A fascinating image (from Eva, I assume). No, sequentiality is not what's
critical, and neither necessarily is any notion of strict causal linkage.
But we do construct various kinds of linkages, prospectively and
retrospectively, and when they are mutually influencing with some closed
loops, then causality is at most a local construction and has no more
global explanatory power. I don't know if email spaces have "emergents",
but certainly people participating in them do ...
Yes, there are action-algebras, as in quantum theory, for
infinite-dimensional spaces, so that's not an obstacle. The obstacle is
that which dimensions matter change depending on the flow of events, and
some new ones are constantly coming into existence. We need something
closer to a dynamic simulation I think than to a structural algebra. But
that's just my view.
JAY.
At 09:58 PM 7/30/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>could be here:
>
> http://hyperion.math.upatras.gr/commorg/ekeblad/g93part.gif
>
>Although the "flow of time" is represented left to right, what's actually
>important is what action leads to another. Each node (an email) is the
>product of focussed actions: the writing of an email. Time serves
>traditionally to help us keep the ordering of what leads to what straight.
>But traditional notions of time lead to horrible confusion when thinking
>about the ordering of events in special relativity. So maybe time may not be
>necessary for determining which event(s)/email(s) lead to another -- we can
>follow the lines of interaction from each node to its response(s).
>
>So, it's possible, is it not, to think of an action-algebra, in which actions
>become symbolic operators, operating on configuration-space, which in turn,
>makes available a modified set of operators? Hmm? But then the algebras i
>know of are comprised of a finite set of operators, and people's actions are
>extraodinarily many and complex and changing, so where does that leave
>things?
Jay Lemke
Professor
University of Michigan
School of Education
610 East University
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Tel. 734-763-9276
Email. JayLemke@UMich.edu
Website. www.umich.edu/~jaylemke
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