Читать книгу A Physical Principle of Universal Order - Jaime S. Carvalho - Страница 8

In structure, it is the pattern of arrangement of the individual particles—the form—that counts for most purposes. The individual particles are indistinguishable and their only function appears to be the buildup of patterns. In unitary terms, wholes matter more than parts.

A distinguishing characteristic of the unitary process is its formative nature, the way spatial forms—from atoms to organisms to galaxies—are generated. Within process, physical or organic structure is constantly changing, or transforming, into a more symmetrical pattern—a new form—that becomes evident only when process stops.

With processes involving aggregates of two different components, the pattern of the final form becomes more complex, its degree of symmetry lying somewhere between that of the components. Since a more symmetrical structure has lesser tendency to symmetry than a more asymmetrical one—it is more stable—the degree of symmetry of the resultant form more closely resembles that of its more symmetrical component. In other words, more symmetrical structural patterns are dominant over less symmetrical ones.

In each isolable process, the transformation of the structural pattern occurs between a threshold and a terminus, in the nanospace separating these events. The transformation is successive, not instantaneous—it involves development. It is the temporal relation of succession between thresholds and termini that is unique to unitary theory. The unitary concept of incessant orderly change contrasts with the static concept of “change,” an unintuitive type of “changeless change” that has permeated and paralyzed modern physical thought and its mathematical expressions.

In the linear development of patterns, from simpler to more complex forms, there comes a point where order becomes threatened. It is a fact of nature that structural order cannot be sustained during monotonic expansion. When complexity reaches a critical point—a threshold— structure suddenly jumps to a higher level of organization and the development process starts all over again, building up ever increasing complex structure. This type of spatial organization is called hierarchic.

At each level, the three-dimensional structures or processes function as a unit or system, their component parts being constrained in a characteristic way so that the properties of the unit are not the same as the summation of the properties of their parts when not so constrained. And the discrete and separate hierarchical levels are themselves connected by the asymmetrical dominant to subordinate relation.

A salient aspect of the ordered hierarchical arrangement is that it yields heterogeneity, whereas the classical, uniform close-packing in linear arrays generates homogeneity and is therefore applicable only to homogeneous systems. As Whyte rightly stressed, “This is a heterogeneous universe; it is only homogeneous and isotropic to the zero^th order.” The hierarchy of electron states in the different atoms, the arrangement of atoms in the Periodic Table, and the hierarchy of formative processes (sensorial, perceptual, and cognitive) in the human nervous system are outstanding examples of heterogeneity. It is compelling to admit that the geometrical arrangement we call hierarchy is the one preferred by nature. It is nature’s tool for organizing complexity.

No wonder that the human mind has recognized the power of hierarchical classification. It has been used in numbers, scales, times, groups of variables, concepts, and all kinds of symbolic abstractions.

If unitary concepts describe reality with sufficient accuracy, it appears that full exploration of the concept of hierarchical structure in physics and biology would be rewarded with great benefits to humanity. As suggested by Whyte, “A science of hierarchy should be created to undertake a comprehensive study of all the hierarchies linking the microcosmos to the macrocosmos.”