Emergent Hierarchies: A New Class

Focus for Inquiry

Investigation of the forced reversal of oscillating dualities generated the hypothesis that simultaneous conversion of all 7 levels of a Primary Hierarchy produced a new hierarchy. Because there are 7 Primary Hierarchies, there are 7 new hierarchies emerging from them.

These emergent hierarchies all have a similar form, and it is conjectured that they will generate frameworks used in everyday life. This section of the Architecture Room investigates the details, structure and significance of these «emergent frameworks».

It is not known at this point whether there are other groups of emergent frameworks; but their existence seems possible given the ease with which transformations occur in THEE. Until they are found, the focus is exclusively on the oscillating duality-reversal hierarchies, and the term «emergent» is here synonymous with them.

Differentiation from Taxonomic Frameworks

The discovery and development process involved in these «emergent frameworks» differs from that used in standard taxonomic frameworks or «frameworks-of-origin».

Frameworks-of-Origin:  These are about identifying taxonomic elements intrinsic to human endeavour and creating frameworks by defining relationships between elements with similar functions. They create understanding because the focus of investigation is on getting clarity about the functioning and properties of the various elements.

The next step in such inquiry is to consider how the whole framework spins off further (derived) frameworks in the same domain
e.g. Typology → Spiral of Growth; Holistic Hierarchy → Structural Hierarchy.

Emergent Frameworks: By contrast, the new class of frameworks is about using taxonomic elements whose functioning and properties are already well-understood from their various frameworks-of-origin. (Insofar as an element is not well-understood, then it needs to be investigated within its framework-of-origin).

The inquiry issue here is how elements grouped in this forced way manifest, interact, and dynamically influence each other; as well as what their function is in our personal and social life.

Scientific Puzzles

Because THEE maps dynamics in Trees, «emergent hierarchies» are probably only meaningful as «emergent Trees». On that basis, certain puzzles immediately follow.

  • The primary puzzle is, as ever, to clarify the function of each emergent Tree.
  • The next puzzle is why the same Root Level always appears in the same position in every Tree, and how that affects the specific form taken by any element of the equivalent Primary Hierarchy.
  • Deeper scientific puzzles relate to whether emergent frameworks possess any properties in common, have other relationships to the taxonomy proper, or have general implications for human functioning.

  • Do «emergent Trees» generate further structural forms? This is not expected, but such a conjecture requires further checking.

In formulating Trees to solve these puzzles, it is necessary to clarify the dynamic duality so as to define Centres, and appreciate the Channels of influence between them. That is what this section attempts. Success should (and does) enable practical applications.

Structure of the Section

Introduction Pages

  1. The starting point: an essential similarity of the 7 emergent Tree frameworks.
  2. An analytic schema developed to aid a systematic formulation of the emergent frameworks.
  3. Options for handling crises in endeavours and the need to distinguish endeavours-proper from a psychosocial re-positioning to deal with crises.
  4. The scaffold used to foster and shape thinking about the emergent frameworks, with comparison to the Root Hierarchy of endeavour.
  5. Schema used for exposition of the frameworks.

Framework Pages

I start with a preview of the emergent frameworks (at the present stage of development) together with a reminder of the inquiry approach.

The frameworks are then presented in order of the emergent Primary Hierarchy Level number, starting from PH-L1. In each case, the emergent Tree framework is introduced and explained in a summary form before going into details of how the Centres manifest and interact, and other related issues.

Conclusions are drawn from comparisons of formulations.

Originally posted: 3-Jun-2013. Last amended: 20-Sep-2013.