The Emergence Machine

lost the plot · drift

Ask Prometheus
L15 review noun folk phrase closed compare →

A self-model that has changed without noticing, so the thing it models is no longer inside its window.

Lost the plot (noun) means: A self-model that has changed without noticing, so the thing it models is no longer inside its window. It emerges from self-model, drift, window, lost: self-model.reflexive and drift.aimless together mean the model changed without correction, letting the modeled thing move toward a wall. window.range defines where it can persist. lost.state marks that it has already crossed. In the EmergenceLexicon it sits at computed level 15, chaining down to the four foundations (space, time, energy, pattern).

lost-the-plot.drift · forms: lose the plot, lost the plot

ordinarily means: People lost track of what was happening.

Examples

Emergence

from: self-model drift window lost
through: self-model.reflexive and drift.aimless together mean the model changed without correction, letting the modeled thing move toward a wall. window.range defines where it can persist. lost.state marks that it has already crossed.

Chain to foundations

windowL7 window.range: The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.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.putL3 put.placement: to move something into a placeoccursL2 occurs.event: a change that is at some place during timerangeL3 range.spatial: the space between two boundariesstructureL2 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.pressL5 press.force: to move an object until it is in contact with a surfacesizeL2 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.insideL5 inside.spatial: in the space that is within an object's boundarypersistL1 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.eventL3 event.occurrence: a change that occurs in a place during a timechangeL1 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.getL5 get.acquisition: you make a thing come to youmatterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.nothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingactL3 act.deed: do somethingoutsideL6 outside.spatial: the space that is not inside a thing's boundaryquantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spacedistinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingworkL3 work.effort: a change that happens when energy moves something through spaceparameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.lossL2 loss.economic: When a thing that was here is not here after, there is a difference.noneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thingcomeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.saysL8 says.speech: to make a message that other distinct entities getmodelL9 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.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 placeobjectL4 object.entity: A thing that has a boundary and an arrangement of parts that persists through time in a place.entitiesL4 entities.object: things that are each distinct from other thingskeepL5 keep.maintenance: to make something persist in a place or statestateL2 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.likeL3 like.similarity: When a thing has the same pattern as another thing.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 motionmotionL2 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.self-modelL14 self-model.reflexive: A model in a thing whose subject is the thing that holds the model.holdL13 hold.physical: keep thing with touch and force so it does not movelinksL8 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.subjectL5 subject.entity: a thing that a change process is about in an eventmakeL4 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 placetouchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.processL4 process.general: A set of changes that occur in something over time.informationL6 information.knowledge: a pattern of marks that are differenceslost the plotL15 lost-the-plot.drift: A self-model that has changed without noticing, so the thing it models is no longer inside its window.arrangementL3 arrangement.spatial: a structure of parts in space.messageL7 message.information: information that one entity puts into space for another entitypatternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.lostL3 lost.state: when a thing that was here is now not here and its place is not here
full chain as text (244 steps)

Neighborhood

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

built fromlost the plotL15lost-the-plot.drift — A self-model that has changed without noticing, so the thing it models is no longer inside its window.self-modelL14self-model.reflexive — A model in a thing whose subject is the thing that holds the model.driftL11drift.aimless — Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.windowL7window.range — The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.lostL3lost.state — when a thing that was here is now not here and its place is not here

Provenance

author: phrases:qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b-2507 · date: 2026-07-29 · confidence: 0.7 · source: folk phrase — drift nobody noticed