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 <[email protected]> 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 <[email protected]> > 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 > > > > ============================================================ > > 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 > > [email protected] <[email protected]> > 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 [email protected] <[email protected]> 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
