Qualities and behaviors that inhibit entropy

These retired coin-operated newspaper boxes call to mind two fundamental principals in the science of whole systems. The first is “entropy,” a term borrowed from the second law of thermodynamics in physics. It describes the process whereby matter gradually dissipates or declines into a state of disorder. Throughout the universe, entropy always and inevitably increases with time.

The compounds that constitute mechanical and biological systems revert to their elemental state. Social systems either die or transform to live another day. No exceptions.  The rust on these boxes is evidence of entropy. Had they been treated properly, maintained with oil or fresh paint, entropy would have been inhibited. Being nonphysical, spirit and soul are not subject to entropy. They are immortal.

The way the newspaper boxes stand, lined up like soldiers facing a Drill Sargent, calls to mind the system’s principal of “holism.” To manage mechanical and human systems in the face of entropy, scientists investigated their part-whole relationships and made a key distinction between mechanical systems, which have “parts” that can be repaired or replaced, and living systems that have “members” who make individual choices. Replace a part in a mechanism and it will resume its function. But replace a member of a team and the whole system changes. It will function differently as a result.

To underline the significance of members in living systems, author and journalist Arthur Koestler observed they have higher and lower relationships. Like nested Russian dolls, individual members “stand” in relation to higher order systems above them and lower order systems below. He characterized individual whole systems, wherever they stood, as “holons.”

An example is the human body. Below, it consists of member organs, and below that cells and even lower order holons down to atoms and quarks. Physicists haven’t gone below that because quarks blink in and out of existence from apparent nothingness. Current thinking points to “consciousness,” but that’s a contemplation for another time. Higher order human systems, those above the person, include family, church, special interest groups and social systems on up to governments, nations, humanity and the universe—each themselves, wholes within wholes.

And this relates to entropy because, fortunately, degradation of both mechanical and living systems can be interrupted by caring, increased attention and increased information. By meeting challenges and overcoming the limits of the past, humanity has evolved. And with each advance comes new and sometimes even more complex challenges, setbacks that are at times so severe there isn’t a clear path forward. Despite our perceptions of rising and fallings, the long-term evolutionary trajectory, physically and socially, is toward increased complexity and consciousness.

In The Eye of Spirit: An Integral Vision For a World Gone Slightly Mad  philosopher Ken Wilber asks how we account for the ups and downs of human evolution.

Because evolution proceeds by differentiation and integration, some things can go wrong at each and every stage. And one of the most prevalent forms of evolutionary pathology occurs when differentiation goes too far into dissociation. It is one thing to differentiate the mind and body, quite another to dissociate them. Differentiation is the prelude to integration; dissociation is the prelude to disaster. 

An evolving holon transcends and includes its predecessors. Atoms unite to form molecules, which form cells, which constitute complex organisms, and so on, all the way to the universe. Each stage of development includes its constituent sub-systems and adds its own unique and emergent qualities.

With pathologies, the senior dimension doesn’t transcend and include, it transcends and represses, denies, distorts, disrupts. Each new and higher stage has exactly this choice: transcend and include, befriend, integrate, honor; or transcend and repress, deny, alienate, oppress… The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. The acorn has to differentiate in order to grow into an oak. But if you see every differentiation as a dissociation—if you thoroughly confuse the two—then you are forced to see the oak as a terrible violation of the acorn. And thus, the solution to any problem faced by the oak is: we must get back to our wonderful acornness. The solution, of course, is just the opposite: find those factors that prevent acorns from self-actualizing as oaks, and remove those obstacles, so that differentiation and integration can occur naturally instead of drifting into dissociation and fragmentation.

Arrogant, ego-centric holons (cancer cells, self-centered individuals, dictators) don’t want to see themselves as parts within a whole. They want to be a whole unto themselves. They don’t want to integrate, collaborate, cooperate or be part of something larger than oneself. For them, progress is perceived as a threat. No sharing. No empathy. No compromise or communion with fellow holons.  They want so badly to dominate, to be the whole alone, they will lie, cheat, deny science and facts, promulgate falsehoods and rationalize an illogical position to achieve the status of chief decision-maker, king of the hill, top of the rubble if necessary. I, mine, me, rather than we.

In the above paragraphs Wilber is referring to larger holons such as dictators and tyrants in the context of human evolution, but pathologies can occur at any level. I, mine and me is a mindset that generally seeks inordinate gratification through acquisition, displays of power, manipulation, and celebrity in individuals as well as the larger holons. These can be overt or subtle and creep into one’s lifestyle or culture virtually unnoticed, particularly when they are glamorized or come packaged in the context of entertainment.

Because the focus of this blog is gratitude and appreciation, rather than providing some examples of dissociative values and their consequent behaviors, I will offer instead what I consider to be the antidotes to these values and behaviors—syntropic (entropy inhibitors) qualities that are commonly found in families, friends, colleagues, teachers and students. There are many, but those at the top of my list include moral and ethical decision making, authentic and creative expression, compassion, respect, inclusiveness, consideration for others, empowerment and anything that contributes to the health and well-being of fellow holons, including the greater holons within which we participate—schools, communities, churches, businesses, organizations and so on.

The take-away for me is three-fold. Through the exercise and acknowledgement of these syntropic qualities in daily life, we can overcome the entropic forces of I, mine and me. When we align with and support those who express or demonstrate these qualities, we’re encouraged to transcend our limitations and promote the energies that uplift the individual and the holons above us. And we can avoid falling into the trap of dissociation by respecting differences, honoring uniqueness, and looking for opportunities to acknowledge and celebrate our commonalities, qualities that overcome entropy.

We are all fellow travelers on Spaceship Earth… (In our era) It is the integrity of each individual human that is in final examination. On personal integrity hangs humanity’s fate. 

Buckminster Fuller, Engineer and philosopher