transdisciplinarity 3-methodology

(3) The Methodology of Discipline-Independent-Transdisciplinarity

from Its Physical Basis

Patterns-of-Organization as

Conceptual-Tools

Vincent Vesterby

Conference theme: Concepts and Methods

Patterns-of-Organization Are Used asConceptual-Tools ...1

Discipline-independent-transdisciplinarity recognizes that all that exists has intrinsic pattern-of-organization of structure and process, and that these patterns-of-organization can be used as conceptual-tools for the qualitative analysis of all that exists.

The methodology is universal in both breadth and depth of scope because pattern-of-organization is universally omnipresent.

Vincent Vesterby Transdisciplinarity Methodology 2

Patterns-of-Organization Are Used asConceptual-Tools ...2

What is known about a pattern-of-organization and the roles it plays in one instance is used to enhance understanding of various other situations where isomorphic instances of that pattern occur.

Using patterns-of-organization as conceptual-tools constitutes qualitative analysis.

3Vincent Vesterby Transdisciplinarity Methodology

The Prime-Imperative of Analysis

Look to the situation under analysis itself, allowing the intrinsic qualities of that situation to dictate to the mind the qualities of the mind’s understanding of the situation.

To follow the prime-imperative is to look to the whole situation, to everything that plays a role in the situation, including its history.

Look at the real thing—not at concepts of it, or suppositions, equations, models, or simulations.

Do this first. What is seen? What patterns are observed?Measuring Complexity Things that Go Wrong, and How to Get It RightVesterby, V. 3rd International Workshop on Complexity and Philosophy, 2007, Stellenbosch, South Africa.


http://www.themoderngeneralist.com/articles/article_measuring_complexity.htm

Patterns-of-Organization, Factors, and Isomorphies Are General-Factors

The term, isomorphy, refers to essentially identical or significantly similar patterns-of-organization occurring in different situations.

The term, general-factor, incorporates the meanings of the terms, pattern-of-organization, factor, and isomorphy, and additionally emphasizes the roles of isomorphic patterns-of-organization as factors in the origins, structures, and processes of the various situations in which they occur.

All patterns-of-organization, of whatever size or complexity, are recognized and worked with as general-factors.


Universal-Conceptual-Model ...1

The universality of the methodology results in a single unified worldview—a discipline-independent-transdisciplinary-universal-conceptual-model.

This universal-model serves as a conceptual-tool for an integration and unification of knowledge that enables universal breadth and depth of understanding.

A transdisciplinarian works within this context, seeing both the whole and the parts simultaneously, seeing the pattern-of-organization of the whole composed of lesser patterns.



Universal-general-factors such as space, time, development, the hierarchy-of-material-reality, and the process of emergence, provide the organization, the order and orientation, of the universe.

The universal-general-factors provide the omnipresent conceptual framework of the universal-conceptual-model that emerges with the development and use of this methodology.



This a model of the universe containing conceptual representations of all the known components of the universe and all the known interrelations between those components.

Each of these diverse components is represented by lesser conceptual models displaying their components and the interrelations between those components, and so on down to molecules and atoms and their component elementary particles.



Because it is impossible for the mind to experience the entirety of the magnitude and complexity of depth and breadth of such a model, the model occurs within the mind as a place through which the focus of the modeler can travel wherever required.

Think of the view from a helicopter as it passes over the varied terrain of mountains, hills, and plains—only a part of the topography is in view at any one time.

But a helicopter can travel from one place to another, and it can go lower in elevation to obtain a more detailed view, or go higher in elevation to obtain a broader view.



Thus the conceptual-model provides both depth and breath of understanding from the finest details at the levels of elementary particles, atoms, and molecules to galactic clusters and the universe as a whole—and throughout that place, the mind can travel and work with the patterns-of-organization of structure and process that constitute the model.

There are two complementary ways to view the conceptual-model.



One way to view the model is pictorially, as seen by the eyes—an apple looks like an apple and a spiral galaxy looks like a spiral galaxy.

The other way to view the model is again pictorial, not as seen by the eyes, but rather as seen by the understanding, as patterns-of-organization of structure and process.

For convenience the model is usually viewed as seen by the eyes, but it is worked with in the mode of patterns-of-organization.

It takes time and practice to see the model as patterns-of-organization.


Using Larger-Scale-Patterns-of-Organization ...1

When used as conceptual tools, larger-scale-patterns serve as deep-structure templates upon which to arrange the details in any situation.

Because development is universally omnipresent, playing a role in every relation throughout the universe, all other general-factors occur within the context of development.

Development provides a universal template upon which to arrange the interrelations of all other general-factors.


Using Larger-Scale-Patterns-of-Organization ...2

Other larger-scale-patterns-of-organization serve as templates upon which to arrange the details of the structure and processes of the general-factors that play roles in those larger-scale-patterns-of-organization.

For example, the general-factors sequential-enhancement and combinatorial-enhancement have specific sequential relation in the process of emergence as that process creates the hierarchic organization of material-reality. Intrinsic Nature of Emergence Vesterby, V. 2011. Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting of the ISSS, Hull, U.K.

The pattern-of-organization of any isomorphic process serves as a template upon which to arrange the stages that constitute that process.Vincent Vesterby Transdisciplinarity Methodology 13

http://themoderngeneralist.com/articles/article_emergence.htm

http://themoderngeneralist.com/articles/article_emergence.htm

Working with Individual Patterns ...1

Taking the understanding of a general-factor in one situation and using that understanding in another very similar situation where that general-factor occurs is rather straight forward.

When the second instance of the general-factor occurs in a developed form due to the roles of other factors, there are two questions to ask:1.In what manner do those additional factors alter the form of the general-factor?2.In what manner does the presence of that form of the general-factor determine the intrinsic nature of the situation in which it occurs?


Working with Individual Patterns ...2

It is structural-logic that determines the relations between general-factors.

Thus, when a general-factor is being used to analyze a situation in which that general-factor occurs in a developed form, the mind must see and understand the manner in which structural-logic determines:•The ways in which the additional-factors are altering the form of the general-factor.•The ways in which the developed general-factor plays a role in determining the nature of the situation.


Approaching an Unknown Situation ...1

Care must be taken when using a general-factor as a conceptual-tool in its developed forms or in the context of a larger-scale-pattern, because the additional factors present can alter the role of the general-factor.

A cautionary tale. Are Ecosystems Alive? Vesterby, V. (2008b) Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Meeting of the ISSS, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.


http://www.themoderngeneralist.com/articles/article_are_ecosystems_alive.htm




Because general-factors constitute the situations in which they exist:

Every new situation that is encountered is made out of general-factors.

Everything that emerges at higher levels is made out of general-factors.

The transdisciplinarian brings to bear on the new situation an intellectual-toolkit, which includes the universal-conceptual-model that contains many already known, understood, and integrated general-factors.



Applying the prime-imperative-of-analysis will reveal that there are known general-factors present in the new situation.Their presence there provides an entry way into the analysis and preliminary understanding of the situation.

Through further application of the prime-imperative-of-analysis, new, previously unknown general-factors will be observed.The new general-factors are analyzed, added to the universal-conceptual-model, and then used in the further analysis of the situation of which they are constitutive components, providing more detailed and deeper understanding.



Spreading-out-the-development.

This is a method that provides enhanced understanding of the development of a situation.

The purpose here is to obtain a view of the stages of development that is sufficiently detailed to reveal the roles of structural-logic in determining that development, by displaying:1.The nature of the relations between the stages.2.The nature of the stages themselves.3.The sequence of the stages.


Methodological Rigor

Using the intrinsic qualities of the universe to analyze the intrinsic nature of the universe makes the methodology accurate and rigorous.

From Bertalanffy to Discipline-Independent-Transdisciplinarity Vesterby V. 2012. Paper, ISSS Conference 2012, San José, California.

Discipline-Independent-Transdisciplinarity: The Essentials Vesterby V. Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science, BCSSS Research Paper 1/2013

Vincent [email protected]//:www.themoderngeneralist.comLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/vincent-vesterby/36/35b/9bb
