Systems Philosophy
A Unified Theory
There is a deep simplicity that exists throughout the self-organizing universe…
Try the New Self-organizing GPT Now!
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“Life is inherently intelligent, creative, regenerative, and organizes itself into networks.”
— Firtjof Capra, Ph.D., scientist, educator, activist, and author of The Systems View of Life and The Tao of Physics
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“To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe – to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it – is a wonder beyond words.”
— Joanna Macy
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“The model we choose to use to understand something determines what we find.”
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“The left hemisphere has evolved to pay narrow-beam attention, … the right hemisphere is in the service of understanding the contextual whole ... And context changes everything.”
From “A Revolution in Thought? How Hemisphere Theory Helps us Understand the Metacrisis” by Iain McGilchrist
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“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”
— Ted Perry, inspired by Chief Seattle
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“The wise is unified with all and has no distinction…”
— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
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“We were born for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth. So to work in opposition to one another is against nature: and anger or rejection is opposition."
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
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“There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.”
— Friedrich Nietzsch, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
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“The tendency to synchronize is one of the most pervasive drives in the universe, extending from atoms to animals, from people to planets.”
— Steven Strogatz, Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order
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“The human body is an organization in which there is no boss. It is a situation of order resulting from mutual interrelationship of all the parts.”
— Alan Watts
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“All the examples are variations on the same mathematical theme: self-organization, the spontaneous emergence of order out of chaos.”
— Steven Strogatz, Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order
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“The observation that very different systems can exhibit fundamental similarities is generally referred to as universality, and its apparent validity presents one of the deepest and most powerful mysteries in modern physics.”
— Duncan J. Watts, Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age
Throughout this site, you are invited to flow with your curiosity via the hyperlinks to explore in detail the concepts and theories that together create the Nonlinear View.
Explore by Chapter
A nonlinear network is a mathematical pattern of self-organizing systems. Because nonlinear networks are mathematical, our observation of them will not deal with substance, rather their shared qualities between nonlinear networks, which will bring us to a deeper understanding of the self-organizing process.
Here we analyze of the digital era and the unsustainability of our linear model, and how this is accelerating during this digital age, which is an emergent era of transformation.
As we see the Sun and Earth as modeling the sharing of resources without expectation, we can view them as models of unconditional love. This is the underlying principle quality or feeling of the universe.
Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar. McGilchrist came to prominence after the publication of his book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. His work formed the basis of Orlando Wood's books on advertising, Lemon and Look Out.
Chaos Theory conjures up images of nature gone haywire, with all sense of order cast aside. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists are now beginning to glimpse. In his continued exploration of the laws of nature, Jim Al-Khalili, the host of “Everything and Nothing,” shows that Chaos Theory addresses a question humans have asked for millennia. How did we get here?
Explore the hidden world of trees and their underground fungal networks, where they share resources, warn of threats, and support growth. Learn how “mother trees” act as forest hubs, fostering resilience and challenging our views of nature. Discover how this science can shape efforts to combat deforestation and climate change.
This December Solstice, Mansoor was the special guest of the Capra Course Alumni Gathering.
Mansoor Vakili lead the Capra Course Alumni in a viewing and discussion of the new short film Unlocking a Paradigm Shift: The Nonlinear View and Deep Simplicity of the Self-organizing Universe. The video and accompanying writings are the result of more than 30 years of work developing this concept and 15 years or so of receiving direct feedback from Fritjof at the various stages of the process. Mansoor will introduce the film, we will watch it together, Fritjof will provide commentary and then we will discuss the film and its themes as a community.
The gathering was held on Friday, Dec 20th from 7 - 8:30pm PST and it is free and open to all Capra Course alumni.
A bit about our guest, Mansoor Vakili: With over thirty years of inner journeying, self-exploration, and experimentation Mansoor’s self-driven passion has led him to become versed in the areas of philosophy, quantum mechanics, network theory, cognitive theory, and systems theory as well as various spiritual wisdom traditions from around the world. His independent research led him to connect with Fritjof Capra, and to become a part of one of the first Capra Course cohorts, and eventually to receive direct guidance and feedback from Frijof. Today, Mansoor lives with his family in southern California where he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, being in nature, connecting through the heart and the poetry of Rumi, Hafez, and Khayam, and continuing to apply and refine his research in his daily life.
To deepen the live discussion in December, our guest Mansoor Vakili and his team invite you to explore their short animation and website before the Alumni Gathering and to please share any feelings or questions that arise with selforgorg@gmail.com.