[FRIAM] Truthiness <==> Entrainment
Steven A Smith
sasmyth at swcp.com
Thu Oct 19 13:33:58 EDT 2017
Dave, et alii -
Our language around "Truthiness" lead me to consider the following:
When Christiaan Huygens recognized injection locking between two of his
pendulum clocks, he referred to it as "a Strange Sympathy", perhaps more
strange because they had phase-locked 180 degrees out or "counter
synchronous"? This type of "Strange Sympathy" is suggestive to me of
the "Contrarian" nature of many of the discussions on this list.
A "friend of FriAM" worked on the "Closer to Truth" series when he first
moved to Santa Fe. I think working use of the term "Truth" is apt for
this conversation... that one *can* approach "Truth" but not *reach* it,
and that there is not a singular "Truth"... like "THE Truth" which is
reminiscent (for me) of our language here about "local Truth" and my
preference of "contingent Truth".
With your most recent implied examples of "improv" and "riffing" and
"jamming", I am reminded of our discussion of Metaphor at Jenny's this
summer. My contention is that the value of a metaphor is that it
provides a target to break from. A *perfect* metaphorical mapping
would be a perfect isomorphic analogy between the metaphor's source and
target domain. This alone is relatively unuseful and uninteresting.
WHAT makes a metaphor useful (or at least interesting)? Perhaps it is
the structure provided by the elements that *do* map directly that
allows the elements that don't to provide hints or gestures at "more
Truth"? Of course, the very use of "Truth" in this sense implies that
there is a *singular Truth*, a "Platonic Truth", even if it is not
attainable in the *real* world, a Transcendent Truth if you will?
I am trying to understand if we are "converging on" the idea that
*convergence* or *resonance* or *synchrony* or *phase locking* or *mode
locking* is somehow a "bad thing"? Of course, such an idea is
self-contradictory... "if there is *Truth*, it exists in not trying to
name it"?
I suspect I will be told how I am wrong about this, but your rhetoric on
this topic suggests that in fact, you DO believe in some kind of
meta-Truth which is also /transcendent/ and is "the Quality without a
Name" (Christopher Alexander) or the idea of "Je ne sais Quoi" or "Wabi
Sabi". It seems to have a lot in common with the idea of "the Tao"?
- Steve
On 10/19/17 8:18 AM, Merle Lefkoff wrote:
> 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
> <mailto: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 <mailto: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-and-Change-A-Sociolinguistic-Variationist-Approach-to-Dialect-and-Standard-Language-Use-in-Swabia
>> <https://www.researchgate.net/project/Coherence-Convergence-and-Change-A-Sociolinguistic-Variationist-Approach-to-Dialect-and-Standard-Language-Use-in-Swabia>
>> >
>> > - Steve
>> >
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
>> President, Center for Emergent Diplomacy
>> emergentdiplomacy.org <http://emergentdiplomacy.org>
>> Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
>> Visiting Professor in Integrative Peacebuilding
>> Saint Paul University
>> Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
>>
>> merlelefkoff at gmail.com <mailto:merlelefoff at gmail.com>
>> mobile: (303) 859-5609 <tel:%28303%29%20859-5609>
>> 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
>> <http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com>
>> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
>> <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
> <http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com>
> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
> <http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/> by Dr. Strangelove
>
>
>
>
> --
> Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
> President, Center for Emergent Diplomacy
> emergentdiplomacy.org <http://emergentdiplomacy.org>
> Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
>
> Visiting Professor in Integrative Peacebuilding
> Saint Paul University
> Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
>
> merlelefkoff at gmail.com <mailto: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
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