July 14, 2002

Another Theory of Everything

The Marriage of Complexity and Integrity
Integrating Complexity, Integrity and Energy
Energy, Dirt, Sex, Dreams and Other Godstuff

Marilyn Hamilton BA CGA PhD

1. Why do complexity theory and integral frameworks fight?

They attempt to “argue” at different levels of scale.

Each has a contribution to make to explaining our existence.

Complexity theory explains the workings of emergence.
Emergence powers evolution in a self-organizing way.

Integral theory explains the meta-patterns that have emerged.

Integral theory has keen eyes for the relationships between emergents.

The linkage between complexity and integrity is energy; ie. field theory.

2. Complexity creates the framework (protocols) of CAS

• survive
• connect with environment
• reproduce (replicate, generate)

This is more scientifically verifiable qualities of CAS than Wheatley’s identity,

information and relationships
• but I see the relevance of these qualities (see below)
o identity = agents, container
o information relates to energy of exchanges
o relationship relates to exchanges and the resultant container

Complexity identifies the elements of a CAS

• agents
• exchanges
• containers

Container emerges from interaction of agents (ie. agents and exchanges)

Interactions of A & E creates/uses energy.

• This creates the container
• this creates a field
Each level of emergence transforms energy to a different level of expression
• e=mc2
• Each energy set (level) bifurcates into a different algorithm
• theory = when agents have connected often/densely enuf then new properties
emerge because of changes of state in the container

Each level of emergence creates new containers

• energy (zero point) - universes
• energy field(s) - galaxies
• geo – chemical molecules
• bio – life forms
• nous -- consciousness/minds
• spirit – formless knowing existence

Containers are emergents not givens, but they form the crucibles for the next stage of
emergence.
• containers emerge from attractors (point, periodic, strange)
• containers are holonic systems
• the emergence of containers is affected by the life conditions
• life conditions help determine what aspects of containers will be selected
(Darwin) and contribute to continued survival and replication

The success/likelihood of container survival depends on

• CAS factors
• ALL of context (turtles up and down)
• extant conditions in closest contexts

Chaos theory appears relevant because we can never know the total context of any given
system; thus
• small effects > big changes
• massive entanglement is real

3. Integral theory notices the patterns that emergence has produced:

• energy (zero point)
• energy field(s)
• geo (elements)
• bio (genes)
• nous (memes)
• spirit (light, reflection?)

Integral theory reflects the meta-patterns of existence:

• evolutionary, developmental (Great Chain of Being, Darwin’s Theory of
Evolution, de Chardin’s geo/bio/nous)
 • inner/outer (subjective/objective)
• individual in context (individual/group)
• contextual
• holonic

4. Field theory might help explain emergent transformations (and

bifurcations)
• energy transforms as container “heats up” ie. more exchanges between agents
• exchanges occur naturally when system/container is unstable
• container is unstable at beginning of container formation/emergence and end of
container/emergence ie. birth/death
• difference matrix helps “diagnose” state of the container and therefore its stability
• disturbance leads to instability if conditions for CAS are not met (Bloom’s bees);
eg. if food source depleted, change direction for finding food; system develops
adaptation technique of diversity generators to connect with its environment so it
can survive so it can regenerate (selfish genes??)
• if conditions for maintaining CAS continue, CAS will continue and adapt in small
selective stages
• if conditions change drastically so CAS can’t survive, connect with environment
or reproduce, CAS will change or die
• this shows up in the Difference Matrix (Olson, Eoyang)

5. Conclusions/Implications:
Spirit is emergent not implicate
• Wilber has it right about the pre-trans fallacy within the nous stage
• don’t make the same mistake of applying pre-trans fallacy to zero point and spirit
level

Integration
• Wilber has it right that differentiation and integration are necessary for continuous
evolution
• if system fails to do either then blocks evolution (at any level)
• Integration can be experienced with complete (or close) alignment of energy, geo,
bio, nous, spirit: experience of ONE, resonance, interconnected all, nirvakalpi – in
all 2 quads at all levels of emergence (for individual); all 4 quads (for group)

Imitation
• each level of existence has emerged when the container has discovered how to
produce instructions to replicate itself
• these instructions are exponentially greater than the levels preceding it.
• these instructions are scientifically verifiable as Wilber has set out:
o injunction (do this)
o experience (collect data)
o verify (compare results)
 • the instructions are about how do we agree to be together in this container?
• the instructions look like this at each container stage:
o energy (zero point): yin/yang (shift the allocation of energy from field to
field so energy flows
o energy field(s): atomic relationships.
o geo: molecular relationships > elements
o bio: cellular relationships >genes
o nous: behavior relationships >memes
o spirit: memetic relationship > dreams? gleams?  (light, reflection?)

Co-Creativity
• when we are able to resonate vertically, horizontally, diagonally and share across
CAS
• co-creativity is the emergence of a new system of holonic cooperation; many
levels, experiments before one will be most selected (like early hominids before
homo sapiens sapiens emerges)

Time
• The experience of time changes at each emergent level:
o energy (zero point): no time
o energy field(s): non-local time
o geo: arrow of time forward in local time
o bio: time re-stored in life cycles; vertical transmission thru genes
o nous: time experienced vertically, horizontally, diagonally
o spirit: timeless
• Time is holonic – so that as container “learns” to transform time travel is
possible???

Post Script Corollaries:

• exchanges and connections are vital at every stage – studying how they are made
= pattern recognition
• imitation is a pattern of replicating instructions to reproduce the CAS at every
level
• instructions for CAS are critical to all emergence
• emergence selects for the best instructions to replicate instructions
• emergence is always playing, experimenting, responding, creating
• don’t confuse sequence of emergence with unit of emergence
• don’t confuse unit of emergence with level of emergence
• don’t confuse ecology of emergence with unit, scale or level of emergence
• don’t confuse emergent order with implicate order
 • don’t confuse deep knowledge of one level of emergence with another; ie don’t
make category errors
• don’t make time-based category errors
• use scientific method to verify realities: energetic, geo, bio, nous, spirit ++
(injunction, collect data, verify)

Addiction is a maladaptive behavior of CAS

• depends totally on support from context
• if context withdraws support, then addict (at any level of scale) must change
behavior