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

partL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.controlL4 control.ability: A pattern that persists through time and sets boundaries for how others can change.spaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.patternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.structureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.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 inflowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.interactionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.persistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.offL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is therewayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spacesetsL3 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.energyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.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.carryingL5 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.matterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.nothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingquantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spacedistinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingparameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.noneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thingcomeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.amountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numbermarksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.conditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placestateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placedriftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.broughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.boundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.motionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.surfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.numberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in a placehappenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.linksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingsothersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.timeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.contactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.makeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.touchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.goL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another place
full chain as text (135 steps)

Neighborhood

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

used by — 150 more not shownbuilt frombrinkL12brink.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 availableconstraintL12constraint.limiting — A wall placed deliberately, narrowing a window to keep drift inside it.contingencyL12contingency.dependence — resting on a parameter that could have drifted otherwise and did noterosionL12erosion.process — drift too slow for the system it acts on to registerextremeL12extreme.position — A parameter whose value is near a wall, but not so near that the wall's presence dominates.groundswellL12groundswell.emergence — a rise that is not in any part before it begins, yet exceeds all parts once it has started, revealing the wall where theinertiaL12inertia.resistance — A parameter whose window is narrower than the range of drift, so that drift does not move 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 (158)

brinkL12chaosL12constraintL12contingencyL12erosionL12extremeL12groundswellL12inertiaL12ivory towerL12layerL12marginalL12normalisation of devianceL12overdueL12prematureL12raising the barL12redundancyL12relevanceL12scaleL12siegeL12strainL12substanceL12symmetry versus regularity licenceL12wasteL12bufferL13gripL13moderationL13moving targetL13permanenceL13boiling frogL14boiling the frogL14breaking pointL14butterfly effectL14collapseL14comfortableL14compound interestL14cuspL14limitL14locked inL14over the edgeL14possibilityL14too little too lateL14transformationL14trendL14aliveL15authenticityL15autonomyL15balanceL15blindL15chanceL15confusionL15corruptionL15critical massL15cutting cornersL15cycleL15death by a thousand cutsL15decayL15delayL15dissonanceL15domino effectL15drifting apartL15factor of safetyL15feature creepL15fluxL15harmonyL15holding it togetherL15identityL15in too deepL15just in timeL15kicking the can down the roadL15lagL15legacy codeL15lost the plotL15mission creepL15neglectL15no room for errorL15obsoleteL15papering over the cracksL15par for the courseL15past the point of no returnL15precariousL15race to the bottomL15razor thinL15repairL15reputationL15resilienceL15resourceL15restL15scaffoldL15self fulfilling prophecyL15slippery slopeL15stableL15statusL15strike while the iron is hotL15the final nailL15the last strawL15the moment has passedL15the ship has sailedL15tipping pointL15tragedy of the commonsL15trapL15treading waterL15unstableL15vergeL15viableL15blind spotL16doomedL16duct tapeL16equilibriumL16firefightingL16fuelL16good enoughL16homeostasisL16knock on effectL16momentumL16on a shoestringL16overshootL16perfect stormL16persistenceL16read the roomL16regretL16rhythmL16seasonL16shifting goalpostsL16technical debtL16the going rateL16the long tailL16vicious cycleL16whose time has comeL16arms raceL17best practiceL17chain reactionL17essenceL17scarL17toughL17ancientL18complexL18frozenL18integrityL18keystoneL18legacyL18nicheL18pressureL18proportionL18rentL18ripeningL18timelyL18window of opportunityL18boiling overL19burnoutL19dropping ballsL19running on emptyL19scope creepL19single point of failureL19snowball effectL19spread too thinL19surplusL19the new normalL19the way we have always done itL19

Provenance

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