Science Forums 2

[Thunderbird]

Development is a process whereby insignificant and imperceptible quantitative changes lead to fundamental, qualitative changes. The latter occur not gradually, but rapidly and abruptly, in the form of a leap from one state to another. A simple example from the physical world might be the heating of water: a one degree increase in temperature is a quantitive change, but at 100 degrees there is a qualitative change - water to steam.
:"Merely quantitative differences, beyond a certain point, pass into qualitative changes." --Karl Marx, ''Capital'', Vol. 1.

Look around at the world and can you see that we have reached a critical point in global networks. We are on the cusp of two states. A tipping point where we connect into one world, or crash into chaos. if you understand Chaos Theory however, The trick is to do both at the same time.

Basin of attraction; The set of initial states which are drawn to an attractor of the system.

For the world to successfully evolve to a higher state, one where the the whole becomes greater than the former parts, there has to be a central point of organization. Is this on the horizon ? Hope so.

Bifercation point; A point at which a system splits into two alternative behaviours, either being possible, the one actually followed often being indeterminate (unpredictable). Related to catastrophes in Catastrophe Theory.

All creation or destruction of forms, or morphogenesis, can be described by the disappearance of the attractors representing the initial forms, and their replacement (by capture) by the attractors representing the final forms. Rene Thom

Catastrophe, and destruction and even what is called evil, is necessary to evolution.

The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You're going to die a horrible death, remember. It's all good training, and you'll enjoy it more if you keep the facts in mind.
Take your dying with some seriousness, however. Laughing on the way to your execution it not generally understood by less advanced lifeforms, and they'll call you crazy. Richard Bach
Illusions of A Reluctant Messiah