Lee Bloomquist <LBLOOMQUIST/0005099717@MCIMAIL.COM> writes:
> Is it possible, then, to set up a system of competition in an
> organization where these feelings of happiness at others'
> misfortunes do not exist?
>
>
> I think I can imagine one situation where this might happen. But it
> seems to me that there must be a real example of this kind of
> thing, somewhere.
>
> Anyone know of such a system?
Lee, thank you for your excellent exposition. And since you have asked
such an open ended question, I have been lured into answering it.
Competition - and ranking, the other thread which runs parallel to it -
are intended to enhance the creativity of those who participate in it.
Unfortunately, creativity is not only constructive, but can also become
destructive, as you have indirectly noted.
Both the constructions and destructions of creativity has to with
creativity after the bifurcation point. The bifurcation point separates
the two manifestations of entropy production (irreversibility). Before the
bifurcation new entropy is automatically manifested as chaos of becoming.
After the bifurcation point it is manifested as order of being. It can
either be constructively or destructiveley - hence the term bifurcation.
The constructive manifestation is highly/complexly contingent. Seven
patterns (which I call the seven essentialities of creativity) have to be
satsified sufficiently. If one or more of them are impaired, the
manifestation will be destructively.
I have already discussed these essentialities somewhat in previous posts.
Please use the archive options to study these discussions. I will now
merely list them again.
"becoming-being" (aliveness)
"identity-categoricity" (sureness)
"associativity-monadicity" (wholeness)
"connect-beget" (effectiveness)
"quantity-limit" (limitedness)
"quality-variety" (rangeness)
"open-paradigm" (openness)
It is very interesting to note that both competition and ranking have
very much to do with the essentiality "quanitity-limit"
(limitedness). It is also very sad that our general idea of game/play
have developed in a direction which concentrates on this
essentiality.
Entropy is produced by so called force-flux pairs. A force arise through a
difference in qualities (unscalable quantities) while the flux is the
transfer/change in the scalable quantity associated with such a quality.
Since the seven essentialities are qualities themselves, they can also
give rise to entropy producing forces and even drive the system up to the
bifurcation point.
Consider, for example the essentiality "associativity-monadicity"
(wholeness). It was the main driving force in Einstein's intellectual work
- the unification of scientific theories. In the case of Einstein this
essentiality lead to constructive creativity. In other words, no one of
the other six essentialities in him was seriously impaired. The same
essentiality was the main driving force in Hitler's work - the whole of at
least Europe had to be brought under the rule of nazism. But in the case
of Hitler at least two of the other six essentialities were seriously
impaired: "identity- categoricity" and "quality-variety". That is why
nazism eventually lead to great destructions rather than constructions.
It is interesting to note that Jan Smuts, war general, statesman,
botanist, philosopher, father of holism (1926), warned since the early
twenties against such a destructive reaction from Germany as a result of
the treaty of Versailles. He noted that Germans were denied their identity
(the essentiality "identity-categoricity"). His warnings fell upon deaf
ears. When WWII finally broke out, the allied forces needed someone to
match Hitler's superior usuage of the essentiality
"associativity-monadicity" (wholeness). That man proved to be Jan Smuts
himself, as was acknowledged by leaders such as Churchill and Roosevelt
and war generals such as Montgomery and Eisenhower.
When using "quanitity-limit" (limitedness) as a force such as in
competitions, it may lead to constructions only of the other six
essentialities are not impaired. If one of them are impaired, it may cause
extensive destructions. For example, when a sportsman uses drugs like
steriods or pain-killers to surpass previous performances, the
essentiality "identity-categoricity" is often seriously impaired.
The most common way in which people avoid destructions, is to avoid
reaching the bifurcation point. This is accomplished by producing entropy
too slowly for any saturation to take place. Unfortunately, they also
avoid constructions. However, the best way to avoid destructions, is to
allow the person to SELF produce the entropy up to the bifurcation point -
to self create chaos and thus moving to its edge. The reason is that the
seven essentialities are also necessary to produce the entropy in the
first place.
The really bad thing is not to allow the person to create self that
entropy and thus its first manifestation as chaos, but to inundate that
person with entropy created from the outside. The chances are then very
good for destructions rather than constructions to happen because of
immaturities in the essentialities. Physical punishment is a typical
example of such a practice.
When a person has to create the entropy self and cannot succeed in
reaching the bifurcation point, it is often easy to detect which
essentialities are impaired. In such a case the remedy is to postpone the
intended bifurcation and first encourage the further development of the
impaired essentialities.
Lee, to use a system of competition as the major way to improve on
people's creativity, is in my view short sighted. On the other hand, if
the people themselves desire competition to force their creativity
(actually, to act as a force to increase their entropy production and thus
their creativity), it is wise to make sure that the none of the seven
essentialities gets impaired. The trouble is that the essentiality
"quantity-limit" will look after itself because it is characterestic of
competition , but not the other six.
Best wishes
--At de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre for Education University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa email: amdelange@gold.up.ac.za
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