Comprehensive patterning of (in)comprehension and (im)perfection

Towards the Dynamic Art of Partial Comprehension (Part #8)

The patterning of colour offers one indication as to how to think about the possibilities for patterning (in)comprehension. This follows from the extremes of white and black, notably as potentially patterned into shades of gray (as indicated above). More challenging is the recognition of the continuing challenge of ordering the spectrum of colours into a comprehensive framework.

Degrees of "dot connectivity": In the quest for a way of providing a form of container for what otherwise appears as a challenging (white-black) polarization, one approach is to benefit from the yin/yang coding system explored in Chinese culture -- more simply in the Ba Gua pattern of 8 distinctions, further developed into the 64 distinctions of the I Ching. The argument is then that "comprehension" can be indicated by the unbroken "connectivity" of the yang line, in contrast to incomprehension as the "disconnectivity" of the yin line. In effect this is then a way of elaborating the process commonly described as "connecting the dots", most recently with respect to intelligence analysis by Kevin Fenton (Disconnecting the Dots, 2011).

Several explorations of related possibilities are described separately (Discovering Richer Patterns of Comprehension to Reframe Polarization, 1998; Transformation Metaphors -- derived experimentally from the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ching) for sustainable dialogue, vision, conferencing, policy, network, community and lifestyle, 1997; Unknown Undoing: challenge of incomprehensibility of systemic neglect, 2008).

Sterile interpretations: Of particular interest is the sense in which any such distinctions are equally (but differently) valued, rather than reinforcing cognitive entrapment in restrictive and unfruitful understandings of:

comprehension = good, right, enlightened, positive, connected
incomprehension = bad, wrong, ignorance, negative, disconnected

Expressed otherwise, it is an effort to move beyond the sense in which the "white" keys on a piano could be unfruitfully valued as "positive", and the "black" keys as "negative" -- thereby encouraging questionable efforts to make music with the white keys only. The approach endeavours to highlight the value of disconnection, for example, as a complement to that associated with connection. The possibilities of fruitful interplay between connection and disconnection are especially evident in the case of electrical systems -- exemplified by the ability to turn a light on or off.

A problematic interpretation is evident in the implication, now widely propagated with respect to social networking, that "connection" is "good", in contrast to "non-connection" -- curiously conflated with interpretation of "connected" in terms of telecommunication connectivity. These simplistic connotations have notably been challenged by William Powers (Hamlet's Blackberry: a practical philosophy for building a good life in the Digital Age, 2010).

The argument is far from trivial given the problematic consequences of associating yang with male and yin with female, such as to imply that yang is "good" and yin is "bad". With the elaborated variants understood as a form of game between yang and yin, the argument can be taken further (Tao of Engagement -- Weaponised Interactions and Beyond: Fibonacci's magic carpet of games to be played for sustainable global governance, 2010).

Variety of distinctions: Focusing on the possibility of distinct degrees of comprehension and incomprehension, and the manner in which they might interweave, the classical 8-fold Ba Gua pattern evokes the question of how these distinctions are recognized and valued in practice. Especially interesting is the possibility of drawing on insight into (in)comprehension in both interpersonal relationship and in patterns of dialogue -- in the light of recognition of the forms of (in)comprehension variously experienced and valued.

Again it is not simply a question of focusing on the "harmonious" and "peaceful" -- quickly recognized as unchallenging and boring in practice, as well-illustrated in music and drama. "Human" relationships call for a larger palette of colours or melodic devices -- readily evident in the exploration of drama capable of holding attention. These examples all point to the role of time in allowing for, or requiring, a pattern of alternation between the various form of (in)comprehension.

Rock vs Water? It is in this sense that a fruitful contrast is made by Edward de Bono between "rock logic" and "water logic" (Water Logic, 1993). The former restricts attention to a static pattern, with the latter highlighting a dynamic pattern. However the contrast also helps to emphasize the need for both in practice -- as is only too evident in the environment -- rather than encouraging cognitive entrapment in "rock" = "bad", and "water" = "good" -- or the need to switch from one to the other (Recontextualizing Social Problems through Metaphor: transcending the switch metaphor, 1990).

However, given the dependency on "rock logic" in practice, the need for the exploration of "water logic" is evident. There are various examples of such explorations (Douglas Hofstadter, Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: computer models of the fundamental mechanisms of thought, 1995; Viktor Schauberger). Their implications are discussed separately (Enabling Governance through the Dynamics of Nature: exemplified by cognitive implication of vortices and helicoidal flow, 2010).

Patterns of change: Providing a form of container for patterns of (in)comprehension, rather than implying a need to switch from incomprehension to comprehension, for example, offers a richer approach to the kind of "change" so widely sought and acclaimed. It suggests that the change may not be unidirectional -- from Bad Now to Good Future -- but that the change may rather be the embodiment of a pattern of alternation between conditions variously approximate to different circumstances. As the so-called Book of Changes, the I Ching offers insights that merit "mining" in the sense indicated by Susantha Goonatilake (Toward a Global Science: mining civilizational knowledge, 1999).

That coding system can be used to explore an 8-fold set of distinctions of forms of (in)comprehension, corresponding to the classical Bagua pattern. This is conventionally presented in two distinct arrangements of the same trigrams. Here, as a basis for discussion, a trigram of 3 unbroken lines is considered as representing "comprehension" (maximum connectivity), and that with 3 broken lines as "incomprehension" (maximum disconnectvity). There are then 6 intermediary conditions.

Bagua Arrangements (reproduced from Wikipedia)
Fuxi ("Earlier Heaven") arrangement	King Wen ("Later Heaven") arrangement

One merit of this representation is that it is strongly associated in its interpretation in Chinese culture with the sense in which the trigram conditions in the pattern are indicative of conditions changing into one another within the pattern -- effectively as the constituent lines "flicker" between unbroken and broken. It is therefore indicative of a pattern of alternation appropriate to insight into the shifting conditions of (in)comprehension.

Patterns of colour:: Use of colour, as mentioned above, offers a way of further clarifying degrees of (in)comprehension by applying the 8 "shades of gray" distinguished in the Wikipedia presentation to the Bagua arrangement, using the Fuxi arrangement as an example in the image below. Here it is assumed that the darker the colour, the greater the "incomprehension".

Association of "colours" to the Bagua Fu Xi arrangement
Indicative association of 8 "shades of gray" (standard computer names are added for the shades)	Indicative association of 8 "colours" (colours defined according to RGB colour model, according to lines: 255=unbroken line, 0=broken line)

The variety of distinctions in the representation of (in)comprehension can be taken further in this way. The range of "shades of gray" can be extended to 16, for example. This could be represented using the Chinese convention by extending the above 3-line pattern to one with 4-lines. It is appropriate to note that there are many more "shades of gray" generated by combinations of red, green and blue. For example, a table of 33 shades of gray (including black and white) is obtained by using combinations of red, green and blue in equal proportions. There are many kinds of colour wheel (or colour circle), produced as an abstract organization of color hues around a circle that shows relationships between primary colours, secondary colors, tertiary colours, complementary colours, etc.

RGB colour wheel
(12 Primary, secondary, and tertiary colours from Wikipedia)

As an example, given their historically unfruitful relationship, fruitful discussion could potentially emerge from associating the three Abrahamic religions with different primary colours (red, green, and blue) in such a wheel. This offers the delightful possibility of a comparative "colour theology" -- in the light of its traditional exploration (cf Rudolf Ritsema, The Realms of Colour, 1974).

As additive colours, starting without light (as black), they together constitute white -- suggestive of their shared inspiration. As subtractive colours, starting with light (white), they together form black -- suggestive of the unproductive conflicts in which they repeatedly indulge, through the theocratic countries most representative of them. The dynamics are defined in geopolitical terms by Johan Galtung (Islamism, Christianism, Judeaism, Hoggar Institute, 25 April 2011). The representation is of course provocative in that it implies that the comprehension within each religion, of the essential inspiration they share, is necessarily "partial" rather than "total" -- which would be consistent with any sense in which its nature is claimed to be mysterious. The example of course excludes consideration of the role of other religions in any such spectrum. As presented the argument is simplistic, given the detailed technical insight into colour -- offering a richer exploration of its use as a metaphor, as suggested by the complementarity in the RGB colour wheel between the colours in the two images below.

Primary colours (images from Wikipedia)
*Subtractive combination* (yellow, magenta, cyan)	*Additive combination* (red, green, blue)

Potentially of greater value in exploring the representation of degrees of (in)comprehension is the use of other colours. For example, 16 colours are specifically named for use on the web: aqua, black, blue, fuchsia, gray, green, lime, maroon, navy, olive, purple, red, silver, teal, white, and yellow. As an experiment, the approach can be extended (in the figure below) to the pattern of 64 dynamically interlinked hexagrams, as described separately (Alternating between Complementary Conditions -- for sustainable dialogue, vision, conference, policy, network, community and lifestyle, 1981). The pattern is used as the logo of this website.

Experimental association of "colours" to the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching
(colours defined according to the RGB colour model, using the set of 3 double lines in a hexagram to distinguish RGB
broken/broken=0, broken/unbroken=85, unbroken/broken=170, unbroken/unbroken=255)
[lowest doublet: upper left quadrant=255; upper right quadrant=170; lower left quadrant=85; lower right quadrant=0]

Previous experiments with this pattern offer access, from each of the 64 positions, to classical Chinese commentary
adapted with respect to Dialogue / Vision / Conference / Policy / Network / Community / Lifestyle

The above experiment invites a number of comments regarding its inadequacies. Clearly the manner of attribution of RGB colours to the hexagrams is arbitrary. The allocation could be reversed, reading the "red" value as the bottom doublet rather than the top. The pattern is suggestive of such alternative readings (as discussed in the commentary). Of interest is the questionable symmetry/complementarity of the colours across the image. It is appropriate to note that use was not made of so-called web-safe colours.