Repeated application of structure-preserving transformations

If we have a sequence of transformations, all of which are structure-preserving, then the result of these transformations is almost always beautiful. Good transformations do not cause any upheaval. So to get a good project, we merely have to make a sequence of structure-preserving transformations. When we do so, a good design evolves smoothly, almost automatically.
However, even a single bad transformation can upset the smooth unfolding. If we make one transformation which destroys structure, in the middle of a sequence of good ones, things become ugly very quickly; the structure which arises then is no longer consistent with the field of centers.
We also found that the effect of this one bad transformation is very hard to recover from. It is as if, in dealing with the wholeness, we are dealing with a delicate material which remains in good condition as long as we are nice to it. But the moment we send it off the rails, we have lost touch with its underlying origin in reality, and it is then very hard indeed to bring it back.

#book/The Nature of Order/2 The process of creating life/2 Structure-preserving transformations#