Structure-preserving transformations further discussion

Intuitively, we understand the concept of preserving or destroying structure. This means, of course, that in some form we must have an intuitive idea of the structure which exists. That concept is not new: the structure which exists is, of course, the wholeness as I defined it in Book 1. It is the field of centers. But we must also have an intuitive idea of a transformation which preserves or extends a structure, and an intuitive idea of a transformation which destroys or contradicts a structure. This is new.
Except in chapter 1 of this book, I have not previously (in Book 1) suggested that the wholeness which exists contains a seed or direction that points the way toward those transformations which are kind to it and away from those transformations which are unkind to it. But the demonstration I have just given shows that there is indeed some way in which a transformation of a structure which exists can be kind or not-kind — structure-preserving or structure-destroying, more consistent or less consistent with the structure that exists.

Throughout nature, we see a continuous smooth unfolding of the wholeness which preserves structure at every moment, even when it seems to be introducing new structure.

The idea of structure-preserving transformations is quite general. If we are faced with any configuration at all — simple or complex — and we are asked to modify it by adding elements or making changes, we can distinguish between types of additions and changes which preserve or enhance the structure and types which weaken or destroy the structure.
It is the structure-preserving transformations which give us the key to the creation of wholeness.

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