The Emergence Machine

drift · aimless

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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

nothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingothersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.changeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.connectsL7 connects.verb: When two things are brought together so that a flow between them can happen and persist.flowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.spaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.broughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.motionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.contactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.matterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.noneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thinghappenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.patternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.partL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.linksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingsmakeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.goL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another placecomeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.surfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.marksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.stateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placequantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spacenumberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in a placeboundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.energyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.distinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingtimeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.persistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.wayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spaceoffL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is thereparameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.driftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.differenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.sizeL2 size.measurement: the space that a thing's matter is inamountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numberinteractionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.conditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placetouchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.structureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.carryingL5 carrying.transporting: To move with a thing that is in one place and then is in another, where the thing remains in contact.
full chain as text (123 steps)

Neighborhood

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

used by — 177 more not shownbuilt fromarrival timeL12arrival-time.until-wall — The time until drift moves a parameter to a wall of its window, at the current rate.boiling frogL12boiling-frog.drift — A parameter that moves through a window without crossing a wall because the rate of change is too slow to trigger a respboiling the frogL12boiling-the-frog.drift — drift of a parameter through a window where no single change crosses a wall, so the thing persists until it does not, anbreaking pointL12breaking-point.threshold — a parameter has drifted until it crosses a wall where the thing can no longer persist, but the parts remain and the modebrinkL12brink.edge — a parameter whose window is narrower than those of related things, such that its wall is near the current value and smalchaosL12chaos.unpredictable-drift — drift whose later values cannot be predicted from current ones at the resolution availablecomfortableL12comfortable.central — near the centre of the window, where drift in any direction changes nothing that matters.constraintL12constraint.limiting — A wall placed deliberately, narrowing a window to keep drift inside it.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 (185)

arrival timeL12boiling frogL12boiling the frogL12breaking pointL12brinkL12chaosL12comfortableL12constraintL12contingencyL12critical junctureL12cuspL12erosionL12extremeL12groundswellL12inertiaL12locked inL12marginalL12moderationL12moving targetL12normalisation of devianceL12permanenceL12point of inflectionL12possibilityL12prematureL12raising the barL12redundancyL12relevanceL12siegeL12strainL12substanceL12symmetry versus regularity licenceL12the writing on the wallL12transformationL12trendL12wasteL12autonomyL13bufferL13collapseL13compound interestL13gripL13strike while the iron is hotL13unstableL13viableL13critical massL14domino effectL14layerL14limitL14over the edgeL14scaleL14too little too lateL14aliveL15authenticityL15balanceL15blind spotL15blindL15butterfly effectL15chanceL15confusionL15corruptionL15cutting cornersL15cycleL15death by a thousand cutsL15decayL15dissonanceL15drifting apartL15factor of safetyL15feature creepL15fluxL15harmonyL15holding it togetherL15honeymoon phaseL15identity crisisL15identityL15in too deepL15ivory towerL15just in timeL15kicking the can down the roadL15knock on effectL15learning curveL15legacy codeL15lost the plotL15meeting of mindsL15metacognitionL15midlife crisisL15mission creepL15neglectL15no room for errorL15nudgeL15obsoleteL15on the same pageL15overdueL15papering over the cracksL15par for the courseL15past the point of no returnL15perfect stormL15persistenceL15precariousL15race to the bottomL15razor thinL15read the roomL15reading between the linesL15regretL15repairL15reputationL15resilienceL15resourceL15restL15scaffoldL15self fulfilling prophecyL15stableL15the final nailL15the last strawL15the moment has passedL15the ship has sailedL15tipping pointL15tragedy of the commonsL15trapL15treading waterL15watchful waitingL15arms raceL16delayL16doomedL16duct tapeL16equilibriumL16essenceL16firefightingL16fuelL16good enoughL16homeostasisL16lagL16momentumL16overshootL16rhythmL16scarL16seasonL16shifting goalpostsL16shooting the messengerL16technical debtL16the going rateL16the long tailL16toughL16vicious cycleL16whose time has comeL16best practiceL17chain reactionL17metastableL17on a shoestringL17slippery slopeL17wake-up callL17ancientL18complexL18frozenL18golden handcuffsL18integrityL18keystoneL18legacyL18moral hazardL18nicheL18out of touchL18perverse incentiveL18pressureL18proportionL18rentL18ripeningL18timelyL18vergeL18window of opportunityL18boiling overL19burnoutL19cold feetL19country in declineL19dropping ballsL19running on emptyL19scope creepL19single point of failureL19snowball effectL19spread too thinL19surplusL19the new normalL19the way we have always done itL19rude awakeningL20statusL20wounded nationL20brain drainL21muscle memoryL22

Provenance

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