The Emergence Machine

drift · aimless

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Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.

drift.aimless · forms: drift, drifted, drifting, drifts

Examples

Emergence

from: parameter change go make nothing way
through: Conditions change without cause directing their movement, and these undirected changes accumulate over time.

Chain to foundations

changeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.happenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.distinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thinggoL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another placenumberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in a placeenergyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.driftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.carryingL5 carrying.transporting: To move with a thing that is in one place and then is in another, where the thing remains in contact and under control.controlL4 control.ability: A pattern that persists through time and sets boundaries for how others can change.flowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.offL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is therecontactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.interactionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.marksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.noneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thingmakeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.stateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placebroughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.amountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numberwayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spacequantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spacecomeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.patternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.surfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.parameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.partL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.sizeL2 size.measurement: the space that a thing's matter is inlinksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingsmatterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.persistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.spaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.differenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.setsL3 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.othersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.connectsL7 connects.verb: When two things are brought together so that a flow between them can happen and persist.touchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.boundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.conditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placestructureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.nothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingmotionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.timeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.
as tree

Neighborhood

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

used bybuilt frombrinkL12brink.edge — a parameter whose window is narrower than those of related things, such that its wall is near the current value and smalchaosL12chaos.unpredictable-drift — drift whose later values cannot be predicted from current ones at the resolution availableconstraintL12constraint.limiting — A wall placed deliberately, narrowing a window to keep drift inside it.contingencyL12contingency.dependence — resting on a parameter that could have drifted otherwise and did noterosionL12erosion.process — drift too slow for the system it acts on to registerextremeL12extreme.position — A parameter whose value is near a wall, but not so near that the wall's presence dominates.groundswellL12groundswell.emergence — a rise that is not in any part before it begins, yet exceeds all parts once it has started, revealing the wall where theinertiaL12inertia.resistance — A parameter whose window is narrower than the range of drift, so that drift does not move it.driftL11drift.aimless — Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.parameterL4parameter.condition — A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.changeL1change.process — When a thing is not the same after as it was before.goL3go.movement — to move one from a place to another placemakeL4make.verb — Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.nothingL10nothing.absence — not a thingwayL9way.method — a link of one place to another through spaceE0 concrete → E14 abstract

Used by (139)

brinkL12chaosL12constraintL12contingencyL12erosionL12extremeL12groundswellL12inertiaL12ivory towerL12layerL12marginalL12normalisation of devianceL12overdueL12prematureL12raising the barL12redundancyL12relevanceL12scaleL12siegeL12strainL12substanceL12symmetry versus regularity licenceL12wasteL12bufferL13gripL13moderationL13moving targetL13permanenceL13boiling the frogL14breaking pointL14collapseL14comfortableL14cuspL14limitL14over the edgeL14possibilityL14too little too lateL14transformationL14trendL14aliveL15authenticityL15autonomyL15balanceL15blindL15chanceL15confusionL15corruptionL15critical massL15cutting cornersL15cycleL15death by a thousand cutsL15decayL15delayL15dissonanceL15domino effectL15factor of safetyL15fluxL15harmonyL15holding it togetherL15identityL15in too deepL15lagL15legacy codeL15lost the plotL15mission creepL15neglectL15no room for errorL15obsoleteL15papering over the cracksL15past the point of no returnL15precariousL15razor thinL15repairL15reputationL15resilienceL15resourceL15restL15scaffoldL15self fulfilling prophecyL15slippery slopeL15stableL15statusL15strike while the iron is hotL15the final nailL15the last strawL15the moment has passedL15the ship has sailedL15tipping pointL15trapL15treading waterL15unstableL15vergeL15viableL15blind spotL16doomedL16duct tapeL16equilibriumL16fuelL16good enoughL16homeostasisL16knock on effectL16momentumL16on a shoestringL16overshootL16persistenceL16regretL16rhythmL16seasonL16technical debtL16the going rateL16vicious cycleL16whose time has comeL16best practiceL17chain reactionL17essenceL17scarL17toughL17ancientL18complexL18frozenL18integrityL18keystoneL18legacyL18nicheL18pressureL18proportionL18rentL18ripeningL18timelyL18window of opportunityL18boiling overL19burnoutL19dropping ballsL19scope creepL19snowball effectL19spread too thinL19surplusL19the new normalL19the way we have always done itL19

Provenance

author: hand · date: 2026-07-31 · confidence: 1.0 · source: Sample/hundred-words-six-terms.md