# whether (conditional)

if a condition is one of two different states

- Computed level: L4 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: emergence  ·  Arena: whether

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [condition](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-condition.state), [difference](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-difference.relation), [state](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-state.condition)

**Through:** the condition is evaluated to determine which of the two different states it takes

**Novel properties:**
- binary evaluation
- conditional determination
- state discrimination

## Examples
- The International Space Station adjusts its orbit repeatedly to counteract atmospheric drag and avoid debris. *(engineering)*
- In 2008, Iceland's financial system collapsed when foreign investors simultaneously withdrew confidence in its banks. *(economics)*
- Prion proteins in mad cow disease convert normal molecules into misfolded forms, triggering a cascade of neurodegeneration. *(biology)*

## Used by
- [despair](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-despair.state) (L15)
- [marginal](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-marginal.spatial) (L12)
- [persistence](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-persistence.endurance) (L16)
- [simple](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-simple.effort) (L13)
- [window exit versus removed part](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-window-exit-versus-removed-part.distinction) (L15)

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-whether.conditional*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-whether.conditional.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*