From e770adc4b36e384f35c541a467fa7093bc9e76aa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Rhys Fisher <51084364+RhysEJF@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2025 20:52:56 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] egregores as weather systems - shower thoughts --- Concepts.md | 60 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 60 insertions(+) diff --git a/Concepts.md b/Concepts.md index c8ec872..66ca4d9 100644 --- a/Concepts.md +++ b/Concepts.md @@ -25,3 +25,63 @@ For example: a working solution to a known open problem has a natural "pull". Yo 1. the information does NOT exist, OR 2. there is a blockage/epistemic noise/censorship in the environment +---- + +**egregore pressure system** - an idea that maintains itself through collective belief and opposition. Like atmospheric pressure systems, egregores create differentials: high-pressure (majority consensus, stable) and low-pressure (minority belief, volatile). The pressure differential between competing ideas creates the conditions for rapid belief change. + +Example: "Cryptocurrency is the future" vs "Cryptocurrency is a scam" creates a pressure differential. Neither side can exist without the other. The opposition fuels engagement and justification. + +Example 2: Early civil rights movements operated as low-pressure systems—minority beliefs fighting to survive against high-pressure consensus. The conflict lines (fronts) formed wherever these beliefs clashed with the status quo. + +[Source](https://x.com/virtual_rf/status/1987314557853839811?s=20) + +---- + +**low-pressure egregore** - a minority-held belief, often outside the Overton window. Without continuous engagement and new adherents, it risks dissolving. Low-pressure egregores are inherently unstable and require active maintenance through conversation, justification, and opposition to survive. + +Example: "Universal Basic Income" was a low-pressure egregore for decades—a fringe idea that required constant intellectual defense to prevent dissolution. Only when economic conditions shifted (automation anxiety, COVID) did it gain enough pressure to spawn conflict lines. + +Example 2: Any startup challenging an established industry begins as a low-pressure egregore. "Remote work is viable" was low-pressure until COVID created conditions for rapid pressure gain. + +The risk: without fresh engagement or a triggering event, low-pressure egregores fade from collective consciousness. + +---- + +**conflict lines** (memetic fronts) - the boundaries where opposing egregores meet. Like weather fronts, these are where the most dramatic shifts occur. Conflict lines form when people must choose sides, creating pro/contra/neutral positions. + +Example: The conflict line between "AI will save us" and "AI will destroy us" forces people to pick a stance. Those on the boundary—entertaining "it depends"—are most susceptible to flipping sides. + +Example 2: "Move fast and break things" vs "Move slow and build responsibly" created a conflict line in tech culture. The FTX collapse shifted many minds from the former to the latter—a front passing through. + +---- + +**information stream** - the flow of attention and conversation. Like bends in a jet stream creats pressure differentials, major events accelerate or decelerate information flow, spawning new egregores or strengthening existing ones. + +Example: A fraudulent election, conversations about freedom accelerate, egregores around liberty gain pressure, once critical mass is reached → revolution. + +Example 2: COVID accelerated conversations about remote work, public health authority, and government overreach simultaneously—spawning multiple competing egregores that are still active years later. +Example 3: A major security breach accelerates conversations about privacy. A economic crisis accelerates conversations about monetary systems. +The pattern: Action creates information. Events are bends in the information stream. + +---- + +**egregore emergance** - the birth of a new belief system that initially self-sustains through opposition (conflict lines), later through intertia (critical consensus). Requires either (1) a significant information acceleration event, or (2) deliberately manufacturing conflict lines around an idea until it reaches critical mass. + +---- + +**high-pressure egregore** - a majority-held belief, often inside the Overton window. These ideas are stable, self-reinforcing, and require little active defense because consensus maintains them. + +Example 1: A startup reaches egregoric critical mass when customers start defending it unprompted, when critics emerge organically (creating conflict lines), and when the idea spreads without the founder's direct involvement. + +Example 2: "Democracy is the best system of government" operates as high-pressure in Western societies—it's the default assumption that requires little justification._ + +The marker: High-pressure egregores feel like "common sense" rather than contested ideas. + +---- + +**egregore preasure reversal** + When a low-pressure (minority) belief accumulates enough adherents and justification to flip into high-pressure (majority consensus), or vice versa. These reversals often happen rapidly once a threshold is crossed. The conflict line—"support vs. accountability"—became impossible to ignore as the pressure differential narrowed and then reversed. + +Example: "Unconditional support for Israel" was high-pressure in Western discourse for decades. After sustained documentation of Gaza's destruction reached critical visibility, "cut Israel's funding" shifted from fringe (low-pressure) to high-pressure. The conflict line—"support vs. accountability"—became impossible to ignore as the pressure differential narrowed. + +Example 2: "Climate change is real" was low-pressure (scientific minority) in the 1980s-90s, became contested through the 2000s, then reversed to high-pressure (consensus) by 2015-2018. Denialism became the new low-pressure position._ \ No newline at end of file From 06bdd6d433a07448095d8b25bbdb1a500225da8c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Rhys Fisher <51084364+RhysEJF@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:27:12 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Updated language - swapped "egregore" usage for "belief" - fixed type --- Concepts.md | 116 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------------- 1 file changed, 86 insertions(+), 30 deletions(-) diff --git a/Concepts.md b/Concepts.md index 66ca4d9..07310ff 100644 --- a/Concepts.md +++ b/Concepts.md @@ -27,61 +27,117 @@ For example: a working solution to a known open problem has a natural "pull". Yo ---- -**egregore pressure system** - an idea that maintains itself through collective belief and opposition. Like atmospheric pressure systems, egregores create differentials: high-pressure (majority consensus, stable) and low-pressure (minority belief, volatile). The pressure differential between competing ideas creates the conditions for rapid belief change. +### **Relationship between memes, beliefs, memeplexes, and egregores** -Example: "Cryptocurrency is the future" vs "Cryptocurrency is a scam" creates a pressure differential. Neither side can exist without the other. The opposition fuels engagement and justification. +[Meme] → smallest informational unit (a phrase, gesture, symbol, or behavior e.g “you're absolutly right”) + ↓ clusters into +[Memeplex] → set of related memes (“**AI Doomerism:** “We’re building our own replacement.” • “Control problem.” • “Paperclip maximizer.” • “AI safety now.”) + ↓ internalized as +[Beliefs] → accepted worldview (“AI will save us” / "AI will be the end of us") + ↓ collectively shared by +[Egregore] → collective mind agent made of believers (“e.g. ideologies”) -Example 2: Early civil rights movements operated as low-pressure systems—minority beliefs fighting to survive against high-pressure consensus. The conflict lines (fronts) formed wherever these beliefs clashed with the status quo. + +--- + +### **Memetic (Belief) Pressure System** + +An environment where a belief or memeplex maintains itself through collective belief and opposition. +Like atmospheric systems, beliefs exhibit pressure differentials: +- **High-pressure** — majority consensus, stable +- **Low-pressure** — minority-held, volatile + +Pressure differentials between competing beliefs create conditions for rapid opinion shifts. + +_Example:_ +"Cryptocurrency is the future" vs "Cryptocurrency is a scam" creates a pressure differential. Opposition fuels engagement and justification. + +_Example 2:_ +Early civil rights beliefs operated as low-pressure systems—minority positions fighting to survive against high-pressure consensus. The conflict lines (fronts) formed wherever these beliefs clashed with the status quo. [Source](https://x.com/virtual_rf/status/1987314557853839811?s=20) ----- +--- -**low-pressure egregore** - a minority-held belief, often outside the Overton window. Without continuous engagement and new adherents, it risks dissolving. Low-pressure egregores are inherently unstable and require active maintenance through conversation, justification, and opposition to survive. +### **Low-Pressure Belief** -Example: "Universal Basic Income" was a low-pressure egregore for decades—a fringe idea that required constant intellectual defense to prevent dissolution. Only when economic conditions shifted (automation anxiety, COVID) did it gain enough pressure to spawn conflict lines. +A minority-held belief, often outside the Overton window. Without continuous engagement and new adherents, it risks dissolving. -Example 2: Any startup challenging an established industry begins as a low-pressure egregore. "Remote work is viable" was low-pressure until COVID created conditions for rapid pressure gain. +Low-pressure beliefs are inherently unstable and require active maintenance through conversation, justification, and opposition to survive. -The risk: without fresh engagement or a triggering event, low-pressure egregores fade from collective consciousness. +_Example:_ +"Universal Basic Income" functioned as a low-pressure belief for decades—a fringe idea that required constant intellectual defense to prevent dissolution. Only when conditions shifted (automation anxiety, pandemic shocks) did it gain enough pressure to spawn stronger conflict lines. ----- +_Example 2:_ +Any startup challenging an established industry begins with a low-pressure belief ("this new way is viable"). "Remote work is viable" was low-pressure until COVID created conditions for rapid pressure gain. -**conflict lines** (memetic fronts) - the boundaries where opposing egregores meet. Like weather fronts, these are where the most dramatic shifts occur. Conflict lines form when people must choose sides, creating pro/contra/neutral positions. +**The risk:** Without fresh engagement or a triggering event, low-pressure beliefs fade from collective consciousness. -Example: The conflict line between "AI will save us" and "AI will destroy us" forces people to pick a stance. Those on the boundary—entertaining "it depends"—are most susceptible to flipping sides. +--- -Example 2: "Move fast and break things" vs "Move slow and build responsibly" created a conflict line in tech culture. The FTX collapse shifted many minds from the former to the latter—a front passing through. +### **Conflict Lines (Memetic Fronts)** ----- +The boundaries where opposing beliefs meet and egregores mobilize. +Like weather fronts, these are where the most dramatic shifts occur. Conflict lines form when people must choose sides, creating **pro / contra / neutral** positions. -**information stream** - the flow of attention and conversation. Like bends in a jet stream creats pressure differentials, major events accelerate or decelerate information flow, spawning new egregores or strengthening existing ones. +_Example:_ +The conflict line between "AI will save us" and "AI will destroy us" forces people to pick a stance. Those on the boundary—entertaining "it depends"—are most susceptible to flipping sides. -Example: A fraudulent election, conversations about freedom accelerate, egregores around liberty gain pressure, once critical mass is reached → revolution. +_Example 2:_ +"Move fast and break things" vs "Move slow and build responsibly" created a conflict line in tech culture. The FTX collapse shifted many minds from the former to the latter—a front passing through. -Example 2: COVID accelerated conversations about remote work, public health authority, and government overreach simultaneously—spawning multiple competing egregores that are still active years later. -Example 3: A major security breach accelerates conversations about privacy. A economic crisis accelerates conversations about monetary systems. -The pattern: Action creates information. Events are bends in the information stream. +--- ----- +### **Information Stream** -**egregore emergance** - the birth of a new belief system that initially self-sustains through opposition (conflict lines), later through intertia (critical consensus). Requires either (1) a significant information acceleration event, or (2) deliberately manufacturing conflict lines around an idea until it reaches critical mass. +The flow of attention and conversation. +Like bends in a jet stream create pressure differentials, major events accelerate or decelerate information flow—spawning new beliefs or strengthening existing ones (and enabling egregores to recruit). ----- +_Example:_ +A disputed election accelerates conversations about freedom and legitimacy; egregores organized around liberty gain recruits. Once critical mass is reached → potential revolution. -**high-pressure egregore** - a majority-held belief, often inside the Overton window. These ideas are stable, self-reinforcing, and require little active defense because consensus maintains them. +_Example 2:_ +COVID accelerated conversations about remote work, public health authority, and government overreach simultaneously—spawning multiple competing egregores that are still active years later. -Example 1: A startup reaches egregoric critical mass when customers start defending it unprompted, when critics emerge organically (creating conflict lines), and when the idea spreads without the founder's direct involvement. +_Example 3:_ +A major security breach accelerates conversations about privacy. An economic crisis accelerates conversations about monetary systems. +The pattern: **Action creates information. Events are bends in the information stream.** -Example 2: "Democracy is the best system of government" operates as high-pressure in Western societies—it's the default assumption that requires little justification._ +--- -The marker: High-pressure egregores feel like "common sense" rather than contested ideas. +### **Egregore Emergence** ----- +The formation of a collective mind agent around a stabilized memeplex. +Often begins with low-pressure beliefs that self-sustain through opposition (conflict lines) and, if successful, later through **inertia** (consensus). + +Requires either: +1. A significant information-acceleration event, or +2. Deliberately manufacturing conflict lines around an idea until it reaches critical mass. + +--- + +### **High-Pressure Belief** + +A majority-held position, often inside the Overton window. +These ideas are stable, self-reinforcing, and require little active defense because consensus maintains them. + +_Example:_ +A startup reaches egregoric critical mass when customers (members of the emerging egregore) defend it unprompted, critics emerge organically (creating conflict lines), and the idea spreads without the founder's direct involvement. + +_Example 2:_ +"Democracy is the best system of government" operates as high-pressure in many Western societies—it's the default assumption that requires little justification. + +**Marker:** High-pressure beliefs feel like *common sense* rather than contested ideas. + +--- + +### **Belief Pressure Reversal (Consensus Reversal)** -**egregore preasure reversal** - When a low-pressure (minority) belief accumulates enough adherents and justification to flip into high-pressure (majority consensus), or vice versa. These reversals often happen rapidly once a threshold is crossed. The conflict line—"support vs. accountability"—became impossible to ignore as the pressure differential narrowed and then reversed. +When a low-pressure (minority) belief accumulates enough adherents and justification to flip into high-pressure (majority consensus)—or vice versa. +These reversals often happen rapidly once a threshold is crossed. -Example: "Unconditional support for Israel" was high-pressure in Western discourse for decades. After sustained documentation of Gaza's destruction reached critical visibility, "cut Israel's funding" shifted from fringe (low-pressure) to high-pressure. The conflict line—"support vs. accountability"—became impossible to ignore as the pressure differential narrowed. +_Example:_ +In tech, "move fast and break things" functioned as high-pressure through the 2010s; a series of high-salience failures and regulatory pressure shifted consensus toward "move deliberately and build responsibly," flipping the local pressure. -Example 2: "Climate change is real" was low-pressure (scientific minority) in the 1980s-90s, became contested through the 2000s, then reversed to high-pressure (consensus) by 2015-2018. Denialism became the new low-pressure position._ \ No newline at end of file +_Example 2:_ +"Climate change is real" was low-pressure (scientific minority) in the 1980s–90s, became contested through the 2000s, then reversed to high-pressure (consensus) by ~2015–2018. Denialism became the new low-pressure position.