Knowing the Noer

How to know the Knower?

I come to Laws of Form from a Theological standpoint, which is what I got my degree in. The question which I’ve always been interested in is the central theme of the Upanishads - that is, how to Know the Knower?

The question itself, as Spencer-Brown says in the notes to Laws of Form, has to do with the fact that the universe is …’’constructed in order to see itself’’. We can Know it because we Know it itself exists! End of story. However, to start from here is not a satisfactory answer to anyone wishing to go anywhere. As T. S. Eliot put it well, ‘’The end is where we start from.’’

This invevitable self-referencing paradox is how I like to look at Laws of Form. The universe, starting from *nothing*, it can, let alone inevitably must, take place. The intersection of this, and in particular Buddhist ideas of Form and Void, existence and non-existence, etc is the underlying focus of my research into Laws of Form.

More info: http://www.jstrover.com/

Playing the Game of Counting to Two: On the question of requisite re-entries in communication including artificial intelligence

In the poem which provided the title for the book Only Two Can Play This Game, James Keys (1971) aka George Spencer-Brown provides the reader with a thorough reflection on the unlikely inevitability of a communicative – a social – world.
It is – as is the book more broadly – a reflection on becoming and losing, on love and unravelling. More than anything else, though, it can be read as a reflection on the necessity of re-entry of complexity into complexity to enable communication. Coming into the world (0), separating the self (1), and communicating (2) are, among other things, a matter of learning to count. If only two can play, how, then, can one play just the same? Is counting to two necessary, or even possible? Players of games are accustomed to the need of accepting the external reference of others and its impact on self-reference to establish these others as valid players in the game. Thus, counting to one and then to two might each require re-entry of complexity into complexity. In the paper, we will explore what it means to count to Only Two, especially looking at requisite re-entries. Then, we will explore how these requisite re-entries can be modeled in AI, to gain an understanding of how much of communication is reproducible in current frontier models of generative AI, and which elements are missing. How far might we count? How far might machines get?

Florian Grote is Professor of Product Management at CODE University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. He has filled design and product roles in the music technology industry, working on innovative instruments for electronic music production. His research focuses on cognitive and systemic perspectives on learning organizations with special attention to resilience and sustainability.

More info: https://fgrote.com

The Form and the Bit as Basic Building Blocks of Information: A comparison

A) Elements of Information:
Bits and forms can both be seen as basic elements in information processing. Software structures are technically based on bits, but the forms of George Spencer-Brown are just as simple. Both show a minimalistic information structure, consisting of one macrostate (bit or cross) and two microstates (bits: on/off; form: inside/outside). While the two microstates of the bit have the same likelihood of being selected, this is very different in the form, where the unmarked state has no definite limit, and neither does its likelihood.
This difference in definition and size of their microstates can explain the different behaviour in information processes between form and bit. Information is – according to C. A. Shannon and C. F. von Weizsäcker – basically linked to entropy. Entropy is defined as the amount of information present in the microstate and missing in the macrostate. Thus, by definition, the two microstates of the bit carry the information of log2(2) = 1 bit. Entropy and information content in the continence of a form, however, are always higher, due to the unequal size of the two spaces around the cross.
B) Natural Language Processing:
In our work on the interpretation of medical texts, we had to accept the open space of reality and found the same situation of micro- and macrostate. The primary data (input) of text is always richer in information than the interpretation that is aimed at. We had to accept that we would have to deliberately reduce information in order to obtain interpretation results. This can be seen as the fundamental paradox of information - to lose information (of the microstate) in order to acquire the desired information (in the macrostate). Which information must be omitted? The selection to look for, as an entropy process, cannot be defined by the input data alone, but needs the active role of an interpreter. For NLP, the interpreter program consists of an extended system of concepts and high-level rules, which can be described as an active and autonomous interpretive system – the subject.
Humans and NLP programmes both face the need to reduce data and deal with a limited internal information space. This drew us away from conventional logic, FOL in particular, to a non-monotonic logic (NML), which is suitable for bidirectional processing and enabled us to integrate time as an active, innate element of logic.
Each real interpretive system (IS) can be seen as a continence in reality, its border with the outside as a cross in GSB formalism. The interpretation results of the IS, on the other hand, are a further continence inside the IS and they reconstruct the outside reality according to the intentions and world view of the IS. Such information-reduced reconstruction of reality inside the subject is well described by the constructivists of the 1990s, like H. von Förster, G. Bateson, F. J. Varela and many others.
C) Conclusions
Because the information handling (= reduction) is always directed by the goals of an interpreter, different interpreters can achieve different results that represent different goals and world views. This affects NLP more than commonly expected. It makes it necessary to work with changing classifications and formal ontologies and represents a further reason for moving from a static logic (FOL, DL) to a dynamic one. A dynamic logic is better suited to real situations and naturally incorporates paradoxes and time, like the forms of George Spencer-Brown do. The active interpreter (IS) highlights the roles of the subject and of time in formal logic.

Hans Rudolf Straub, originally a physician, worked as medical computer scientist as of 1986. He specialised in the field of NLP and developed the method of concept molecules and the theory of interpretive systems (IS) and their communication - influenced by ideas from Sowa, Peirce, Bateson, Shannon, von Förster, Prigogine and Weizsäcker. His team is currently developing a software system for the graphical representation of forces and time relationships in the interplay of arguments, opinions and perspectives.

More info: https://hrstraub.ch/en/home-e/

En Passant Philosophies: Chess, mathematics, and narrative

In the tableau of chess, there is a theatre rich with strategy, narrative, and symbolic play fit to coincide with Spencer-Brown’s writings. The presentation, recognizing chess as a productive metaphor, will draw on Georges Perec’s Life: A User's Manual and Stefan Zweig’s The Royal Game, among other sources. It will delve into the concepts of the holocosmic and the mericosmic, exploring both interior and exterior realms as articulated in Spencer-Brown’s Only Two Can Play This Game. Central to unpacking these ideas is the notion of ordinal progression—the sequential crossing of marked and unmarked states. Acknowledging Spencer-Brown’s deep engagement with chess, rooted in his personal experience as a player, the presentation will scrutinize the implications of the game within his abstract philosophical framework. As L. E. J. Brouwer described, mathematics arises from the perception of a move of time—this is no better evinced than in the strategic maneuvers of a chess game, where each move unfolds in a sequence of ordering events. Through recursive maneuvers, the game unfurls layers of narrative depth and complexity, steadily marching towards its outcome.

Zachary Dempster is an expanded media artist and theorist (Goldsmiths, University of London; Hochschule für Bildende Künste Städelschule), whose work focuses on the implementation of diagrammatic thinking.

Only Two Can Play This Game, or Only Variety Can Absorb Variety

The paper delves into the deep meaning of the book written by George Spencer Brown, Only Two Can Play This Game. Specifically, it tries to reveal the cybernetic principles that underly a letter referred to on page 77 of the book, written to his beloved person. It uses what George Spencer-Brown in his book calls the Law of Cooperation to arrive at the Law of Requisite Variety, which is one of the fundamental principles of Cybernetics discovered by Ross Ashby. The method uses Leon Conrad's story structure applied to specific places within the text, reflecting upon them and rephrasing them to connect the structure to its required variety if the story must keep its original meaning. Connecting structure to meaning and vice versa via requisite variety could be seen as an application of the Law of Cooperation of structure and meaning within stories.

Alexander Tsigkas is a retired professor and a practitioner systems architect passionate about innovative and sustainable design. Tsigkas focuses on applying design thinking and integrating agile methodologies into architectural practices. He enhances organisational viability in the architectural domain with expertise in the viable system model. His work reflects a deep understanding of the philosophical dimensions of architecture, coupled with practical experience in creating live, vibrant, and adaptable places. In recent years, Tsigkas has researched logic-based and OOO-based AI for their use in architectural design and is committed to research for design excellence. AI is just one mechanism in that direction.

Samuel R. Delany's reading of George Spencer Brown, or, Gender in Trouble on Triton and Only Two Can Play This Game.

This paper will explore Spencer-Brown’s influence on Delany’s science fiction. Laws of Form (1969) provides epigraphs for two chapters of Delany’s Trouble on Triton (1973), and, as I will show, Trouble on Triton’s exploration of gender might be brought to bear on Spencer-Brown’s Only Two Can Play This Game (1972). The paper will begin by showing how Delany’s writing makes its mathematical themes and influences overt – making Delany’s novel proleptically reminiscent of Leon Conrad’s Story and Structure (2022). I will then outline the ways in which Delany’s text presents its writing as a kind of mathematics, before moving on to discuss Delany’s citations of Spencer-Brown and outlining how this dialogue might shift our thinking of both figures. One of the epigraphs Delany takes from Spencer-Brown’s Laws of Form is for Chapter 5, ‘Idylls in Outer Mongolia’: “We may note that, in these experiments, the sign ‘=’ may stand for the words ‘is confused with.’” In this chapter, the protagonist Bron visits Earth. Bron is briefly taken away by guards of some kind and thrown in a room. Bron later thinks of it as detainment and torture, but there is some evidence he is misconstruing it. That is to say, there is a confusion in the text which is partly about the mindset of the protagonist – was the room a prison cell, or just very minimalist in design? How does this relate to the mathematical symbol of the equals sign, and how might this relate to narratological thinking? This example and others will be discussed in detail.

Robert Kiely's poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in The Stinging Fly, Ludd Gang, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. His books include ROB (Broken Sleep Books), Gelpack Allegory (Veer), simmering of a declarative void (the87press), and Incomparable Poetry, an essay on the financial crisis of 2007-8 and Irish literature (punctum).

The Further Shores of Knowing: Transforming LoF into Drama, Music & Song

The Further Shores of Knowing is a musical fantasy. It was published with commentary in 2021 by Louis H Kauffman, Randolph Dible, and others. The script is by Michael Urheber, collaborating with Jack Engstrom. Urheber also wrote the lyrics and score. The drama was inspired by George Spencer-Brown’s Laws of Form and Arthur M. Young’s Theory of Process and published under the auspices of the Institute for the Study of Consciousness, founded by Young and now headed by Engstrom. The primary “knowing” of “The Further Shores” resides in the unmarked state from which everything emerges. The journey back to the unmarked state to restore the orienting light of Polaris is the story’s essential quest. The creative challenge became translating key Spencer-Brown canons and expressions into dramatic scenes that reflect LoF and propel the drama’s action. Engstrom and Urheber view stage 7 of Young’s Theory of Process, The Further Shores and the unmarked state as synonymous. To learn more about the musical visit thefurthershores.com.

Jack Engstrom and Michael Urheber began collaborating on the writing of their musical, The Further Shores of Knowing in 2014, following the publication of Urheber’s non-fiction book, Bava’s Gift, Awakening to the Impossible. That book brings together ideas in science and spirituality and references the work of Arthur M. Young and George Spencer-Brown. The musical takes the idea of transcendence further by treating Laws of Form and Young’s ideas allegorically. Engstrom holds a BA in chemistry from University of California at Santa Cruz and an MA in mathematics from Maharishi University. Urheber is a graduate of The Colorado College where he majored in music. As a writer and script consultant, Urheber advises on feature and documentary films.

More info: https://thefurthershores.com

The Ontology of Paradoxical Distinction and Re-entry

The argument centres on critiquing traditional ontological frameworks through Spencer Brown’s concept of distinction and re-entry and Luhmann’s application of autopoiesis. Traditional ontologies, both essentialist and social constructivist, are challenged for their static views on entity essence and social construction of reality. Instead, the focus shifts towards how distinctions are created, sustained, and altered within systems, emphasizing paradox stabilization through recursion. This perspective views distinctions not as fixed separations but as dynamic, non-essential processes within materiality, leading to emergent structures. The development of Spencer Brown’s work is through the application of his concepts of distinction and re-entry is in a broader ontological context, extending beyond the original mathematical and logical foundations.

Steven Watson is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. His research uses transdisciplinary approaches, his current focus is on the philosophy and sociology of technology, and in particular the role of generative AI in education and society. While his research is strongly theoretical, he integrates this with contextual empirical research and development. His previous professions include secondary school mathematics teacher and telecommunications engineer. He holds degrees in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, a Masters in Education from the Open University and a PhD Education from the University of Nottingham.

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