From: jimruttshow8596
The concept of hierarchical complexity is a foundational element in understanding how human thought and societies develop over time [00:25:09]. It is a mathematical model that clearly formulates the key elements of different stages of cognitive complexity [00:25:34].
Origins and Development
The model builds upon the work of several key researchers:
- Jean Piaget: A Swiss classic theorist and researcher on developmental stages [00:26:25].
- Lawrence Kohlberg: Developed adult stages of development, specifically moral reasoning tests, that extended beyond normal adulthood [00:26:39].
- Michael Commons: A student of Kohlberg, Commons applied abstract algebra to developmental theory, discovering a mathematical pattern that allowed for the formulation of all the stages of hierarchical complexity, ranging from amoeba level to the level of Einstein [00:26:48].
Hierarchical complexity is a strict behavioral empirical science that studies the complexity of behaviors [00:27:43]. It observes that different adult human beings display behaviors and thought patterns at different stages of complexity [00:27:51].
Stages of Cognitive Complexity
The model of hierarchical complexity identifies 17 stages of adult development that have been discovered [00:27:15]. While higher stages may exist, the arguments for them are still developing, and the model begins to break down at lower stages [00:27:19].
Four key stages cover most adult human beings:
Abstract Stage
- Definition: The ability to formulate an abstract variable and reason about things that are not physically present [00:28:28]. For example, understanding that “more or less” of something can exist even if it cannot be seen [00:28:35].
- Prevalence: Almost all adult human beings reach this stage, typically around junior high [00:28:46].
Formal Operations Stage
- Definition: The ability to take several abstract variables and formulate linear or nonlinear relationships between them in one’s mind, allowing for testing these relationships [00:29:05].
- Prevalence: More than half of adult human beings reach this stage [00:29:56].
- Relevance: This stage corresponds to much of the work done in modern society, such as maximizing profit or minimizing input while maximizing output, and is generally sufficient for functioning well within a modern labor economy [00:29:30].
Systemic Reasoning Stage
- Definition: The ability to create whole systems of formal relations, including understanding different feedback loops [00:29:59]. Simple examples include equation systems learned in school where information from one equation is used to understand another [00:30:02].
- Prevalence: Only about 20% of the adult population reaches systemic reasoning [00:30:19].
- Characteristics: Most academics tend to be systemic stage thinkers [00:30:26].
Meta-Systematic Reasoning Stage
- Definition: Corresponds to concepts like topology in mathematics, where one can perceive patterns within systems, understand properties of the systems themselves, compare these properties, and switch between different systems, recognizing that different systems have different logics. This leads to less reductive thinking [00:30:35].
- Prevalence: Only about 1.8% of the population reaches meta-systematic reasoning [00:31:31].
- Interaction with lower stages: People at the meta-systematic stage may find those at the abstract stage shallow, while abstract thinkers may perceive meta-systematic thinkers as talking a lot without being concrete [00:31:02].
A stage even higher than meta-systematic is Paradigmatic [00:35:05].
Hierarchical Complexity and Societal Development
The model suggests that societies themselves or cultures seem to have embedded within them certain symbols or ideas (“code” or “value memes”) that are of different stages of complexity [00:33:06]. This implies a non-arbitrary ordering of cultural evolution, where modern societies are more comparable to each other than to themselves 500 years ago [00:33:52].
Challenges and Implications
- Complexity and Adoption: Meta-modern code (which requires meta-systematic thought processes) is often seen as complex, with less than 2% of the population having the cognitive “hardware” to successfully operate it [00:53:01].
- Flattening and Pathologies: When complex ideas are simplified or popularized for lower stages of cognitive complexity, they can become “flattened versions” that may appear similar on the surface but often lead to pathologies. For example, the concept of “listening society” might be misinterpreted as simply taking in everyone’s perspective without coordination, or “growth hierarchies” could be perverted into a justification for moral privileges or authoritarianism [00:55:23].
- Social and Political Impact: Ideas, whether from religion, political ideologies, or scientific theories, often get simplified when popularized, potentially leading to dangerous misinterpretations like fascism or magical thinking if complex concepts are misunderstood or applied at lower stages of reasoning [00:55:11].
- Importance of Core Groups: To achieve significant societal change, it is crucial to focus on affecting the knowledge generation trajectories of a few hundred individuals who are committed to long-term work, planning, and coordination, rather than prioritizing mass popularization immediately [01:00:08].
- Respecting Developmental Stages: A meta-modern perspective emphasizes respecting different developmental stages. It’s not necessary for everyone to become a meta-modernist; rather, the goal is for individual and group agency to align in a complex weave of relations towards shared common goals [01:03:59]. This includes changing informational and political architectures to better coordinate human agency [01:04:21].
Dangerous Ideas
Ideas, including those related to hierarchical complexity, can be dangerous. Misinterpretations at lower cognitive stages can lead to totalitarian outcomes, such as justifying violence or discrimination based on perceived developmental “inferiority” [00:56:42]. The pursuit of societal transformation, while necessary for addressing complex challenges, carries the risk of unforeseen negative consequences if not approached with careful consideration of these potential “flattened versions” [00:56:52].