We need parts to function and relate as a whole. When we focus only on function, we fragment the relationships. So we make it work by strengthening the relationships between the parts so they connect better as a whole.
The whole is not the sum
of its parts. It's the
relationship
between them.
Insight comes from the relationship of the whole, not from a reduction to the parts.
The ability to anticipate comes from reading the relationships between the parts of the whole, not from knowing how individual parts function.
The core of a functional approach is computation—evaluating the functions of all parts.
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Key traits:
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Uses immutability (functions can’t change once created).
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Relies on pure functions (same input always gives the same output).
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Emphasizes pathways. It tries to tie down what changes and what is disputable. It tries to make everything predictable.
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It is a matter of time before functional programming fails to make things predictable.
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Emergence: When parts combine, they create new functions that do not exist in the individual parts.
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Nonlinearity: Small changes in the beginning can lead to massive, completely unexpected results later. This is called the butterfly effect.
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Complex Interactions: As the number of connections between parts grows, the total system becomes too difficult to calculate fully.
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Information Limits: We never have exact data on every single starting condition or outside force.
Examples
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Water Molecules: Knowing how a single H₂O molecule acts does not let you predict the exact shape of a splashing wave or ice crystals without seeing the whole system.
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The Brain: You can study a single neuron, but you cannot predict a specific human thought or memory just from that piece.
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Weather: We understand air and heat, but tracking every wind current to predict rain weeks away is impossible.
Opportunities to train the ability to MAKE IT WORK by strengthening relationships between the parts
All-ability adults. Mixed.Sun 13 SeptWatford- Older adults and adult beginners. Mixed.Wed 16 SeptLoreto College, St Albans
Late paymentThu 31 DecAL3 5LH
Play less functional - more relationalDate and time is TBDLocation is TBD
All-ability adults. Mixed.Date and time is TBDLocation is TBD
I hope you are well.
My corporate career began with adapting face-to-face practices used to build high-performing teams for high-performance online communities. When these skills made me the best person to support our children, I moved into home education.
When our children didn’t fit into an increasingly standardized education system, our one clear resolve was to resist what everyone was urging us to do. We didn’t yet know the alternative, but we refused to respond to our children's struggles by doubling down on drilling the parts our children were being told they needed to master. In time, that refusal led me to help our children—and many others—practice the skills of relating as a whole.
Today, Josh, Arran, and Jon, supported by Debbie, offer LifeSkills21.club: a place to train the relational skills of the whole.
Always happy to chat
St Albans, UK
SkillsofWow.org is the governing body for those who coach the skills of Wow.