09. The Onion Skin

Emergence is an ongoing and growing process in that emergent processes can support further emergence resulting in levels of emergence. It appears also since emergence itself is born out of an out of equilibrium state it can create further out of equilibrium states which foster further emergence.

Each emergence creates a new set of rules. These rules are only apparent or virtual from the perspective of the initiating process (they are not derived functionally). In contrast, these new rules are not just apparent or virtual, but are definite, from the standpoint of the emergent process or further emergent processes that develop out of these emergence rules. Thus processes below an emergence rule are not limited at all by such an emergence rule since they precede the rule. Processes above an emergence rule are, of course, totally limited by such an emergence rule because the rule precedes them. Thus the emergent rules are not apparent but real to forward processes. This contrast in apparent-ness is a reason for an out of equilibrium condition being created by emergence. The emergence rules are a limit on the set of possible energy states for the resultant and thus limit the approach to equilibrium for that system.

Jerome Heath