Worldview: first principles

Chapter 1 - Worldview

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Spinoza

Welcome to the 'Worldviewː first principles' page (sixth inferring)

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As humans, we are very good at perceiving patterns in our environment. Because of this, we quickly tend to think that these patterns shape our reality.

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However, it is principles that generate these patterns and thereby shape our physical and cultural world.

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Overview of first principles

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Physical world

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Relationship

• Relationships are present in every aspect of the physical world. We usually describe this in equilibrium equations like A = B, where A and B can look quite different in form and exchange parts as long as A' = B'

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Entropy

• In the never-ending process of increasing entropy from low to high, energy that can do work is created as part of the process; the rest becomes unusable as high entropy. Energy is at the most a byproduct of entropy.
• In an eternally expanding universe, the clustering of matter - a necessary condition for the origin of life - is only possible if it also increases entropy.

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Systems

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Context

• The continuous process of small changes, the creation of systems, the accumulation of these systems and the cooperation of systems, and so on, created the context in which we now live.

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Path dependency

• Path dependence refers to the influence of past situations (in culture - decisions) on future (in culture - societal) processes and outcomes, shaping (in culture - strategies) adaptation processes and hindering the implementation of alternative solutions.

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Downward hierarchy

• All processes at the lower level of a hierarchy are restrained by and act in conformity to the laws of the higher level.

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Biological world

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Complex Adaptive Systems

• The environment constantly changes through entropy, and biological systems, among other systems, must continuously adapt by establishing exchanges with their environment.

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Fitness

• Biological systems fight entropy by gradually adapting to their environment until they fit perfectly. In reality this is a never ending process.

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Humanity

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Biology first

• Path dependence and downward hierarchy determine biology's supremacy in humanity. This implies the acceptance of the theory of evolution, which states that the species precedes the individual.

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Utility

• The human system goes for utility, not truth (about reality). Many think the opposite is true, but that is a logical error. It is not because it is well-intentioned that it is also good.

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Consciousness

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Cultural context

• Cultural context is the primary limiter of conscious life because it makes biology first and utility real.

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Action first

• We act and try to minimise the mental energy necessary to adapt to the response to our actions.

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Complexity

• The world seems complex to us because - by acting first - we can only focus on one thing at a time.

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Power

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Interests

• Context makes the human peer group - and the culture that flows from it - of the utmost importance. Anything significant for survival is essential. On a personal level, fear/loss aversion is the prime motivator because it protects us from premature (before we can reproduce) death.

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Values

• Values ​​are - only - the criteria we scan our context and test against our interests. As a result, interests and values ​​are deeply intertwined and inseparable in our brain systems.

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Goals

• Evolution took care of the two unity interests and values to make the passing on of genes possible. Yet this was not enough just because the environment can destroy the species as a whole (think of the dinosaurs). The solution to this is to grant - through evolution - individuals of the species agency, allowing them to act independently in a goal-oriented manner. Diversity of action greatly reduces the possibility of total extinction.

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Culture

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Resources

• Human culture is based on the resources it can employ.

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Cultural entropy

• Culture continually tries to extract additional energy from sources of low entropy, ignoring the released high entropy.

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Society

• Human culture builds societies to manage the complex distribution of energy.

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Money

• Money is the 'frozen form' of the surplus energy that a culture generates.

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