systemsavant

[systemsavant]

[systemsavant]

Assignment 1

A system is a set of interacting or interdependent component parts forming a complex or intricate whole. Every system is delineated by its spatial and temporal boundaries, surrounded and influenced by its environment, described by its structure and purpose and expressed in its functioning.

When I think about this definition of a system what immediately comes to mind is human civilisation, particularly periods of civilisation that reflect ontological changes over time. At the core of this, is the transient ontology that encapsulates civilisation as a system, and more broadly the systems within civilisation, or subsystems. So by looking at past ontologies, we may begin to look at a framework for the way in which we have changed and will change, by way of past, present, and future subsystems. I have taken to the belief that civilisation’s many ages are generated through a collective consciousness; the idea that humans hold shared beliefs, morals and attitudes that operate as a unifying force ultimately governing their way of life and sense of self.  

Wanting to look at every period of human civilisation, but quickly realising this would be an impossible task, I chose three distinct and what I believe to be three of the most critical periods so far to have happened, and in the case of the third period, to be happening. The purpose of my brief referencing to three periods of civilisation with a focus on the final present day period, is to draw on the fact that analysing any human system that previously or currently exists, stems from our questioning and examination into fundamentally ontological rationales. The dynamic landscape of our cognition then, is interdependent on the physical practices we carry out in order to fulfil our collective motivations. As we continue to think and act on these motivations, a way of life realises, this animation either informs or undermines what we believe in and how we see ourselves. As we can see, the very questioning of our existence is without reason or cause, endogenous, but its how we question it and what we do in turn that reveals the exogenous nature of the surrounding environment, where the internal informs the external which then feedbacks internally, and on and on.

The first period of human civilisation is that of Homo Sapiens, the zeitgeist of their time manifested through their hunter-gatherer and mobile nature. Ontologically they were concerned with surviving, and when they weren’t surviving, they were venturing to other geographical locations, possibly to find and settle in more hospitable environments, or to avoid groups/tribes of Homo Sapiens that may have posed as threats to their own ‘kind’. The weight of their self-determination as guided by curiosities of the self and cognitive agency did not have as heavy a presence as the environmental and anatomical factors Homo Sapiens were affected by. Limitations of their prefrontal cortex and geographical attributes such as masses of ice and bodies of water hindered their ability to progress until geographical changes began to occur, and mobility by these early humans became possible.

The second period is the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840), whereby agricultural, political, and ideological realisations had been developing for millennia. By this point varying political structures across nation states had formed, with many forms of government. Transport and infrastructure evolved extraordinarily during this period, as well as more streamlined economics, such as factors of production, which saw the commodification of natural resources, division of labour; in which tasks where split up and assigned to different workers, who then specialised in continuously performing that same role. Efficiency and the utilisation of one’s time had developed around the collective goal of having a role in society, this meant having a defined position by which you were sure of your place in the world. Wether or not it was by choice.

The third and current period, present day, is a turbulent reality with vast amounts of individual thought, not just from artists, thinkers, or politicians but also now by common people. It is through this individuality we see the equity of human lives improved greatly; interestingly this has ushered in ontological anthropocentrism, which refers to a specific paradigmatic system of thinking, it is the belief of human exceptionalism, in which all other species sit below us, and therefore makes the implication that only human lives are of equal importance. This attitude of the self is generally held by contemporary society, and manifests systematically, it is through my analysis of this particular period of civilisation that I will look at three distinct systems by which we engage in understanding notions of self. The first system is the use of social media. These online platforms provide a public digital space for people to cement their individuality, and reaffirm that they are different and in some cases more special then the other 7 billion people in the world. Their password, combination of friends, followers or subscribers unique to their accounts, self governed posts and uploads, and the physical representation of themselves through image and video is one way contemporary humans are sure of their sense of self. Reasonably, despite human beings being of equal importance, their lies a social hierarchy characterised through profession, intellect, wealth, and fame. It is important to understand that to achieve significant and pioneering alterations within society one needs not just the credibility afforded by these factors but also the attitude and vision to propel themselves towards new ways of thinking about themselves, and therefore about the collective human race. It has become more apparent over time that humans are network nodes, coming together to form arguably the most important system, human civilisation. It is here that the importance of network nodes (humans) realises, where an interdependent relationship lies between one or more nodes. These interdependent nodes within society render many networks interdependent, so in the same way a black out reveals the interdependency of ports and resources obtained from the imports, the shortage of doctors or increasing life expectancy has flow on effects on political and civil networks. In light of all this, the trajectory of technological advancement sees us heading to a largely automated society, with projections that 40% of Australian jobs could be replaced by technology by 2025. This predominantly mechanized workforce and huge structural change will once again greatly influence our ever-changing zeitgeist; throughout time the role and nature of nodes and networks have evolved in respect to mobile and spatial developments. Mechanisation will allow for less involvement by human agents in turn affording changing beliefs and attitudes, and ultimately fresh collective consciousness. The most obvious and arguably necessary endeavour to come from the expected ripple effects of mechanisation, will be to engage with solutions to present day limitations of mobility and spatiality, in other words, space exploration and colonisation. Once within our means, it makes sense that we would continue to explore the world as early humans did 2 million years ago. New ways of being, physically and mentally emerge when we think about the possibility, or perhaps nascent of human civilisation in space. With changes to the environment, society as an adaptive system will once again exhibit - culture, politics, and ideology, to name a few, must navigate the disconnect of conventional attitudes and actions previously possessed on Earth and go through stages of change to reflect new human ecologies.