From: jimruttshow8596
Terrence Deacon’s Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter introduces a framework for understanding complexity and the emergence of life and mind through three distinct levels of dynamic processes: homeodynamics, morphodynamics, and teleodynamics [00:38:35]. These concepts are built upon the fundamental idea of “absence” and the role of “constraints” in shaping physical and biological phenomena [00:06:16].
The Concept of Absence and Constraints
Deacon argues that a critical oversight in scientific theories is the lack of integration of “absence” [00:06:29]. Absence can refer to purposes, meanings, values, or even the unexpressed possibilities that define a form [00:06:51]. The constitution of a word, for instance, is linked to what it is not [00:07:35]. Understanding absence is akin to the historical struggle with the concept of zero in mathematics, which enabled the development of calculus and the handling of infinitely small divisions [00:09:03].
Emergence, in Deacon’s view, can be understood not just as something new “appearing,” but as “something being removed” [00:28:45]. This idea is central to his definition of a “constraint” [00:29:01]. A constraint refers to what is not happening or what is being prevented [00:31:30]. It is the flip side of organization or form [00:31:37]. For example, a symmetrical form is defined by the absence of certain variations [00:32:26]. In essence, “absences can come from absences; new absences can be generated by relationships among previous absences” [01:01:54].
Orthograde and Contra-grade Processes
To articulate these dynamics, Deacon introduces the concepts of “orthograde” and “contra-grade” [00:33:58].
- Orthograde: Processes of change that happen spontaneously, requiring no work or effort [00:34:51]. This is akin to “going with the flow” [00:35:09]. The increase of entropy (the second law of thermodynamics) is a classic orthograde example [00:34:31].
- Contra-grade: Processes that go “against the flow” and require work [00:35:30]. These occur when two orthograde tendencies are not aligned and act to change each other [00:36:32].
The Three Levels of Emergence
Homeodynamics
Homeodynamic processes are primarily orthograde [00:39:34]. They represent dynamics that either lead to an increase in entropy or maintain an unchanging state [00:40:02].
- Characteristics: Spontaneous, tend towards homogenization (homeo-meaning “the same”) or equilibrium [00:40:21]. For example, a gas in a container at equilibrium is constantly changing at the particle level, but its overall structure, gradients, and patterns remain stable [00:40:35].
- Pervasiveness: The vast majority of processes in the universe are homeodynamic [00:46:26].
Morphodynamics
Morphodynamic processes are a higher order of emergence, characterized by their ability to generate order or “form” (morpho-) [00:42:09].
- Mechanism: They arise from contra-grade interactions between specific homeodynamic processes [00:42:16]. These interactions must be precisely balanced to produce regularity [00:42:20].
- Characteristics: They require a flow of energy through the system to maintain a state “far from equilibrium” [00:17:27]. However, they are inherently “self-undermining” because they dissipate the very gradients that make them possible [00:20:00]. For example, a whirlpool drains the water faster, causing its own demise [00:17:56].
- Examples: Whirlpools, convection cells in boiling liquids, and the formation of snow crystals [00:17:37].
- Rarity: They are rarer than homeodynamic processes and tend to dissipate quickly unless “frozen” into a stable state [00:46:57]. This builds upon the work of Ilya Prigogine, who proposed that order can emerge to dissipate energy faster [00:19:23].
Teleodynamics
Teleodynamic processes represent the highest and most complex level of emergence, defined by their “end-directedness” (teleo-) [00:43:01]. This is the realm of living systems and mind.
- Mechanism: They are formed by the juxtaposition of two or more morphodynamic processes that balance, support, and mutually preserve each other [00:44:51]. Crucially, they not only produce order but actively prevent its disappearance, engaging in processes like self-maintenance, reproduction, and repair [00:19:01].
- Characteristics: They are oriented towards an “absent end” – a future state or goal that doesn’t yet exist [00:43:47]. Living things constantly work against their own tendency to cease existing, generating more entropy elsewhere to maintain their local order [00:15:41]. This creates a “self-other” distinction, leading to “normative chemistry”—chemistry that is “good or bad” for the system’s persistence [01:14:40].
- The Autogen Model: Deacon proposes the “autogen” as a thought experiment for the simplest teleodynamic system [00:49:03]. It consists of two interacting morphodynamic processes:
- Reciprocal Catalysis: Molecules (A and B) catalyze each other’s production, leading to rapid self-amplification [00:50:53]. This process is self-undermining as it quickly uses up raw materials [00:51:52].
- Capsid (Container) Formation: Other molecules (G) generated by the catalytic process self-assemble into a container (like a virus capsid) [00:54:16]. This process also slows as raw materials are depleted [00:54:27].
- In the autogen, the catalytic process continuously generates the components needed for capsid growth, while the growing capsid encloses and prevents the diffusion of the catalysts, thus maintaining their interaction [00:55:01]. This synergistic relationship allows for self-repair and self-reproduction, as the system can re-form if broken [00:57:19]. This model shows how a system of absent constraints can reproduce itself [00:59:19].
- Rarity and Spread: Teleodynamic processes are incredibly rare in the cosmos [00:47:58]. However, once they occur, they can “amplify themselves” and spread, as seen with the proliferation of life on Earth [00:48:04].
Sentience and Consciousness
The autogen model leads to a broader definition of sentience [01:19:56]. An autogen can be “sensitive” to its environment: if precursor molecules weaken its containment, it tends to break apart in environments supportive of re-formation [01:18:41]. This differential reactivity, organized to maintain itself and avoid damage, is the simplest form of sentience [01:20:10]. Examples include plants growing roots towards nutrients or leaves towards light [01:21:30].
Consciousness is considered a higher-order teleodynamics [01:32:52]—a teleodynamic process of a teleodynamic process [01:31:36]. Brains, which developed in motile animals, are necessary to predict and sense what is not immediate or absent [01:29:21]. The nervous system itself is teleodynamic, and its activity—cognition—is a dynamic process, not merely static switch settings [01:42:30]. Attention, for instance, is work done when the brain encounters a contra-grade relationship to its spontaneous activity [01:39:25]. Consciousness is a process that continually tries to “destroy itself” by making things unconscious, allowing the brain to efficiently manage its limited processing bandwidth [01:49:04].
Addressing the Hard Problem
Deacon’s framework offers an alternative perspective on Chalmers’ “hard problem” of consciousness [01:51:06]. The hard problem posits that no amount of physical detail about the brain seems to explain subjective experience [01:51:59]. Deacon likens this to Zeno’s paradox, where one never reaches the target, no matter how many half-distances are covered [01:52:22].
However, just as Zeno’s paradox was resolved by rethinking “zero” or “absence,” the hard problem might be resolved by recognizing that we are looking at the wrong side of the story [01:54:19]. Consciousness is not about “more stuff” or mysterious quantum phenomena, but about the dynamics defined by constraints and their synergistic interactions [01:55:13]. Human existence, cognition, and morality are emergent processes of continually producing new constraints from old ones [01:57:50]. We are not merely the physical stuff, but a “dynamical system of constraints that keeps itself in existence” [01:56:40], constantly doing the work of “being” [01:57:05]. This requires an “inversion of our thinking” to acknowledge that “absences matter” and “make a difference” [01:55:37].