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Naturomimicry: sourcing nature for strategic metaphors
AWOL: American Way Of Life: Assumptions -- justifying worldwide imposition of democratic imperialism (Part #8)
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Biomimicry: There is much current interest in biomimicry as a source of inspiration for technical innovation. That argument with respect to the features of the environment can be extended to include the artefacts of technology, as separately discussed (Engendering a Psychopter through Biomimicry and Technomimicry: insights from the process of helicopter development, 2011). The argument can be extended further to the processes of nature -- perhaps as "naturomimicry".
A degree of recognition to learning from natural processes is offered by Adi Wolfson, Dorith Tavor and Shlomo Mark (Sustainable Services: the natural mimicry approach, Journal of Service Science and Management, 2011). They argue, with respect to their sector, that a natural mimetic approach follows the ground rules of nature to characterize the sustainability of a service and to choose the most sustainable service alternative.
A form of biomimicry is of course to be recognized in management texts such as that of Dudley Lynch and Paul Kordis (Strategy of the Dolphin; scoring a win in a chaotic world, 1988). Here management is urged to think like a "dolphin", rather than a "shark", in order to keep on top of the "carps". A reviewer in a management journal greeted it as "a welcome respite from other management books that urge us to think like samurais, Attila the Hun, or members of the Prussian General Staff.".The point to be made, as discussed separately, is whether a more systematic approach is required to discover what metaphors are beneficial to management thinking under what circumstances (Governance through Metaphor, 1987; Metaphoric Revolution: in quest of a manifesto for governance through metaphor, 1988). It may indeed be useful to think like a shark, or like a carp, under certain circumstances. A more surprising metaphor has been explored by Greg Hearn (If Your Company Were a Cockroach: how to survive in the new business ecology, 2007)
Metaphors from nature: Much valuable inspiration from nature in general, rather than any particular species, has however been intimately related by the Chinese to the philosophy of BaGua -- whose formalism is presented above. The strategic applications, and their cognitive implications, have notably been recognized in one of the three schools of martial arts: Baguazhang. This adapts the BaGua principles in the light of understanding of the eight trigrams (identified above) -- each intimately associated with a natural condition or process.
A classic Japanese text on swordsmanship, and the martial arts in general, by Miyamoto Musashi (The Book of Five Rings / Go Rin No Sho) continues to be valued for its strategic insights. The "rings" correspond to five chapters: The Book of Earth, The Book of Water, The Book of Fire, The Book of Wind and the The Book of Void. These could be readily associated with the BaGua/Swastika pattern above.
It is such possibilities which are justified in some detail by Susantha Goonatilake (Toward a Global Science: mining civilizational knowledge, 1999) as discussed separately (Enhancing the Quality of Knowing through Integration of East-West metaphors, 2000). It should be noted that many strategic management texts currently emerging from Asia already derive insights from such cultural resources. Valuable insights are offered by A. C. Graham (Yin-Yang and the Nature of Correlative Thinking, The Institute of East Asian Philosophies, 1986).
Transformation pathways characteristic of nature: Given the arguments above regarding "naturomimicry" in relation to the distinctions of the BaGua, there is a case for exploring the logical connectivity favoured by the psychiatric professions in terms of the degree of looseness of associations evident in the different states of matter, most typically water -- a symbol of human consciousness in its own right. In the case of water, the "connectivity" is framed there in terms of degree of molecular bonding. Clearly the mode favoured by those professions requires a high degree of bonding as an exemplification of normalcy -- corresponding to "solid" in the phase diagram below. Other modes are effectively deprecated without question. Water can however transform from its solid form into a liquid form, or into a gaseous form -- as the degree of bonding decreases. All forms are valued. One might ask what form might be associated with "wisdom".
| Data -- Information -- Knowledge Tentative adaptation of general phase diagram (for water) to suggest their non-linear relationship (Reproduced from a discussion of Reification of the present, 2003) |
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| Curves: Indicate the conditions of "temperature" and "pressure" under which equilibrium between different phases of insight can exist Critical point: The "temperature" above which the gas cannot be liquefied no matter how much pressure is applied (the kinetic energy simply is too great for attractive forces to overcome, regardless of the applied "pressure") Triple point: The particular condition of "temperature" and "pressure" where all three states are in equilibrium NB: Phases may be subdivided into a complex pattern of sub-phases (exemplified by the variety of forms of ice as solid water) [more] |
The obsession with linear associations, and the deprecation of more fluid associations, has been explored from a strategic perspective by Edward de Bono (I Am Right and You are Wrong; From Rock Logic to Water Logic, 1991). It has been explored otherwise by Douglas Hofstadter (Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: computer models of the fundamental mechanisms of thought, 1995).
Ecopsychological embodiment: In excluding consideration of the Swastika purely as a symbol, the above argument has presented the insights associated with appreciation of Knight's move thinking. This too, although the subject of extensive formal analysis -- both strategic (chess and go) and mathematical (Knight's tours) -- fails to identify qualitative distinctions between the different moves, possibly as intuitively sensed. These become evident to a degree in relation to the BaGua pattern. Consideration of "naturomimicry" -- as a degree of inspiration of inspiration to Asian strategic thinking -- highlights the possibility of a far higher degree of intimate cognitive engagement with the processes characteristic of nature.
This has been discussed separately in relation to water, in the light of the work of Viktor Schauberger, as discussed separately (Enabling Governance through the Dynamics of Nature: exemplified by cognitive implication of vortices and helicoidal flow, 2010).
Contextual Knight's moves and BaGua "Later Heaven" arrangement: The animations above have focused on the "Earlier Heaven" arrangement of the BaGua in relation to the Swastika. Of potential interest is the possibility that the "contextual" Knight's moves may be related to the "Later Heaven" arrangement", as tentatively explored in the following image. Given the experimental manner in which the contextual moves have been arranged, the correspondence would appear to be less successful. Other arrangements of those moves may prove more fruitful.
Knight's move "avoidance container" framing BaGua "Later Heaven" Arrangement |
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Climate change pathways: The argument above suggests the possibility of providing a form of tentative dynamic integration, through creative play, of the elements of climate as they figure in the external and inner environments, as explored separately (Playfully Changing the Prevailing Climate of Opinion: climate change as focal metaphor of effective global governance, 2005).
The suggestion there is that computer-mediated play can provide templates through which to explore variants and possibilities, whether these are meaningful and acceptable or not. There is also the possibility that this process would highlight isomorphism -- and a form of resonance -- between pathways of changing climate and those characteristic of the shifting moods of individuals and groups that characterize the dynamics of public opinion.
Transactional games: Elsewhere (Cardioid Attractor Fundamental to Sustainability: 8 transactional games forming the heart of sustainable relationship, 2005) an eightfold pattern of relationships was described in terms of a generalized understanding of transactional games understood as constituting a cycle. The "relationship games", in the light of the work of Edward Haskell (Generalization of the structure of Mendeleev's periodic table, 1972) and its development by Timothy Wilken (The Relationship Continuum, 2002), are there defined in terms of a "control component" and a "work component" as follows:
| Possible 8-fold Positive-Negative Hybrid Conditions | ||||
| . | . | X = "Work component" | ||
| . | . | Negative | Neutral | Positive |
| Y = "Control component" | Positive | predation (positive negativity) | allotrophy (positive neutrality) | symbiosis (positive positivity) |
| Neutral | amensalism (neutral negativity) | O (neutral neutrality) | commensalism (neutral positivity) | |
| Negative | synnecrosis (negative negativity) | allopathy (negative neutrality) | parasitism (negative positivity) | |
Lauburu: The possibility, and the challenge, can be highlighted through traditional static symbols of the "four elements" of both climate and of psychic integration (whether individual or collective) -- such as the four-fold lauburu (the Basque cross) or its many cross-like equivalents in other cultures -- most notably including the Swastika. In the case of the lauburu, each head (or arm) is drawn with three sweeps of a compass (upon a scribed cross, employing in each head a common centre but two settings, one the half of the other). Superimposing the two variants gives rise to another form of cross.
In the Basque culture, the heads on the vertical axis represent female expression (emotional and perceptual) or the elements of fire and water. Those on the horizontal axis represent male energy (mental and physical) or the elements air and earth. Imanol Mujica (The Lauburu and Its Symbolism) considers that the lauburu symbolizes mankind, made up of four elements: Form, Life, Sensibility and Conscience. The first head symbolizes form or density, the second head symbolizes life or vitality, the third head symbolizes sensibility and the fourth head is the conscience state. Together they are held to represent nature in action and can be associated with the movement of the Earth around the Sun.
| Lauburu (Basque cross) (readily suggestive of a relationship to the pattern of the Swastika) | |
| Left-facing (symbolizing death) | Right-facing (symbolizing life) |
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| Superposition of left and right-facing variants (demonstrating construction) | |
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The lauburu could be related to conventional four-quadrant representations by rotating the symbol 45 degrees. It then lends itself to mapping both the 4-fold "elements" and their corresponding 4-fold personality types of thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition (as extensively explored by depth psychology following C G Jung). Such explorations relate to the four-quadrant synthesis of Ken Wilber [more | more]. A valuable commentary, informed by mathematical insights comparing the perspective of Jung and Wilber, is provided by Peter Collins (Clarifying Perspectives 2: Perspectives, Personality Types and Strings). Collins relates the 4-fold mapping to 8-fold mappings, to the 16-fold mapping of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and to a 24-fold mapping necessary to handle a further ("missing") 8 personality types.
Construction of the lauburu in its two forms can be understood in several ways. The symbol itself, in its positive (right-facing) and negative (left-facing) variants, is derived from selectively colouring the result. On one count, this may be understood as giving rise to 24 parts. This is an interesting 2D variant on the notion of closest packing in 3D. Thought can also be given to the way in which the result is a 2D projection of a 3D variant -- with its extra axis having the same constructions on it.
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