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150The universe is continuously new due to the roles of seven omnipresent sources of change. These foundational sources of change are here identified and described. While each source of change is unique, they each initiate change in the form of noncoexistent-sequential-difference, which is the core characteristic of change. The occurrence of noncoexistent-sequential-difference, the occurrence of change, initiates the existence of something new. Each unique source of change initiates a unique form o…Read more
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180Emergence is the coming into existence, as a consequence of the motion of matter, of a pattern-of-material-organization that was not there just previously. The occurrence of emergence is universal, occurring in all the subject matters of the sciences from physics to biology to cosmology. The basic form of emergence occurs in every case of emergence, but occurs in modified forms depending on what other factors are playing roles in each case. Emergence is isomorphic because the basic form occurs i…Read more
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167Lee Smolin wants to convince physicists that time is real. His biggest problem is that he does not know what time is—its intrinsic nature and its basis in the universe. He cannot answer the questions: What is time? Why does time exist? and Why does time have the specific qualities that it has? As a result, in this essay Smolin does not focus very much on time itself. Instead, he focuses on discussion of extraneous issues and unrealistic speculations. He wants to promote temporal naturalism, but …Read more
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258John Steele interviewed Paul Davies on the subject of time. In that interview Davies stated that time is not a flow, which is correct. His reasoning for that conclusion, however, was flawed, based on a confused version of the flowing river analogy with time. A correct version of the analogy is presented, followed by an analysis of Davies’ argument. A detailed explanation is presented of the intrinsic nature of the type of change that time is. Transdisciplinary methodology based on isomorphies is…Read more
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238Ever since George Henry Lewes coined the term emergence, various notions have been associated with emergence that have little or nothing to do with emergence itself. These notions distract from the understanding of emergence to such a degree that very little progress was made in over a century of discussion. Emergence is the coming into existence of patterns-of-material-organization as a consequence of motion. The process of emergence plays major roles in the universe, such as the creation of th…Read more
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155This paper provides the answers to three questions about time. What is time? Why does time occur? And why does time have the specific intrinsic qualities that it has? The answers are based on the recognition that the continuing-existence of space plays the roles in the universe that are normally attributed to time. This recognition is based on objective observation of space itself and objective observation of the continuing-existence of space. The methodology of the observations and the conclusi…Read more
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357Gao, Barzel, and Barabási attempted to devise a method to identify universal resilience in systems. This target was missed due to simplification in the methodology and to the confounding of the system-functions resilience and robustness. These two system-functions are distinct in both their form and in the roles they play in systems. There are many different kinds of both robustness and resilience. To clarify the difference between robustness and resilience, a short guide is provided consisting …Read more
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195From Bertalanffy to Discipline-Independent-TransdisciplinarityJournal of the International Society for the Systems Sciences 56. 2012.When Bertalanffy advocated a new scientific discipline called general system theory, this generalist mode of understanding was to be based on the isomorphism of laws, principles, and models in the different sciences, and on structural uniformities (isomorphies) in the subject matters of those sciences. There is a conceptual shift in Bertalanffy’s work from the logico-mathematical mode to a deeper more complex understanding. There is a corresponding shift in the understanding of isomorphies …Read more
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173Abstract: This paper presents a non-standard approach to emergence that describes the foundational stages of the development of emergence, including the factors that initiate the progressive stages of its development. Observing that emergence is a naturally occurring creative process in the universe, the focus of the paper is a strictly realist analysis of the intrinsic qualities of emergence. Emergence brings things into existence, things such as objects, qualities, relations, and systems. The …Read more
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332For millennia people have speculated about the nature of time—without success. Time plays a role with all processes and events studied by all the disciplines. It is reported here that the existence of time is a direct consequence of the existence of space. Space exists, and it continues to exist. Space is there, and it continues to be there. Space exists as place, the three-dimensional place that matter can occupy. The three-dimensional extension of spatial-place is measured with a ruler of some…Read more
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657Seven problems that occur in attempts to measure complexity are pointed out as they occur in four proposed measurement techniques. Each example method is an improvement over the previous examples. It turns out, however, that none are up to the challenge of complexity. Apparently, there is no currently available method that truly gets the measure of complexity. There are two reasons. First, the most natural approach, quantitative analysis, is rendered inadequate by the very nature of complexity. …Read more
Areas of Specialization
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Areas of Interest
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