Systems can reach high levels of complexity through the interplay of diverse interactions. But that doesn’t mean that the systemic building blocks are simple. Our reductionist impulse seeks basic pieces to build sophisticated mechanisms, often leading us to “find” rudimentary starting points. In our perspective, these systemic initial components need to be extremely special in order to be able to build complex configurations—so much so that our systems of thought and language can’t represent them in isolation.
Rather than working with isolated attributes, we use attribute pairs as the fundamental systemic unit. This approach immediately accounts for relational dynamics, allowing us to capture complexity without oversimplifying. Each attribute pair inherently contains:
- Side A of the paired set.
- Side B of the paired set.
- The dynamic relationship between Side A and Side B.
This allows us to establish foundational elements without stripping them of their proper sophistication. It also allows us to study the relationship as a vital component. Attribute pairs that are closely interrelated need to be regarded with equal importance. When an attribute pair is held this way, we say the paired set is in a state of symmetry. If one of the attributes is prioritized, the attribute pair is in a state of asymmetry. Symmetry implies balanced interdependence; asymmetry indicates directional prioritization.
We are going to use the following symbols:
- SYMMETRY:
≡(“Identical to” symbol. Unicode: U+2261) - ASYMMETRY:
≢(“Not identical to” symbol. Unicode: U+2262)
When we are dealing with the interactions between different attribute pairs, or with attributes of different paired sets, we can label these interactions as concatenations.
- CONCATENATION:
^(“Caret” symbol. Unicode: U+005E)
When we want to focus on one attribute of a paired set, or to focus on one element of a compounded interaction, we can implement an accentuation.
- ACCENTUATION:
←(“Leftwards arrow” symbol. Unicode: U+2190)
When we are dealing with a concrete effect of one attribute element or compound over another, we can describe it as a modulation.
- MODULATION:
→(“Rightwards arrow” symbol. Unicode: U+2192)
The complete set of operators is the following:
| ATTRIBUTE OPERATOR | MEANING |
|---|---|
≡ | Symmetry |
≢ | Asymmetry |
^ | Concatenation |
← | Accentuation |
→ | Modulation |
Before moving on, we need to comment on the way we can represent these foundational building blocks. Their sophistication not only affects the terminology we should use, but also the communication systems we implement. You can already see that we encourage symbolic and graphic representations for many concepts until now. This not only helps us to better comprehend each concept, but also reflects the limitations of our common systems of communication.
Written language, symbolic representations, and graphical mediums all carry referential baggage. Words especially carry meaning from common speech and academic discussion that burden our approach to foundational elements. This baggage is even more impactful in any Systemics conversation, due to the distance between our intuitive conditioning and the complex nature of systems. So, we are going to use discursive, graphic, and symbolic representation not only to enhance comprehension but also to address the intricacies of systemic complexity. This way, the weaknesses of one representation can be complemented by the others.