The Emergence Machine

drift · aimless

Ask Prometheus
L11 published noun window ontology closed compare →

Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.

Drift (noun) means: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way. It emerges from parameter, change, go, make: Conditions change without cause directing their movement, and these undirected changes accumulate over time. In the EmergenceLexicon it sits at computed level 11, chaining down to the four foundations (space, time, energy, pattern).

drift.aimless · forms: drift, drifted, drifting, drifts

Examples

Emergence

from: parameter change go make nothing way
through: Conditions change without cause directing their movement, and these undirected changes accumulate over time.

Chain to foundations

touchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.energyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.driftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.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.parameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.flowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.setsL3 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.differenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.persistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.motionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.amountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numberstructureL2 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.linksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingsbroughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.surfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.goL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another placenothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingsizeL2 size.measurement: the space that a thing's matter is inwayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spacechangeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.marksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.happenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.stateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placepartL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.interactionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.controlL4 control.ability: A pattern that persists through time and sets boundaries for how others can change.comeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.patternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.noneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thingquantityL7 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 placeoffL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is therespaceL0 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.distinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingcarryingL5 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.numberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in 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.makeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.matterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.
full chain as text (135 steps)

Neighborhood

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

used by — 171 more not shownbuilt fromcontingencyL12contingency.dependence — resting on a parameter that could have drifted otherwise and did noterosionL12erosion.process — drift too slow for the system it acts on to registerinertiaL12inertia.resistance — A parameter whose window is narrower than the range of drift, so that drift does not move it.layerL12layer.stratum — a set of windows sharing the same parameter and the same rate of driftnormalisation of devianceL12normalisation-of-deviance.drift — A slow change in what is considered acceptable, where each small shift stays within the range of what can persist, so nooverdueL12overdue.temporal — a parameter whose window has remained unoccupied for a time longer than drift alone would account forpoint of inflectionL12point-of-inflection.curvature — the moment when a parameter stays inside its window yet its drift switches from increasing to decreasing (or vice-versa)prematureL12premature.early — arriving before the parameters supporting the window have finished drifting into place.driftL11drift.aimless — Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.parameterL4parameter.condition — A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.changeL1change.process — When a thing is not the same after as it was before.goL3go.movement — to move one from a place to another placemakeL4make.verb — Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.nothingL10nothing.absence — not a thingwayL9way.method — a link of one place to another through space

Used by (179)

contingencyL12erosionL12inertiaL12layerL12normalisation of devianceL12overdueL12point of inflectionL12prematureL12redundancyL12substanceL12symmetry versus regularity licenceL12wake-up callL12wasteL14aliveL15authenticityL15brinkL15bufferL15chaosL15confusionL15constraintL15critical junctureL15drifting apartL15extremeL15feature creepL15fluxL15honeymoon phaseL15identity crisisL15identityL15limitL15lost the plotL15marginalL15meeting of mindsL15metacognitionL15midlife crisisL15mission creepL15no room for errorL15obsoleteL15over the edgeL15par for the courseL15precariousL15raising the barL15reading between the linesL15relevanceL15resourceL15scaffoldL15scaleL15self fulfilling prophecyL15siegeL15strainL15the last strawL15tragedy of the commonsL15trapL15treading waterL15cutting cornersL16fuelL16gripL16groundswellL16in too deepL16ivory towerL16just in timeL16chain reactionL17good enoughL17moderationL17momentumL17moving targetL17overshootL17permanenceL17the going rateL17the long tailL17the ship has sailedL17too little too lateL17best practiceL18blindL18boiling frogL18boiling the frogL18breaking pointL18butterfly effectL18chanceL18collapseL18comfortableL18compound interestL18cuspL18cycleL18death by a thousand cutsL18delayL18firefightingL18kicking the can down the roadL18lagL18legacy codeL18locked inL18moral hazardL18out of touchL18past the point of no returnL18possibilityL18razor thinL18rentL18repairL18reputationL18resilienceL18restL18rude awakeningL18statusL18the final nailL18the moment has passedL18the writing on the wallL18tipping pointL18transformationL18trendL18vergeL18window of opportunityL18ancientL19autonomyL19balanceL19complexL19corruptionL19critical massL19decayL19dissonanceL19domino effectL19doomedL19factor of safetyL19golden handcuffsL19harmonyL19holding it togetherL19integrityL19learning curveL19neglectL19nicheL19on a shoestringL19on the same pageL19papering over the cracksL19perverse incentiveL19pressureL19proportionL19race to the bottomL19scope creepL19seasonL19single point of failureL19slippery slopeL19stableL19strike while the iron is hotL19the new normalL19timelyL19unstableL19viableL19vicious cycleL19whose time has comeL19blind spotL20boiling overL20burnoutL20cold feetL20dropping ballsL20duct tapeL20equilibriumL20homeostasisL20keystoneL20knock on effectL20perfect stormL20persistenceL20read the roomL20regretL20rhythmL20ripeningL20running on emptyL20shifting goalpostsL20snowball effectL20spread too thinL20surplusL20technical debtL20arms raceL21essenceL21frozenL21legacyL21metastableL21scarL21the way we have always done itL21toughL21brain drainL22muscle memoryL23

Provenance

author: hand · date: 2026-07-31 · confidence: 1.0 · source: Sample/hundred-words-six-terms.md