Natural Inclusion/modeling

Curiosity motivates us to question, observe, analyze, and model nature to better understand our world. Development of the telescope allowed Galileo to study the heavens shortly before the microscope allowed Leeuwenhoek to probe deeply into biological specimens.

As Galileo gazed into the heavens and learned more about each planet, he was able confirm the heliocentric plan of the solar system proposed by Copernicus. Looking outward, studying various elements of the solar system inspired and confirmed a simple and elegant system that explained planetary motion. Elements, in this case the planets and their moons, were synthesized into a whole—the solar system. This is the essence of the analytical system now known as holism. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek greatly improved the microscope allowing him to gaze inward and understand the makeup of various biological specimens. He is credited with observing and describing various microscopic aquatic creatures, bacteria in the human mouth, the vacuole of cells, spermatozoa, and the structure of muscle fibers. Looking inward he was able to discover and learn about the inner structure of components that combine to make up larger organisms. This is the essence of the analytical approach now known as reductionism. Both the reductionist approach and the holistic approach have made invaluable contributions to our understanding of the natural world. Focusing in, looking deeper, and taking things apart has led to our understanding of anatomy, chemical elements, atomic structure, particle physics, chemistry, microbiology, and many other fields. Holistic approaches have led to discoveries in astronomy, geology, physics, ecology, systems thinking, social sciences, and other areas. Both approaches are essential, yet they can present a false dichotomy. Consider the problem of deciding where cuteness resides in a kitten. Dissecting the kitten certainly will not provide the answer, yet simply stating that cuteness emerges once the entire kitten is observed provides no insights that allow us to extend our understanding of cuteness. Is there some third way to model nature? Natural Inclusion combines analysis and circumspection, faces both inward and outward, and reconciles all views from distinctive orientations. Both the microscope and telescope are used to advantage. The following table characterizes and compares these three approaches to observing and modeling nature.

Three Approaches
Three different renderings of the natural world provide two antithetical worldviews and their dynamic, co-creative reconciliation

“Essentially, all models are wrong,” George Box noted, “but some are useful.”

Neither the reductionism approach nor the holism approach to modeling nature is entirely effective. Natural Inclusion reconciles these two dichotomies and provides an inclusive approach to modelling nature.

Summaries
Several summaries of these ideas are available here:
 * Three Renderings, From Dual Vision to Each in the Other. A five page paper.
 * A version of the above paper enhanced with color images.
 * A 24x17" poster presenting, comparing, and reconciling these three models.
 * The trispiral figure on a single page.
 * An alternative, linked spiral representation, developed earlier as we were experimenting to find the trispiral representation.