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 <profw...@fastmail.fm
<mailto:profw...@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
<profw...@fastmail.fm <mailto:profw...@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.
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emergentdiplomacy.org <http://emergentdiplomacy.org>
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Visiting Professor in Integrative Peacebuilding
Saint Paul University
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Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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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
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