Mind and Nature

1. Mind perceives difference, not things.

Information consists of differences that make a difference.

Difference is key. Our senses and minds do not register absolute states or substances, but rather the differences between them. Perception is triggered by change or contrast, not by static existence. This means the world we experience is fundamentally relational, built on comparisons.

Sensory limitations. What we perceive is limited by our sensory thresholds and the way our nervous system processes information. Unchanging or very slowly changing phenomena are often imperceptible unless we actively scan or compare them across time or space. This highlights the active, constructive nature of perception.

Beyond substance. Unlike the physical world of forces and impacts (pleroma), the world of mind (creatura) operates on these non-substantial differences. A difference has no location or energy, yet it can trigger energetic responses in a living system, demonstrating a fundamental distinction between the material and the mental.

2. Our experience is a subjective, unconscious construction.

The processes of image formation are unconscious.

Images are manufactured. We do not directly perceive the external world; instead, our brains construct internal images based on sensory data. This process of image formation happens outside of our conscious awareness, using built-in assumptions and rules.

Subjectivity is inherent. Because perception is a process of internal construction mediated by our unique sensory organs and neural pathways, all experience is inherently subjective. What we "see" or "feel" is our brain's interpretation, not an objective reality independent of the observer.

Empirical epistemology. The fact that we are unaware of how we form these images, and that these unconscious processes incorporate presuppositions about the world, forms the basis of empirical epistemology. Experiments like those by Adalbert Ames Jr. demonstrate how easily our subjective visual experience can be manipulated, revealing the hidden rules our minds follow.

3. How we divide the world into parts is arbitrary.

The division of the perceived universe into parts and wholes is convenient and may be necessary, but no necessity determines how it shall be done.

Convenience, not truth. When we describe or analyze the world, we inevitably break it down into parts and wholes (e.g., a hexagon-rectangle drawing). However, the way we make these divisions is not dictated by the inherent nature of the thing itself, but by our chosen method of description or our purpose.

Multiple valid descriptions. The same phenomenon can be validly described in many different ways, depending on how we choose to define the boundaries and relationships between parts. For example, a drawing can be seen as a boot, a combination of geometric shapes, or a grid of pixels.

Impact on understanding. The arbitrary nature of these divisions means that our understanding is shaped by our descriptive choices. Different ways of parsing the world lead to different insights and different potential explanations, highlighting the subjective lens through which we view reality.

4. Predictability depends on the nature of the process.

Divergent sequences are unpredictable.

Individual vs. aggregate. We can predict the behavior of large aggregates or classes of things (convergent sequences), like the movement of planets or the boiling point of water in bulk. However, we cannot predict the behavior of specific individuals within those aggregates (divergent sequences), such as which molecule will boil first or where a crack in glass will propagate.

Weakest link problem. Many unpredictable events are determined by the "weakest link" – a specific, localized condition that triggers a larger change (e.g., a tiny imperfection causing glass to break). While we know the general rule (it breaks at the weakest point), we cannot identify that point beforehand.

History's unpredictability. Applying this to history, while social forces may create conditions ripe for change, the specific individual who acts as the catalyst is unpredictable. This individual's unique characteristics and actions matter, making the course of history inherently divergent and unpredictable, contrary to deterministic views.

5. Quantity and pattern are fundamentally different.

Number is different from quantity.

Counting vs. measuring. Numbers are the result of counting discrete units and have exact, discontinuous values (e.g., exactly three tomatoes). Quantities are the result of measurement and are always approximate and continuous (e.g., approximately three gallons of water).

Pattern recognition. Small numbers are often perceived as patterns or gestalts rather than being counted (e.g., recognizing the pattern of pips on a die). This links number to the world of form and digital information, distinct from the continuous, analog world of quantity.

Biological relevance. This distinction is crucial in biology. Organisms often control traits by number (e.g., five petals on a rose) or by quantity (e.g., many stamens). Quantity alone cannot explain the genesis of pattern; pattern emerges from underlying organizational principles, not just amounts of substance or energy.

6. Life and mind are organized by circular causality and feedback.

Logic is a poor model of cause and effect.

Beyond linear chains. Unlike simple linear cause-and-effect chains often modeled by logic, living and mental systems are characterized by circular or more complex networks of determination. An effect in one part of the system can feed back to influence its own cause at an earlier point in the circuit.

Self-correction and runaway. These circular pathways enable self-corrective behavior (homeostasis), like a thermostat regulating temperature. However, they can also lead to escalating or runaway processes (schismogenesis), like an arms race or positive feedback loops that drive systems to extremes.

Time is essential. The paradoxes generated when trying to map circular causality onto timeless logic (e.g., the buzzer circuit: if contact is made, then contact is broken) highlight that these systems operate in time. The "if...then" of causality includes temporal sequence, unlike the timeless "if...then" of logic.

7. Multiple perspectives reveal deeper dimensions.

What bonus or increment of knowing follows from combining information from two or more sources?

More than the sum of parts. Combining information from different sources or perspectives yields insights that are not available from any single source alone. This is not mere addition but a qualitative leap, creating information of a different logical type.

Examples of double description:

• Binocular vision: Combining input from two eyes creates depth perception.
• Comparing senses: Touching a hallucinated dagger confirms its unreality.
• Synonymous languages: Seeing a mathematical theorem proved geometrically as well as algebraically deepens understanding.
• Blinker device: Comparing photos taken at different times reveals slow movement.

The pattern emerges. By juxtaposing different descriptions or versions of the world, we can perceive underlying patterns and relationships that connect seemingly disparate phenomena. This comparative method is fundamental to understanding complex systems.

8. Relationship is the fundamental unit of mental process.

Relationship is not internal to the single person.

Interaction comes first. Concepts like "dependency," "aggressiveness," or "pride" are not inherent traits residing inside individuals. They are names for patterns of interaction that occur between persons or entities. The relationship precedes and defines the individual's behavior within that context.

Double description of interaction. Understanding relationship requires a "binocular view" – combining the perspective of one participant with that of the other. This double description reveals the dynamic pattern of interchange that constitutes the relationship itself.

Contextual learning. Learning about relationships and contexts is a different logical type of learning than acquiring simple stimulus-response behaviors. These deeper learnings about the nature of interaction are fundamental to character formation and are often self-validating within the relational system.

9. Hierarchies of logical types govern communication and organization.

The description and classification of these processes of transformation discloses a hierarchy of logical types immanent in the phenomena.

Messages about messages. Communication occurs at multiple levels. A message (e.g., a threat) can be understood differently based on a metamessage that defines its context (e.g., "this is play"). These levels form hierarchies, where higher levels classify or comment on lower levels.

Russell's types in nature. Bertrand Russell's theory of logical types, developed to avoid paradoxes in logic (like the Cretan liar paradox), applies to biological and mental processes. Confusing these levels (errors in logical typing) can lead to pathology, as seen in the "double bind" theory of schizophrenia or the Pavlovian dog's neurosis.

Alternating hierarchy. In the real world, this hierarchy is not just a simple ladder of classes of classes. It involves an alternation between "form" (classification, calibration) and "process" (interaction, feedback), where each level of form emerges from or governs a process at the level below, and vice versa.

10. Evolution and learning are stochastic processes.

Both genetic change and the process called learning... are stochastic processes.

Randomness and selection. Both biological evolution and individual learning (including thought) are fundamentally stochastic. They involve a random component (mutation/gene reshuffling in evolution, trial-and-error/idea generation in learning) and a non-random selective process that favors certain outcomes (natural selection in evolution, reinforcement/coherence in learning).

Source of novelty. The random component is essential for generating novelty. Without it, systems would be purely convergent and predictable, unable to innovate or adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

Shared principles. Recognizing the stochastic nature of both evolution and thought reveals a deep, shared principle underlying change in both the biological and mental realms. This challenges older views that saw evolution as purely deterministic or requiring a non-random guiding "mind."

11. Somatic and genetic change interact across logical levels.

It is the genetics that limits the somatic changes, making some possible and some impossible.

Weissmannian barrier. While acquired characteristics (somatic changes due to environment or habit) are not directly inherited (the Weissmannian barrier), they are not irrelevant to evolution. Somatic flexibility, the ability to change in response to the environment, is genetically determined and can be selected for.

Genetic assimilation. Waddington's experiments showed that environmental stress can reveal latent genetic potential. Selection for individuals who somatically adapt more easily can, over generations, lead to genetic changes that mimic the acquired characteristic, effectively "assimilating" it into the genome.

Hierarchy of control. Genetic control operates at a higher logical level than somatic change. Genes don't dictate specific, fixed traits in isolation; they set the parameters, biases, or thresholds for the organism's capacity for somatic adjustment and learning, determining what changes are possible and viable.

12. The "pattern which connects" is the core of mind and nature.

The pattern which connects is a metapattern.

Unity of biosphere. The book's central thesis is that mind and nature are not separate but form a necessary unity, connected by shared formal principles or patterns. This "pattern which connects" is not a thing, but a pattern of patterns, an abstract organization underlying life, thought, and evolution.

Epistemology as metascience. Understanding this unity requires a unified epistemology that bridges the traditional gaps between biology, psychology, and other sciences. By comparing the organizational principles across different domains (evolution, learning, ecology, communication), we can glimpse this overarching pattern.

A self-healing tautology. The universe, particularly the realm of Creatura, can be seen as a vast, complex, and slowly self-healing tautology. It tends towards internal consistency, but is constantly disrupted by random events, leading to processes of correction and reorganization that drive change and maintain a dynamic balance.

Last updated: July 10, 2025