2023-02-14

Systemic hierarchies.

Neither chaos nor randomness is implicit in uncontrolled circumstances. In a virgin forest, the flora and fauna are not distributed chaotically or randomly. ... It is a systemically determined outcome with a pattern, not chaos.
- Thomas Sowell, 'Intellectuals and Society', p. 60

How is this hierarchy organized - a structure that emerged in large part from the bottom up, over the vast spans of evolutionary time? We return to the same answer alluded to earlier: through the constant cooperation and competition - the constant jockeying for resources and position - defining the struggle for survival and reproduction. ... Negotiation for position sorts organisms into the omnipresent hierarchies that govern access to vital resources such as shelter, nourishment, and mates.
- Jordan B. Peterson, 'Beyond Order', p. 13

Individuals and communities that practice successful strategies will, over time, out-perform those that do not. In human society, this means negotiating the exchange of what you have to offer for what you need from others - day after day, iteratively, throughout the course of life.