Monthly Archives: December 2014

So, are we discussing the definitions of these words “cause” and “influence” or different kinds of causes in which information causes (encoding and decoding) might be better understood publicly as “influence” because of their less singular effect (i.e., uncertain or … Continue reading →

Jack, Although we have different meta views in detail, I basically agree with what Len says here. The distinction is not going to be that clean unless you go to some very fundamental principle that doesn’t always show up in … Continue reading →

Hi Jack, Yes – thanks for the examples. Indeed they are typically treated as Q2, a dynamical process that influences another dynamical process; but the reason for modeling it as Q3 is just what you said, the case where it … Continue reading →

What makes it go? Using your notion of X, the tickles come from the context (environment) of X (which may include the supplier of resources to X). If the tickle is accepted by a component in X then System Happens … Continue reading →

Jack, I think the problem with that is “what does the tickling”. What makes it go. The relational framework is self-motivating; each causal aspect drives the next in a cycle, so it answers the question ‘why’ something happens. In this … Continue reading →

John,Whew! I will respond to the first two paragraphs now and will have to consider the rest later. Perhaps this first response will make further interchange unnecessary. I do not disagree with relational framework as you represent it. However, a … Continue reading →

Jack, I’d be interested in this distinction between a system and a configuration of end items. In the relational framework, there are four archetypal ways of pointing to something systemic; four kinds or aspects to reality. These are never separate, … Continue reading →

Hi Jack, You asked how R-theory would treat the notion of a catalyst. Here’s what occurs to me. The short answer is that a catalyst is formal cause. It is one system providing a context for the existence or regulation … Continue reading →