The Emergence Machine

can of worms · opened

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L18 review noun folk phrase open compare →

a thing priced by the model as one bounded item, whose opening reveals coupled contents that will not fit back because each pulls the next.

Can of worms (noun) means: a thing priced by the model as one bounded item, whose opening reveals coupled contents that will not fit back because each pulls the next. It emerges from model, price, container, open: The closed container lets the model price the contents as a single item; opening replaces that one boundary with the contents' own couplings, and since each item pulls its neighbours, no smaller container will hold them again. In the EmergenceLexicon it sits at computed level 18, chaining down to the four foundations (space, time, energy, pattern).

can-of-worms.opened · forms: can of worms, open a can of worms, opened a can of worms

ordinarily means: a problem that turns out to be many tangled problems once you start on it

Examples

Emergence

from: model price container open connection single boundary inside
through: The closed container lets the model price the contents as a single item; opening replaces that one boundary with the contents' own couplings, and since each item pulls its neighbours, no smaller container will hold them again.

Chain to foundations

enablesL16 enables.facilitation: to make something possible by providing a resource for itsubstanceL12 substance.material: what remains through the drift a window toleratespeopleL6 people.social: a group of distinct entities that persist over time and interact through mutual touchoffL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is therematterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.receiveL6 receive.communication: to get something that comes to a placeinteractingL4 interacting.social: when two things change each other while touchingmakeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.actL3 act.deed: do somethingrelatedL4 related.association: When both things are about the same pattern.rangeL3 range.spatial: the space between two boundarieschangeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.motionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.entitiesL4 entities.object: things that are each distinct from other thingspartL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.quantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spaceresourceL15 resource.material: output falling within the input window of a nearby system. The same substance, different neighbourhood.can of wormsL18 can-of-worms.opened: a thing priced by the model as one bounded item, whose opening reveals coupled contents that will not fit back because each pulls the next.someoneL7 someone.person: any persondifferenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.conditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placesaysL8 says.speech: to make a message that other distinct entities getholdL13 hold.physical: keep thing with touch and force so it does not movetimeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.comeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.priceL8 price.economic: the piece of a thing that be given in an interactionlocationL10 location.spatial: a point where a thing is in spacedistinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingpersistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.maintenanceL14 maintenance.upkeep: Work that holds the parameters of a thing inside its window.interactionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.outsideL6 outside.spatial: the space that is not inside a thing's boundarynumberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in a placespatialL11 spatial.location: related to where a thing is in spaceparameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.groupsL5 groups.collection: a set of entity that are together because each entity has patterncontactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.surfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.keepL5 keep.maintenance: to make something persist in a place or statesingleL4 single.quantity: one thing that is alonemodelL9 model.representation: A pattern in one thing that is like another thing, so that acting on the pattern can say what the other thing will do.linksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingshappenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.provideL8 provide.supply: to give something to someone so that they have italoneL3 alone.state: a state where it is in a place and no others are in that placeflowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.pressL5 press.force: to move an object until it is in contact with a surfaceinformationL6 information.knowledge: a pattern of marks that are differencesmessageL7 message.information: information that one entity puts into space for another entitypatternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.goL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another placeenergyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.insideL5 inside.spatial: in the space that is within an object's boundarygiveL7 give.transfer: to make a piece go to otherspointsL2 points.location: a part that is at a placespaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.driftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.sizeL2 size.measurement: the space that a thing's matter is inwayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spaceworkL3 work.effort: a change that happens when energy moves something through spacestructureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.stateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placewindowL7 window.range: The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.carryingL5 carrying.transporting: To move with a thing that is in one place and then is in another, where the thing remains in contact.possibleL3 possible.potential: that can happenextentL3 extent.spatial: how much space matter hasnothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingmarksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.connectsL7 connects.verb: When two things are brought together so that a flow between them can happen and persist.fallL3 fall.gravity: When a thing moves down in space during time.connectionL9 connection.social: a link between things that can be togethercontainerL6 container.object: a thing that has a boundary and an inside where other matter can be keptgetL5 get.acquisition: you make a thing come to youtouchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.openL17 open.spatial: a state where a boundary limit is absent, enabling something to move into spatial extentboundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.noneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thingputL3 put.placement: to move something into a placepieceL3 piece.portion: a part of a thing that has its own boundarylikeL3 like.similarity: When a thing has the same pattern as another thing.objectL4 object.entity: A thing that has a boundary and an arrangement of parts that persists through time in a place.arrangementL3 arrangement.spatial: a structure of parts in space.amountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numberothersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.forceL12 force.push: a press of matter that results in a change in motionsetsL3 sets.grouped: A pattern of many things that are each different from the others but are bounded together by what is the same about them.broughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.systemL5 system.organized: a set of parts that interact together in a structure
full chain as text (309 steps)

Neighborhood

Concepts that depend on this one above; what it is built from below.

built fromcan of wormsL18can-of-worms.opened — a thing priced by the model as one bounded item, whose opening reveals coupled contents that will not fit back because emodelL9model.representation — A pattern in one thing that is like another thing, so that acting on the pattern can say what the other thing will do.priceL8price.economic — the piece of a thing that be given in an interactioncontainerL6container.object — a thing that has a boundary and an inside where other matter can be keptopenL17open.spatial — a state where a boundary limit is absent, enabling something to move into spatial extentconnectionL9connection.social — a link between things that can be togethersingleL4single.quantity — one thing that is aloneboundaryL2boundary.limit — The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.insideL5inside.spatial — in the space that is within an object's boundary

Provenance

author: claude-opus-5:hand-curated · date: 2026-08-22 · confidence: 0.8 · source: folk phrase — the model meets reality