Hi TOK List,

  I am in the process of explaining the "four dimensional categorical ontology" provided by the ToK, and then extending that into the Periodic Table of Behavior.

  In explaining how the different dimensions operate, I am considering using the example of "four dimensional chess" from Star Trek (at least that is where I first saw it). The idea is that what emerges with a plane of existence (as a function of the specific information processing/communication/computational control dynamics) is a complex adaptive landscape that is akin to a new dimension of a chess board.

  So, in this analogy, the shift from physics to chemistry is a shift in the "Matter board" getting more pieces and squares. However, it is not a new board. In contrast, Life is a new board with a new "language game". That is, it is a complex adaptive system with new causal properties (for example, to describe living behaviors, we need Aristotle's concepts of formal and final causation). Same with Mind and then Culture. (And BTW, the same with the Digital Meta-Cultural dimension that is emerging in the 21st Century, assuming we don't blow ourselves up first).

Here is a visual:
[cid:image003.png@01D629BC.073C2160]
Per usual, I welcome thoughts or reactions.

Best,
Gregg

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