DANIEL FRIEDMAN
  • Home
    • About
  • Shop
  • Art
    • NFT
    • Patriotic Art
  • Research
    • Philosophy
  • Blog

Art with Constitution-in-the-Loop

10/27/2022

0 Comments

 
This blog post and image series used the Stable Diffusion algorithm to generate visual art based upon the full text of each Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Elsewhere I continue to explore similar themes, with drawing. However here I thought it could be interesting and provocative to explore this kind of "Constitution-in-the-Loop Art" (or "Art-in-the-Loop Constitution", or however you see it).

This is a relatively simple and incipient version of how this type of project could be done; this type of work could be used in many ways.

I will give a few quick thoughts on next steps and adjacencies here, then display the text of the Amendments-as-Prompts, juxtaposed with a single chosen output image per prompt. Some longer Amendments are truncated here, though the full text was used as a prompt. 

Some related ideas and future areas to develop towards: 
  • The image generation could be higher resolution, explored deeper with random seed selection, and based upon a larger training data set.  
  • Other formats beyond static image could be generated (videos, texts, curriculum, FOIA requests, etc). 
  • The Library of Congress API or other governmental data accessions could be used to generate large prompt libraries composed of e.g. Law, Discourse, News, Speeches, etc. 
  • Along similar lines, prompts could be harvested from the Constitutions of Web3 project by MetaGov.

Amendment I (1791)

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Picture
Amendment II (1791)

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Picture
Amendment III (1791)

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Picture
Amendment IV (1791)

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Picture
Amendment V (1791)

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Picture
Amendment VI (1791)

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Picture
Amendment VII (1791)

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Picture
Amendment VIII (1791)

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Picture
Amendment IX (1791)

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Picture
Amendment X (1791)

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Picture
Amendment XI (1795/1798)

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.
Picture
Amendment XII (1804)

The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate; .........
Picture
Amendment XIII (1865)

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Picture
Amendment XIV (1868)

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 2. .....

Picture
Amendment XV (1870)

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Picture
Amendment XVI (1913)

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
Picture
Amendment XVII (1913)

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments .....
Picture
Amendment XVIII (1919)

Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution....
Picture
Amendment XIX (1920)

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Picture
Amendment XX (1933)

Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.
Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died....
Picture
Amendment XXI (1933)

Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
Section 2.  The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
Section 3.  This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.
Picture
Amendment XXII (1951)

Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term......
Picture
Amendment XXIII (1961)

Section 1. The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct:
A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided ....
Picture
Amendment XXIV (1964)

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Picture
Amendment XXV (1967)

Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.
Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
Section 3. ​ Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office ....
Picture
Amendment XXVI (1971)

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Picture
Amendment XXVII (1992)

No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
Picture
0 Comments

Some more thoughts on Bucky Fuller and William Blake, on reading part of Fuller's new biography

8/7/2022

0 Comments

 

For me it is a work-in-progress to connect the life of Buckminster Fuller a bit more with William Blake. Today I return to this topic prompted by novel information provided in the new Fuller biography (Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller, by Alec Nevala-Lee, August 2022), and synchronous and asynchronous discussions with the Trimtab Book Club. I last explored the Fuller-Blake juxtaposition in Synergetics Stream #006.0 in February 2021 (timestamp in the link goes to the start of this discussion).

There are strong resonances in some aspects of the social lives of Fuller and Blake. For example both in-person contacts and written correspondences with technical, professional, artistic, government, aristocratic, religious, and esoteric communities. Yet Blake contrasts strongly with Fuller on other socio-spatial dimensions: Blake never traveled more than a few hundred miles from London, and his marriage with Catherine was childless and quite different from Fuller & Anne's.

​A shared aspect between Fuller and Blake in their work and writing, is a focus on the process of artefact reconstruction/reenactment (e.g. skilled iteration on a methodology). Both of them matured in the context of a lifelong tension around selling different created artefacts -- a tension complexified because both made artefacts of disparate types, some original/singular pieces, some works that could be copied, and everything in between. For both of them, this balancing act resulted in an oscillatory focus towards different sorts of tasks and work (e.g. allocating attention to fulfilling contracts, seeking new projects, upgrading/revisiting past work, dealing with sickness/emergency, doing other things with their time). So for both of them there is a divergent yet resonant material-historical-contextual dynamic in terms of their career-long relationship with artefact development.

Hinging on this question of originals, copies, and multiple perspectives, there is much more to add, some of it hinted at powerfully in the 2012 blog of "William Blake and Enlightenment Media". To quote from the blog (their writing in quoted italics) and expand on a few points of Fuller-Blake contact:

1. "Because Blake was not truly trained as a painter, but rather an engraver, he was never considered a fellow of the Royal Academy and thusly faced a bias from intellectual society towards his engravings.". 

In what ways did Fuller have similar experiences in e.g. grade school, college, the Navy, industries, architecture, his families/friends, and so on?
What experienced cognitive phenomena (of themselves and others) helped and hindered, the development and implementation, of the work of Fuller and Blake? 


2.
"Blake’s Philosophy of Art emphasizes a certain–dare I say, mechanical–precision. He centers his ideal on the fact that “To Particularize is the Alone Distinction of Merit.”". 
This polysemous use of "to particularize" as to conceptually partition as well as to deploy specifically, is deeply related to Fuller's unique Operationalist approach, and to Synergetics even more generally (e.g. that particular points and space enclosures alone are a sufficient starting place for a dynamic vectorial geometry; a geometry of lumps with symmetries). Blake was always dancing with particulars and the generalities (perhaps related to the physical/metaphysical dialectic of Fuller), especially as applied in human social settings. For example Blake famously exhorted: "He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars: general Good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite, and flatterer, for Art and Science cannot exist but in minutely organized Particulars.".

Note the interesting concordance here, where in Free Energy Principle and Active Inference literature, there is also a richly polysemous use of the term "particular" (as in
"A free energy principle for a particular physics", Friston 2019). As with Synergetics, the focal and starting point of the Free Energy Principle, is the particular thing in terms of a time-defined generative model (perhaps a statistical analogue to the Sphere or Vector Equilibrium in Synergetics, considered from a cognitive-behavioral perspective in arbitrary spaces and including quantum effects) as partitioned from the generative process (the field of action or the niche; perhaps analogous to the Isotropic Vector Matrix in Synergetics).

Towards developing this navigational, (information) geometric, and cognitive resonance between Active Inference and Synergetics (which, after all is subtitled: "Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking"), a promising view has been provided recently by Brett Andersen, in his August 2022 blog "
Order, Chaos, Relevance Realization, and Mythology". In the article Andersen relates various contemporary conceptual threads, including John Vervaeke's relevance realization and Jordan Peterson's Maps of Meaning. With this contribution, Andersen has provided an important movement towards in the modeling of multiscale multiagent cognitive landscapes in terms of real & imaginary (which is to say cognitive, generalized, or abductive) spatial dynamics. 

3.
"Blake sums it up nicely by stating that “Every Eye Sees differently As the Eye–Such the Object.”". 

Even beyond the timeless I/Eye pun, this summary aligns with Fuller's situational-perspectival-geometrical view, for example in Synergetics 1005.52 "The eternal is omniembracing and permeative; and the temporal is linear. This opens up a very high order of generalizations of generalizations. The truth could not be more omni-important, although it is often manifestly operative only as a linear identification of a special-case experience on a specialized subject.".

4.
"It is actually an answer of perception: what does the artist see? That is what the artist portrays, as according to Blake “All Forms are Perfect in the Poets Mind.”".
What are the "doors of perception", or "fearful symmetry" for Fuller? 
What is the "4D Time Lock" or "Dymaxion" brand for Blake? 
For you, as it was for them as well:  
What Forms are Perfect? 
Where/What is the Poet's Mind? 
What are you curious about now? 

Picture
"Yogic Geometry", Daniel Friedman, Pen & paper, 2020, based upon the William Blake art piece "Newton".
0 Comments

Winged Snowflake (2021)

12/9/2021

0 Comments

 
"A free energy principle for the brain". Friston, Kilner, Harrison (2006).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17097864/
10.1016/j.jphysparis.2006.10.001
https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl/A%20free%20energy%20principle%20for%20the%20brain.pdf
Figure 1: ​Schematic highlighting the difference between dissipative, self-organising systems like snowflakes and adaptive systems that can change their relationship to the environment.
Picture
Below is my rendition of the Figure, also inspired by the work of William Blake
Picture
Like any other scientific/artistic figure, a variety of interpretations and perspectives are possible & encouraged. Here is just one ​path through the “Winged Snowflake” drawing that highlights some core features of the Free Energy Principle and Active Inference.

Starting on the left side: The temperature arrow points down, pointing from lower temperatures (visually higher) to higher temperatures (visually lower). The phase boundary separates order from disorder; life from death. Above the phase boundary (below the critical temperature), crystalline and quasi-crystalline systems are able to persist, like a Snowflake in a freezing cloud. Below the phase boundary (above the critical temperature), to borrow a line from Hamlet, the Snowflake can do nothing but “melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew” – it ceases to exist because it undergoes an irreversible phase transition. This dissipated system is symbolized by scattered raindrops, falling from a cloud. 

On the top side of the phase boundary, a well-ordered Snowflake is represented as a Bayesian graph (nodes are statistical variables, edges are associations among node-variables). The Bayesian graph (map) of the Snowflake (territory) is a construction that represents the minimal Active Inference entity in terms of a partitioning with four kinds of nodes: Internal, External, Sense, and Action (see “Stochastic Chaos and Markov Blankets” and ActInf Livestream #032.0 for more information). External states influence Sense states, which influence the unfolding dynamics of Internal states (this is perception, or sentience). Internal states influence Action states, which Influence the unfolding dynamics of External states (this is action, or control). That's the perception-cognition-action cycle we know and love. The dots that were scattered widely below the phase boundary, are concentrated densely in the ActInf entity above the boundary. 

Conditioned on the observation (map) and existence (territory) of the Snowflake, there are two options. First, the Snowflake can dissipate (the arrow pointing down to the raindrops). Or, the Snowflake can live (persist, persevere, survive, resist dissipation). Here, life is symbolized by a DNA double helix breaking out of the box (constrained open-endedness of development and evolution). Once the DNA is outside of the box, we see all the activities you'd expect a good lifeform to do: replication to make more DNA, transcription of DNA into RNA, and translation of that RNA into Protein. Together, the dynamic persistence of DNA, RNA, and Protein (and their colleagues such as carbohydrates, lipids, and vitamins) is symbolized by the eternal cosmic dance of the winged Ant Queen (Queens come from Queens and make more Queens). This Snowflake Queen has regular insect wings on her left side (your right) and an angel wing on her right side (your left). Also she has a tripartite Troika for an antennal set (this is like having a third eye, but for Ants). 

As the top cursive caption suggests, in order to be persistAnt in an entropic world, the Snowflake Queen must carry out “dissipative exchange that precludes phase transition”. This vital exchange is not based upon merely intellectualized cognition. Rather it is predicated upon “action on the environment” – this is what distinguishes Active Inference from a host of other frameworks like Predictive Processing, and integrates it with areas like Ecological Psychology, Cybernetics, and Enactive/Embodied/Extended/Embedded/Encultured cognition.

All “things” do come to an end however, and the Ant Queen is no exception. When the particular Ant Queen loses her wings, she falls from grace and becomes worker-like. This phase transition for the Ant is like those raindrops falling from a frozen cloud – or not!
0 Comments

"Critical Path", R. Buckminster Fuller

8/8/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Because Critical Path is one of Bucky Fuller's last major works (1981), it draws together many of his deepest ideas in a format where disparate projects developed over his life are juxtaposed and contextualized. The book demonstrates an inspiring scope of thought (for example: all of history, the generalized physics of the action-outcome nexus, the role of humans on Spaceship Earth). The entire pragmatic and paradigmatic notion of the book -- CRITICAL PATH -- is that the path we are on, is CRITICAL (in the sense of essential, important, phase-transitioning, skeptical, perilous, life-and-death, required....). Critical Path was written with a collaborator (Kiyoshi Kuromiya, on the book cover listed as an "Adjuvant"), so it is comprehensible despite its comprehensiveness. 

I find Critical Path to be a relatively accessible and endlessly re-readable on-ramp to Fuller's body of work. It is a book that first introduced me to many ideas which continue to be influential in my thinking many years after first exposure (Synergetics, Tensegrity, Dymaxion, Geodesics, World Game, etc.). When reading the book, both at first & now, there are cases where I rankle at Fuller's claims, or can't decipher what is being conveyed by a sentence, or think a word is being used imprecisely, or have an alternative way of thinking about some topic. In all these cases, by observing my own psychological & conceptual responses to Fuller's singular body of work, I develop as a person and as a scientist. This type of influence between the reader and Fuller (perhaps as is the case for any writer read with the appropriate respect) is the kind that transcends all description, so Fuller's impact on a particular reader or the world cannot be stated. 

Whether we like it or not, Spaceship Earth set sail long, long ago. What we are left to do now as individuals/Scientists, according to Fuller, is perform omnidirectional sense-making and be the small change that steers Spaceship Earth along the Critical Path, toward an ever-better vision for the future. Steering us all along that Critical Path, and being humble along the way, is what Bucky Fuller did with his unconventionally-experimental syntax and life ("Guinea Pig B" was what he called himself). It is why the gravesite distillation of his life is not a list of ideas, patents, books, frameworks, students, or service to America and the World -- it is the simple ask:  “Call me Trimtab”. 
Picture
0 Comments

American Social Contract (The Great Seal)

7/6/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
"The American Social Contract", https://www.flickr.com/photos/daniel_friedman/50084151372/in/dateposted-public/
Through drawing and reinterpreting symbols, we can express and explore visions for America. In the drawing above, there are 4 zones of text, read from top to bottom:
“Annuit Cœptis”
“MDCCLXXVI ←→ MMXX” 
“Novus Ordo Seclorum”
“The Great Promise”

The drawing is styled after the back (or is it the front?) of “The Great Seal”, which can be found on the back (or is it the front?) of the $1 USA dollar bill. To facilitate comparison, the reference image is shown here. We can start at the bottom of the drawing and build to the conclusion at the top. 
Picture
“The Great Promise” is America’s foundational Promise to itself and the world. It isn’t always easy to follow the faint golden thread of this Promise amidst the red, white, and blue swirls; though I have learned that this thread can be traced, taught, and extended. The thin dotted thread of the Promise surrounds the entire known space of the drawing. This reflects the total scope, yet fragile nature, of the ongoing American experiment. I see that the Markov blanket of the American Promise is tattered but the circle remains unbroken. Maybe the hypothesis we are testing in the American experiment is something like: We hypothesize that within the manifest domain of this Promise (everywhere), we as Americans will always be vigilant, virtuous, and high-minded. 

“Novus Ordo Seclorum” is a Latin phrase that has multiple different translations and senses in English (culturally-imbued terms can defy translation). We can take it word-by-word, and consider what each part of the phase might mean. “Novus” resonates with English words like New, Novel, and Nova. “Novus” invokes the explosive and exciting regeneration process that is the reality of the fight for American values. “Ordo” recalls two senses of “Order”. The first sense of Order here is something like, “How do we as America Order ourselves internally and also Order others external to our borders?”. The second sense of Order is akin to a sequential temporal ordering (blockchain, tapestry, choose your metaphor). In this second sense, the book that is America can always receive a new chapter and annotation, a new contribution, solution, perspective, or strategy. The events of the past can not be changed; they can be (and should be) reinterpreted and reanalyzed. We are empowered and have impact as citizens when we connect authentically to the multiple perspectives and events that contribute to American history. “Seclorum” sounds like Secular (as in, the legal separation of Church and State), but actually derives from the term “saeculum” meaning “length of time roughly equal to the potential lifetime of a person or, equivalently, of the complete renewal of a human population”. This term’s use here is interesting, since it hints at both the life-long internal alchemy that is patriotism, as well as the population-level dynamics of a political demos. 

MDCCLXXVI is the number 1776 written in Roman numerals, MMXX is the number 2020 written in Roman numerals. America is built on the foundation of the past, which means that we stand on the shoulders of 1776 and every other year as well. Too much focus on 1776 can be misleading, it can lead to a tendency to downplay the relevance of other pre- and post-1776 events and people. In this drawing, the pyramid has a foundation that is anchored in the complete continuum of all the past and present, a fabric inclusive of all perspectives. Building on this multi-dimensional foundation, the steps of the pyramid reflect not the degrees of esoteric initiation, but the ways in which citizens can raise up America and the World. The pyramid is a flag, because American values guide us upwards, every step of the way. The shadowy side of the pyramid is infinite, since what America hides is truly enormous. The pyramid has wings like an eagle, or maybe like an angel, because this is how the American pyramid scheme escapes “turtles all the way down” – we are flying high and we are doing it live! 

Atop the pyramid, instead of an illuminated capstone that exudes a dark symbology, we find an American flag (yes, another one). This reflects the notion that service to the country really is the highest possible vision for a citizen. Of course each person’s manifested behavior, and therefore their destiny, results from the interaction of value systems, constraints, influences,etc. – but for the purposes of improvised emblematic logos, suffice to say that no higher vision exists than that Grand Old Flag!

The top of the drawing reads “Annuit cœptis”, another Latin phrase. “Annuit” apparently derives from a term related to divine approval, and “cœptis” is a modified plural word that refers to an ensemble of undertakings. I leave it to the viewer to research the wildly-contrasting English translations of this phrase available, and consider what they might mean in the context of the American story. Suffice to say that if “Annuit cœptis” has to do with a divine or synchronistic approval of pluralism (pluralism sensu Aristotle, anti-Federalists, Tarski, Krishnamurti, Longino, and others), then I am onboard. 

Above even the Grand Old Flag in the drawing, is an infinitely-graded equilateral triangle. This triangle is a placeholder for the true stuff of American Exceptionalism; that which animates the patriot’s yearning, the powerful visions and values that make our banner a symbol worth protecting. The layout of the visual parable is as such: After a citizen scales the steps of the American pyramid to reach the top, they must then jump upwards and pass through the veil of the flag. Remember that the American flag is not the territory of patriotism, it is the map. For so many missions, this map is needed dearly: to see once in a while as inspiration, and to carry inside always. The highest service to a symbol, always transcends the symbol itself. The American spirit is a politicized formalization of this metaphysical idea – and if that is not Exceptional, I do not know what is.
2 Comments

105 Drawing Livestreams in 2019!

1/3/2020

0 Comments

 
In 2019 I did 105 drawing livestreams (video #105 below). I am looking forward to 105 or more livestreams in 2020. 

​www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Yx_kyzXBdp1zT8bYFmbhQ/sub_confirmation=1
​
Click this link to subscribe to the channel on youtube.
0 Comments

Of Ant Colonies & Consciousness....

2/17/2019

0 Comments

 
A few days ago my collaborator Eirik Søvik and I published an article in the Philosophy journal Synthese, entitled "The ant colony as a test for scientific theories of consciousness". In the paper we discuss the confusing heterogeneity of "theories of consciousness", and reflect on how empirical behavioral ecological work on Ant colonies brings a new perspective to the question about consciousness in the universe. The abstract is below: 

The appearance of consciousness in the universe remains one of the major mysteries unsolved by science or philosophy. Absent an agreed-upon definition of consciousness or even a convenient system to test theories of consciousness, a confusing heterogeneity of theories proliferate. In pursuit of clarifying this complicated discourse, we here interpret various frameworks for the scientific and philosophical study of consciousness through the lens of social insect evolutionary biology. To do so, we first discuss the notion of a forward test versus a reverse test, analogous to the normal and revolutionary phases of the scientific process. Contemporary theories of consciousness are forward tests for consciousness, in that they strive to become a means to classify the level of consciousness of arbitrary states and systems. Yet no such theory of consciousness has earned sufficient confidence such that it might be actually used as a forward test in ambiguous settings. What is needed now is thus a legitimate reverse test for theories of consciousness, to provide internal and external calibration of different frameworks. A reverse test for consciousness would ideally look like a method for referencing theories of consciousness to a tractable (and non-human) model system. We introduce the Ant Colony Test (ACT) as a rigorous reverse test for consciousness. We show that social insect colonies, though disaggregated collectives, fulfill many of the prerequisites for conscious awareness met by humans and honey bee workers. A long lineage of philosophically-neutral neurobehavioral, evolutionary, and ecological studies on social insect colonies can thus be redeployed for the study of consciousness in general. We suggest that the ACT can provide insight into the nature of consciousness, and highlight the ant colony as a model system for ethically performing clarifying experiments about consciousness.
0 Comments

Neurotypographical

11/13/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
Neurotypographical. [Neuro-typo-graphical], Adjective:
Describing a person who has Neurotypographia.
(in contrast with "Neurotypical" people). 

Classical Diagnostic Symptoms:
- Bibliomania (love of reading & collecting books) and Graphomania (love of obsessive writing & drawing). 
- Frequent production of automatic speech and automatic writing with distinctive style. 
- Time dilation or contraction while producing and interpreting language. 
- Strong sensitivity to certain sensory stimuli. 
- Tendency to interpret meanings broadly (pan-semantica?) and produce artifacts with multiple interpretations. 
- Choice of pen (or other media) alters thought dynamics. 
- Manias and "conspiratorial thinking" are essentially always present, but can be productively channeled via discipline and education. 
- Consistent cycling between introverted and extroverted phases. 
- Acknowledgement, but not belief, of "New Age" ideation.  
- Drive for integrative "big" ideas with universal scope.
- Individuals may be classified incorrectly under other DSM labels such as AD(H)D or otherwise. 

Classical Prodromal Symptoms:
- Childhood fascination with stationary and office supplies, especially pen/pencil collecting. Sometimes excessive tape/glue/post-it use is also present.
- Delayed or poor handwriting as a child. 
- Very early or late reading ability. 
- Obsessions with Esoteric topics during childhood, such as: Alchemy, Egyptology, UFO's, alternative histories, famous mystics, the Occult, sex magick, NLP/persuasion, mind control, etc. 
- Inexplicable Spiritual and/or Religious leanings.
- Passive roles in childhood trauma. 

Note: the onset of Neurotypography can be catalyzed by consuming fontplays by other Neurotypographical thinkers such as: Marshall McLuhan, Rene Magritte, MC Escher, Buckminister Fuller, Ram Dass, etc. 

If you or your child appear to be Neurotypographical, write on!
2 Comments

Diversity in the university

10/3/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
In the image, "Diversity of Thought" and "Diversity of Identity" are two complex vectors passing through a general "Diversity Space". We know from bio-social studies that each of these vectors are influenced by many factors and  can be defined many ways. Ultimately all forms of diversity are manifested in a unique, embodied individual - an insight shared between Intersectionality and Liberalism (Individualism). 

"Uni-versity" is the organizational structure that aims to prepare the naive, educate the ignorant, and research the barely-known. There is only one University - otherwise they would have called it something different. 

"Di-versity" is the idea that differences exist among groups of objects that are similar enough to call a group, but dissimilar enough where differences can be seen. The "Di-" prefix reminds us that defining differences is always an act of bifurcation. The sooner we can realize that ideas and definitions exist as a consequence of opposition to one another, a more productive political discussion might emerge. 

"Tri-versity" is a made-up word (aren't they all....), and seemed like the next logical step in the sequence. Perhaps a "tri-versity" is the group of people who are "tri-ing" to make things "better" (implying coordinated action that also includes a collective consensus on what "better" should be). 



0 Comments

Truth Through Geometry

2/21/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
The first thought bubble emerging from the figure's mind is a loopy ring. A human child's first categories of the world are topological, not geometric (Jean Piaget *). This phase of evolutionary (species-level) and developmental (child-level) complexity is characterized by the inability to formalize topology beyond the immediate geometric forms found in nature. 

The second thought bubble emerging from the figure's mind is the idea of a point. Defining a point implies defining the space the point exists within. Thus the innovation of the infinitesimal "point" relies upon the shadow-concept of a vast, or even infinite, "space". Think about it from the point of view of a RAM-limited verbally-combative chat bot: Without the "space" to make an argument (e.g. pass values into functions), how could it "make a point"? 

The third thought bubble emerging from the figure's mind is a question: "Is the set of All points equidistant from some specified Point equivalent to a continuous 'Circle'?".

The fourth thought bubble is the following trilema: What is a Point? What is a Circle? What is a continuous line?

The fifth thought bubble is the obvious (to some) and esoteric (to most) next developmental stage of Geometry: Progressively more extreme abstractions to divine hypothesized or even merely possible types of relations among, for example, sets, categories, types, numbers, fields, networks, algebras, and grammars, and sentences and run on sentences and so on. 

In the final panel, a compass traces out a circle (n.b. not a "Circle"). Experiments can reveal patterns that exist comfortably beyond the reach of theory. Seafarers we are, in this ocean of possible Geometries - the Compass is where we must find Direction. Each individual's compass is crafted by Evolution and tuned by local experience, leading to predictable temporal and spatial patterns of self-similarity of outcomes across idiosyncrasies. Chaotic systems, such as children, are apt to strongly diverge in their final logical stances when their axioms diverge only slightly (See: ZFC axiom of choice, or the Catholic "Great Schisms"). So how do we reconcile your compass and my compass, with your thought bubble and my thought bubbles? -- That so many humans can live together somewhat peacefully, is nothing short of a miracle. 

*; www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/news/features/features-feature11
​
Also see: Fuller, RB & Applewhite, EJ (1975). Synergetics; Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/daniel_friedman/39695970244/
0 Comments
<<Previous
    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • About
  • Shop
  • Art
    • NFT
    • Patriotic Art
  • Research
    • Philosophy
  • Blog