are stages of process wherein higher order ‘matter-energy’ is actively created from
lower order ‘matter-energy’. No mother animal or human filters a newborn baby from
the food that she eats.
entropy—ever-increasing disorder, disorganization, chaos, randomness,
patternlessness, formlessness, and homogeneity,complex universe—large
molecules, plants, animals, and humans—moves towards syntropy—ever-
increasing order, organization, form, pattern, and heterogeneity.
explains:
studies are familiar. Energy relates to differentiating out subfunctions of
nature, studying objects isolated out of the whole complex of Universe—for
instance, studying soil minerals without consideration of hydraulics or of
plant genetics. But synergy represents the integrated behaviors instead of all
the differentiated behaviors of nature’s galaxy systems and galaxy of galaxies.
integration is to differentiation. Energy studies separate out—isolating
particular phenomena out of the total phenomena of Nature, and studying the
separate phenomena. Synergy is the associate behavior of wholes within
Nature.”7
science—this is the very definition of reductionism. But the studying ‘wholes’ or
‘unities’ requires a new inclusiveapproach, and new methods which form the
synergic sciences.
a Viennese biologist,
proposed a new idea in science:
R. Buckminster Fuller, SYNERGETICS—Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking, Volumes I & II,
New York, Macmillan Publishing Co, 1975, 1979
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principle in Universe which tends towards unity; a force of attraction
comparable to universal gravity. But while gravity acts on all mass without
discrimination, this other universal force acts selectively to bring like and like
together both in space and in time; it correlates by affinity regardless whether
the likeness is one of substance, form, function, or refers to symbols.”8
explains:
the process of entropy there is another process occurring in parallel, that of
‘syntropy’; information constantly produces new combinations, producing
diversity and higher levels of organization.
complementaryto that of
syntropy. Because no organization of information can reach an absolute
state, entropy aids our re-organization by breaking down old materials. It is
the catabolic function of the physical Universe just as syntropy is anabolic.
Life cannot exist without death, for life would have nothing to resynthesize
into higher organizations if it were in static equilibrium. As the great biologist
Haldane put it, “Normal death must apparently be regarded from the
biological standpoint as a means by which room is made for further more
definite development of life.” Death contributes to life in a specific causal
chain. Decay is the handmaiden of creation.
manifestations of energy and the syntropy of information, consider the Second
Law of Thermodynamics as it applies to two bodies of unequal temperatures
that are brought together. In time, heat energy will distribute itself evenly
between the two bodies, and in contact with a wider environment as well, will
continually equalize and redistribute their heat. The order of heat runs
‘downhill’ for organization to chaos. Yet, if we considerinformation as a
function of energy, we see the reverse phenomena. The two bodies, rather
Paul KammererQuoted in: George Land, Grow or Die: The Unifying Principle of Transformation, John
Wiley & sons, New York, 1973
George Land, Grow or Die: The Unifying Principle of Transformation, John Wiley & sons, New York,
1973
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Two atoms, two molecules, two cells, or two humans can exchange and share
information, and will in time, through evolution, continually organize it into
higher levels.
law of Entropy: that
the Universe is progressing into disorder. Time and time again experiments
have demonstrated the facts of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the
facts are true—as far as they go. Unfortunately a great deal of scientific
thinking is based on investigation of what we now can only characterize as
closedsystems, systems isolated from their normal environment. A classical
statement is that when a phenomena is ‘left to itself’, this or that will happen.
A researcher will do his best to isolate his experiment so that it will not be
affected by outside influences or “perturbations”. In doing so he is in fact
creating an isolated system, one which has no choice but to behave in an
entropic manner as it is removed from the interactive growth with the larger
system. Even in our age of sophisticated science this artificial methodology
continues—violating the advice given by Max Planck over four decades ago
when he said, “The assumption that the orderly course of a process can be
represented by an analysis of it into temporal and spacial processes must be
dropped. The conception of wholeness must therefore be introduced in physics
as in biology.” ”10
opposite to entropy existed in Universe. He called this phenomenon negative entropy
or negentropy. He associated this phenomenon with life and proposed it was a local
order-generating process opposite of entropy. Lancelot Law Whyte suggested in 1969,
that Schrodinger had oversimplified things. Whyte states, “Biological order is not the
exact opposite of thermal disorder.” Whyte is correct, synergy is missing from
Schrodinger’s insight.
than the opposite of syntropy and syntropy is morethan the opposite of
entropy. They are compliments. They complete each other.
George Land, Grow or Die: The Unifying Principle of Transformation, ibid
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entropy and syntropy exist at every stage of process. Although entropypredominates
in 'dead' Universe — light, particles, atoms, and simple molecules, syntropyexists
there as well. And while, syntropypredominates in 'live' Universe — complex
molecules, plants, animals, and humans, entropy exists there as well. The entropy
phenomenon has been studied for over one hundred years, while the syntropy
phenomenon is only now beginning to attract the systematic attention due to as far
reaching a phenomenon as this.
minds. This is what gives birth to our humans having the greatest potential in
Universe. If we are to develop our potential, we must understand synergy.
Understanding ourselves will require that we understand 'wholes'. And while the
understanding we have gained from examining the 'parts' — from our reductionistic
science — has been indeed powerful, it is helpless to reveal the greater truth about
ourselves and our Universe.
Recall our discussion from Chapter 4, Haskell’s Co-Actionsapply to all ‘wholes’ or
unitieswithin Universe. If we imagine a two ‘part’unitymade up of ‘part’ “X” and
‘part’ “Y”. We can then represent the resultant of their interactions within the unity
as follows: If the two ‘parts’ have a neutral relationship, then (the order within)“X”
and “Y” are unchanged by their interaction.
+ Y) is equalto the sum of the ‘parts’ (X) + (Y).
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“X” and “Y”
are made less by their interaction.
than the sum of the ‘parts’ (X) + (Y).
“X” and
“Y” are made greater by their interaction.
than the sum of the ‘parts’ (X) + (Y).
assigned to these three classes based on net effect.
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adversary co-Actions (the order within is less), and a class of synergic co-Actions
(the order within is greater).
specific co-Actions.
‘parts’ of any ‘whole’ or unity. The relationship within the unity might be good for “X”,
good for “Y”; it might be good for “X”, neutral for “Y”; it might be good for “Y”, bad for
“X”; it might be neutral for “X”, good for “Y”; etc.; etc..
below.
remain unchanged (the order within not change), or may be injured (the order
within may increase). We see the same table below using the language of games.
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effect, we see the emergence of three general classes of relationships within unities.
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