therefore
> > only *partially* defective/faulty?
> >
> > I believe it is in the liminal space which fills the near-locality of a
> > shared "dialect" where the interesting stuff happens, not unlike in
> > dynamical systems' "edge of chaos".   I agree with the technical
> > expression that any "statement of Truth" is a defect, but that does not
> > mean that it doesn't gesture in the direction of, or roughly
> > circumscribe, or provide a proxy for a more transcendent "truth".    One
> > *might* argue that each individual has a private, idiosyncratic dialect
> > of "the same language", and that interaction amongst individuals whose
> > dialects are similar enough to intend to agree/discuss/converge/??
> >
> > I would claim that a well formed question suggests a family of "answers"
> > and thereby hints at what we want to believe in as "truth".
> >
> > This paper may (or may not) offer some perspective on the evolution of a
> > language/dialect and teh convergence/coherence issue.
> >
> > https://www.researchgate.net/project/Coherence-Convergence-a
> nd-Change-A-Sociolinguistic-Variationist-Approach-to-Dialect
> -and-Standard-Language-Use-in-Swabia
> >
> > - Steve
> >
> > ============================================================
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>
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
>
>
>
>
> --
> Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
> President, Center for Emergent Diplomacy
> emergentdiplomacy.org
> Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
> Visiting Professor in Integrative Peacebuilding
> Saint Paul University
> Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
>
> merlelefkoff at gmail.com <merlelefoff at gmail.com>
> mobile:  (303) 859-5609
> skype:  merle.lelfkoff2
> twitter: @Merle_Lefkoff
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
>
>
>
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
>

-- 
Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
President, Center for Emergent Diplomacy
emergentdiplomacy.org
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Visiting Professor in Integrative Peacebuilding
Saint Paul University
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

merlelefkoff at gmail.com <merlelefoff at gmail.com>
mobile:  (303) 859-5609
skype:  merle.lelfkoff2
twitter: @Merle_Lefkoff
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