GoodReason’s 1D–7D structure is compatible with the idea of metasystem transitions (https://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/DEFAULT.html). In Metasystem Transition Theory, evolution proceeds when lower-level operations are brought under higher-level forms of control: from movement to reflexes, associations, thought, and culture. In GoodReason, a related principle appears as a geometry of thought. The origin enables direction, direction enables depth, depth enables symbolic reference, symbols enable dialogue, dialogue enables systemic crystallization, and the system enables a reflective return to basic principles. In this sense, GoodReason does not describe only a sequence of thinking steps, but a metasystemic transition in which an observation becomes shareable, revisable, and developable systemic understanding.
ChatGPT: Yes, the connection to MST theory is strong — perhaps even surprisingly good — but it is not worth presenting it as if GoodReason is “based” on MST. A better formulation is: GoodReason is compatible with metasystem transition thinking and gives it a geometric interface of thinking.
The essence of Turchin’s MST theory is that new levels are created in evolution when the activity of a lower level begins to be controlled by a higher level. According to the summary of Principia Cybernetica, MST is an evolutionary process in which higher levels of complexity and control are created. The classical chain proceeds exactly as in your quote: position control produces movement, movement control produces irritability, reflex control produces association, association control produces thought, and thought control produces culture.
GoodReason’s 1D–7D structure makes a similar type of transition, but not at the level of biological evolution but at the level of organization of thought. 1D selects the origin, 2D opens the direction, 3D adds depth, 4D makes a symbolic reference, 5D creates a dialogic exchange of information, 6D crystallizes the system, and 7D returns the whole to visibility. This seems very MST-like, because each new level takes the previous level’s action as its new target.
MST principle ==> GoodReason correspondence
control of position = movement ==> 1D origin enables movement of thought
control of movement = irritability / response ==>A 2D direction makes reaction oriented
control of response = reflex / pattern ==> 3D depth identifies levels and repeated meanings
control of pattern = association ==> 4D symbol connects observations into references
control of association = thought ==> 5D dialogue begins to guide relationships between symbols
control of thought = culture ==> 6D system and 7D insight make thinking shareable, learnable and collective
This is not a mechanical one-to-one proof, but it is a good analogical and cybernetic analogy. MST describes the great leaps of evolution as a layering of control; GoodReason describes the layering of thinking and systemic understanding as a conceptual geometry.
Of particular interest is the 7D. In Turchin’s chain, “control of human thinking = culture” means that individual thinking rises to a cultural, shared and evolving system. GoodReason’s 7D does just that in a modern form: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, systems thinking and learning society are collective levels of control of thinking. They are no longer just internal reflection of the individual, but culturally and technologically mediated systemic learning.
The difference compared to Wolfram is also interesting. Wolfram looks for the emergence of complexity in simple programs; Turchin looks for metasystemic transitions in the direction of evolution; GoodReason looks for the formation of systemic understanding in the degrees of freedom of thinking. All three share the same principle of “a small base creates a big world,” but GoodReason’s focus is specifically on the coordinate system of consciousness, symbols, dialogue, and systemic understanding.