The Emergence Machine

can of worms · opened

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L19 review noun folk phrase open compare →

a thing priced by the model as one bounded item, whose opening reveals coupled contents that will not fit back because each pulls the next.

Can of worms (noun) means: a thing priced by the model as one bounded item, whose opening reveals coupled contents that will not fit back because each pulls the next. It emerges from model, price, container, open: The closed container lets the model price the contents as a single item; opening replaces that one boundary with the contents' own couplings, and since each item pulls its neighbours, no smaller container will hold them again. In the EmergenceLexicon it sits at computed level 19, chaining down to the four foundations (space, time, energy, pattern).

can-of-worms.opened · forms: can of worms, open a can of worms, opened a can of worms

ordinarily means: a problem that turns out to be many tangled problems once you start on it

Examples

Emergence

from: model price container open connection single boundary inside
through: The closed container lets the model price the contents as a single item; opening replaces that one boundary with the contents' own couplings, and since each item pulls its neighbours, no smaller container will hold them again.

Chain to foundations

touchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.saysL8 says.speech: to make a message that other distinct entities getactL3 act.deed: do somethingmessageL7 message.information: information that one entity puts into space for another entityflowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.nothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingsizeL2 size.measurement: the space that a thing's matter is inkeepL5 keep.maintenance: to make something persist in a place or statespatialL17 spatial.location: related to where a thing is in spacepriceL8 price.economic: the piece of a thing that be given in an interactionstateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placecontrolL4 control.ability: A pattern that persists through time and sets boundaries for how others can change.patternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.pieceL3 piece.portion: a part of a thing that has its own boundaryentitiesL4 entities.object: things that are each distinct from other thingsoffL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is theresystemL5 system.organized: a set of parts that interact together in a structurecarryingL5 carrying.transporting: To move with a thing that is in one place and then is in another, where the thing remains in contact and under control.maintenanceL14 maintenance.upkeep: Work that holds the parameters of a thing inside its window.energyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.contactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.boundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.forceL12 force.push: a press of matter that results in a change in motionfallL3 fall.gravity: When a thing moves down in space during time.parameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.can of wormsL19 can-of-worms.opened: a thing priced by the model as one bounded item, whose opening reveals coupled contents that will not fit back because each pulls the next.receiveL6 receive.communication: to get something that comes to a placesetsL3 sets.grouped: A pattern of many things that are each different from the others but are bounded together by what is the same about them.amountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numberdifferenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.motionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.structureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.connectsL7 connects.verb: When two things are brought together so that a flow between them can happen and persist.broughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.giveL7 give.transfer: to make a piece go to otherschangeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.outsideL6 outside.spatial: the space that is not inside a thing's boundarysomeoneL7 someone.person: any personinteractionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.quantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spaceconditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placeobjectL4 object.entity: A thing that has a boundary and an arrangement of parts that persists through time in a place.spaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.timeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.pointsL2 points.location: a part that is at a placerangeL3 range.spatial: the space between two boundariesputL3 put.placement: to move something into a placeothersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.holdL13 hold.physical: keep thing with touch and force so it does not movematterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.likeL3 like.similarity: When a thing has the same pattern as another thing.interactingL4 interacting.social: when two things change each other while touchingwindowL7 window.range: The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.relatedL4 related.association: When both things are about the same pattern.connectionL9 connection.social: a link between things that can be togethersurfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.modelL9 model.representation: A pattern in one thing that is like another thing, so that acting on the pattern can say what the other thing will do.locationL16 location.spatial: a point where a thing is in spacegoL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another placemarksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.resourceL15 resource.material: output falling within the input window of a nearby system. The same substance, different neighbourhood.partL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.noneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thingprovideL8 provide.supply: to give something to someone so that they have itgroupsL5 groups.collection: a set of entity that are together because each entity has patternmakeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.informationL6 information.knowledge: a pattern of marks that are differencesaloneL3 alone.state: a state where it is in a place and no others are in that placedriftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.openL18 open.spatial: a state where a boundary limit is absent, enabling something to move into spatial extentsubstanceL12 substance.material: what remains through the drift a window toleratesarrangementL3 arrangement.spatial: a structure of parts in space.peopleL6 people.social: a group of distinct entities that persist over time and interact through mutual touchgetL5 get.acquisition: you make a thing come to youpersistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.linksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingswayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spacehappenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.workL3 work.effort: a change that happens when energy moves something through spaceinsideL5 inside.spatial: in the space that is within an object's boundarycomeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.pressL5 press.force: to move an object until it is in contact with a surfacesingleL4 single.quantity: one thing that is alonecontainerL6 container.object: a thing that has a boundary and an inside where other matter can be keptpossibleL3 possible.potential: that can happendistinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingnumberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in a placeextentL3 extent.spatial: how much space matter hasenablesL16 enables.facilitation: to make something possible by providing a resource for it
full chain as text (318 steps)

Neighborhood

Concepts that depend on this one above; what it is built from below.

built fromcan of wormsL19can-of-worms.opened — a thing priced by the model as one bounded item, whose opening reveals coupled contents that will not fit back because emodelL9model.representation — A pattern in one thing that is like another thing, so that acting on the pattern can say what the other thing will do.priceL8price.economic — the piece of a thing that be given in an interactioncontainerL6container.object — a thing that has a boundary and an inside where other matter can be keptopenL18open.spatial — a state where a boundary limit is absent, enabling something to move into spatial extentconnectionL9connection.social — a link between things that can be togethersingleL4single.quantity — one thing that is aloneboundaryL2boundary.limit — The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.insideL5inside.spatial — in the space that is within an object's boundary

Provenance

author: claude-opus-5:hand-curated · date: 2026-08-22 · confidence: 0.8 · source: folk phrase — the model meets reality