Archives for posts with tag: teleology

‘Pattern Recognition’

March 3, 2019 //
0

The whole world spins on this.

  1. Literally.
    The electron in a Hydrogen atom ‘dawdles’ around the proton because its negative electrical charge ‘recognizes’ the positive one and is attracted to it. Furthermore, the Moon revolves around the Earth because their masses ‘recognize’ each-other as such and, ‘hence’, are subjected to a mutual attraction.
  2. Factually.
    Things are a little more complicated at this level.
    For something which exists to become a ‘fact’, that something must be first noticed by somebody. Until then it exists in ‘total darkness’. We cannot even say it doesn’t exist, simply because we are not aware of the possibility of its existence.
    In this sense, the Moon had started to revolve around the Earth only ‘after’ we had recognized the pattern of its movement.
  3. Teleologically.
    Otherwise said, for as long as it fits our purposes AND/OR our understanding of the world.
    The Sun and the Earth had pulled at each other since the start of time. For only as long as we had been believing in Newton’s theory about gravitation, of course…
    And, at first, we had been convinced that it was the Sun who was speeding around the (flat?!?) Earth!
    Despite the many proto-scientists who did their best to open our eyes.
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Categories Bounded rationality, Choices we make, collective identity, cooperation, effective communication, freedom, Mutual Respect, Psychology

Determinism

November 12, 2018 //
1

I am determined to fly.
Only my actual flying is relative to my ability to ‘negotiate’ the absolute determination with which my body and the rest of the planet pull at each other.

Translation:

There are three kinds of ‘determination’.
Absolute, relative and teleological.

‘Absolute determination’ is that situation where everything is under the same constriction. For instance, (almost) everything substantial in this Universe is affected by the gravitational field which permeates everywhere and everything.

Relative determination is that situation where either a special characteristic of something or a special circumstance induces a specific relation between that something and an ‘overpowering force’. For instance, any electrically charged particle is under the influence of the electromagnetic field while the ‘neutral’ ones are indifferent to the said field. Also, a dead leaf which happens to fall in a stream is under a double determination. It is simultaneously pulled towards the center of the Earth and helplessly transported by the water. OK, the flow of the water is indeed powered by the same gravity which pulls the leaf but, again, it is relative to the local relief.
Please note that even if the absolute determination might seem insignificant due to the effects of the relative one, the absolute never ceases. An electron which spins happily around a nucleus only seems impervious to the gravitational pull. Simply because the latter is way weaker than the former, at that scale.

Teleological determination is that situation where the determinant has an active role in shaping the influence it exerts over the determined. NB, ‘active’ and not necessarily ‘conscious’. For instance, no two working bees belonging to the same hive  will ever do exactly the same thing in the same (broad) situation, despite both being under the same absolute determination and under almost similar relative determination – they are twin sisters.

Things become way more interesting when we start discussing the influence of ‘intent’.
When the teleological determination becomes intentional.
Where the scope of the active action is influenced by the consciousness of the determinant instead of depending exclusively on ‘rules’ and chance.

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Categories Bounded rationality, Chance, Choices we make, collective identity, effective communication, evolution, Intent, man induced fragility, manipulation, Psychology, teleology, The kind of world we are building for our children
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