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From Substance to
Procedure How the Modern Druid
Updates Monism for the Quantum Age Introduction: Two Ways of Saying “One” Classical
monism says reality is one substance—a single, continuous being of
which all things are modes (Spinoza’s substantia, Brahman, etc.). The
modern druid Finn recasts this: reality is one procedure—a single,
rule-bound generator that outputs many local events. Where the classical view
privileges being, Finn privileges doing. Unity becomes
operational: one system behaving as many via discrete iterations. This
shift—from substance to procedure—aligns monism with
contemporary intuitions from computation, information, and quantum theory
without smuggling in mysticism. Below is a compact roadmap of that update,
with concrete examples. 1) The Ontological Pivot: From What It Is to How It
Runs Classical
monism: The One is a continuous plenum. Multiplicity is a
variation within an unbroken whole. Finn’s
procedural monism (NST): The One is a generator producing discontinuous
events. Multiplicity is a sequence of bounded iterations. Each thing
is a temporary address where the procedure localizes. Analogy: ·
Classical: An ocean with waves
(continuous medium). ·
Procedural: A program emitting frames
(discrete updates). The “film” is one algorithm; the “scenes” are local
instantiations. Example
(computation): A cellular automaton (e.g., Game of Life) is one rule
set. Gliders, blinkers, and still lives are not separate ontologies; they are
repeatable patterns produced by the same algorithm. Finn says nature
runs similarly: one lawful generator, many transient motifs. 2) Discreteness Without Dualism Finn
rejects the false choice between continuity and dualism. The
world can be one and still serial/discrete. The One doesn’t
need to be a metaphysical goop; it can be a quantized emission of
events. Key
thesis: Contact generates realness. Example
(communication): A message is received because it is different.
Finn calls this modulation: each “I” relays momentum differentially
to sustain its pattern. Diversity is functional, not ontological: the One
remains one while producing many differences that make a difference. 3) Identity as Address (and Why It Isn’t Conserved) Classical
monism treats identity as participation in the One’s substance. Finn treats
identity as indexing: Identity is address. A thing is an
addressable standing wave—a stable-enough configuration within a flux
of random momenta constrained by local rules. Consequence: Identity
is not conserved. What persists is not a metaphysical core but a process
of maintenance (feedback, repair, exchange). When the loop ceases, the
address disappears; the procedure continues. Example
(biology): Your body refreshes most of its material components
over time. Yet “you” remains functionally trackable because the procedures
(developmental, metabolic, neural) maintain the address. The continuity you
experience is procedural momentum, not a conserved substance. 4) Original Goodness Reinterpreted Finn’s
“Life is good” is not a sermon; it’s a systems claim. “Good” names the
workability of an emergent—its capacity to maintain and propagate its
address under constraint. Original Goodness means: the One tends to yield
viable forms; failures simply don’t persist. Example
(ecosystems): Niche construction and co-evolution exhibit local
goodness: patterns survive by fitting constraints. A coral reef is
neither morally “good” nor “bad”; it’s a high-information, high-fit
architecture. Its “goodness” is procedural adequacy. 5) No Ethics From the Sky,
Only Local Protocols Classical
monisms often issue universal ethics: harmony,
compassion, non-duality. Finn demystifies: ethics
are local operating protocols—invented by high-complexity emergents to coordinate survival in crowded state spaces. Example
(traffic): Driving on the left vs. right is arbitrary globally
but crucial locally. Moral systems work similarly: they stabilize cooperation
within particular address spaces (cultures,
institutions). The One doesn’t command; we negotiate protocols to keep
the address viable. 6) Causation Becomes Serial Update Substance
monism leans timeless (“all-at-once” reality). Finn insists on seriality:
updates propagate stepwise. The One is not a picture; it’s a clocked
process. Example
(physics intuition): Think less of a continuous smear and more of events—localized
interactions where conserved quantities and constraints channel what can
happen next. The deep story is lawful, but the local is granular. 7) The Human Place: Not Priests, but Probes Humans
are not metaphysical exceptions; they are high-bandwidth
probes the One runs to test strategies for persistence. Consciousness is what
some probes do to compress, predict, and act. Example
(evolutionary exploration): The procedure “tries” (not
teleologically, but combinatorially) massive numbers of forms. Most fail.
Some succeed long enough to spawn further search. Intelligence is accelerated
search guided by models; culture is distributed caching of good moves. Harsh
corollary: No cosmic guarantee, no chosen species. Dignity is
local: a function of how well our addresses modulate flows without
collapse. 8) Knowledge as Demystification (Contemplation Rewired) Classical
contemplation often aimed at union with the One. Finn’s contemplation is diagnostic:
track the generators, not the mist. Practice: 1. Observe
the contacts (who/what touches what, and how). 2. Infer the
rules (constraints, conservation, thresholds). 3. Modulate better
(acts that stabilize or improve the address under constraint). Example
(craft & science): A luthier learns wood, tension, resonance; a
scientist learns models and error bars. Both replace fog with procedural
literacy. 9) Worked Mini-Cases A. Information Systems ·
Classical lens: Many files, one storage
medium. ·
Procedural lens: One
protocol (filesystem + hardware rules) emitting many addresses. Files
“exist” as maintained pointers plus encoded blocks. Identity = address;
corruption = address loss. B. Immune Response ·
Classical lens: The same organism fighting
invaders. ·
Procedural lens: One
generative organismal process running pattern-matching and adaptive
updates (clonal selection). Persistence is the system’s ability to
sustain its address despite perturbation. C. Social Coordination ·
Classical lens: One community, many
members. ·
Procedural lens: One
coordination procedure (norms, incentives, enforcement) producing many roles.
Institutions persist by updating protocols when shocks arrive;
ossified ones lose address. 10) Objections & Replies Objection
1: Isn’t this just physicalism? Objection
2: Where’s meaning? Objection
3: What about value and care? 11) Payoff: Why the Procedural Turn Matters 1. Clarity:
Dispenses with hazy talk of “spirit vs. matter”; everything is one run. 2. Compatibility: Fits
discrete-event formalisms (algorithms, signals, interactions). 3. Pragmatics: Directs
action to modulation—tuning flows, not chasing essences. 4. Humility: Ends
species exceptionalism without denying local dignity. 5. Resilience: Treats
crises as protocol problems—update the procedure to keep the address. Conclusion: One Procedure, Many Addresses The
modern druid’s upgrade keeps what’s best in monism—no outside, no second
source—and trades ontological fog for operational lucidity.
Reality is one generator; we are its local runs. To live wisely is to learn
the rules of contact, maintain the address, and modulate skilfully
within constraint. Not “merge with the One,” but behave as the One behaves
here. Or in
Finn’s compact idiom: |