Realimiteit Theory or Realimiteit Principle

Realimity Theory – Realimity Principle – Realimiteit

Lynn Margulis: ‘if it metabolizes it is alive, if it not metabolizes it is not.’

We have to take into account that there is a natural limitation for the realisation of goals. Desired realities or goals can be achieved and only be sustainable within natural boundaries of functionality which are dependent on cognition, i.e. interaction with environment by a continuous exchange of information.

Life or living systems (Capra, Bateson) depend on the criteria needed for survival; for example health: a non polluted environment, social safety, biological and ecological balance. According to Maturana and Varela’s Santiago Theory of Cognition, life is autopoietic; this means it creates, maintains and sustains itself through communication (cognition) with environment. The sustenance of life therefore depends on the availability of creative conditions. Life that encounters ‘destructive’ conditions will perish as it cannot be sustained or sustain itself anymore.

Life is continuously interacting with environment through information. All information would be needed to pick and choose that information which is constructive for life. We speak about feedback loops, which are information carriers of amplifying nature; which are called ‘positive feedback loops’ and information carriers of dampening or correcting information are called ‘negative feedback loops’. We can say that living is a continued learning and adaptation process.

In order for an organism to maintain homeostasis or equilibrium, it needs to use both information carriers. The feedback loops carrying the most useful information are chosen automatically as these enhance the chance of survival of the organism. These feedback loops are ever changing because the environment is also changing all the time. When for example the quality of air has been compromised, an organism needs to adapt to these new parameters, because if it can’t it cannot sustain itself. The environment does not determine a change within an organism. It is the structure of an organism itself that determines a change. This in short is called; adaptation, which is possible by allowing ALL information.

Now, fast forward this to organisations, businesses, industrial production or political parties. What these entities are often doing is to ignore information which contradicts purpose, whilst only accepting that information which confirms it. We have to ask this question; can there be business or political ideology without life? When we see organisations as living, social systems of communication (Luhmann), we intuitively understand that stability and sustainability can only be achieved by using positive – and negative feedback in a balanced order. Communication or the constant gathering and sharing of (new) information creates the very basis for steering, maximum control and predictability. A continuous learning process is the basis for sustenance and continuity.

But when we look at for example; Erdogan’s Turkey, the European Commission, Washington’s reckless military interventions, international political landscapes, the impact of the hydrocarbon industries on climate change and environment, we can easily observe that their stability or sustainability is being made possible by enforcement and/or acquiescence alone. It is being sustained artificially by misinformation or by suppressing dampening, or corrective feedback. This automatically leads to a status of non-adaptability, because these organisations try to operate beyond natural boundaries of functionality. This makes them immediately instable and unsustainable, which will lead to an inevitable collapse. We talk about path dependency. A constant flow of corrective feedback is the only basis for balance and sustainability for social systems as they are living systems too.

Therefore I created this Realimiteit Principle with which we can measure, map and predict stability and sustainability in any system, organisation or enterprise. We do this by researching if all feedback loops are accepted, connected and used to enable adjusting the steering or control of the organisation (cybernetics). 

We ask two questions:

Is the organisation positive interdependent? All stakeholders will benefit? 

Is the organisation negative interdependent? Only some stakeholders benefit because others cannot.

An action or a goal that depends on negative interdependence or untruths is unsustainable and will fail as history confirms.

Energy and Resources

Imagine how much energy and resources are wasted by organisations to create unpredictable and unsustainable realities which cannot survive outside of environment or exist beyond natural boundaries of functionality which in fact means outside sane realism. 

Any organisation which tries to operate in such a manner, i.e. defying nature’s capacity to carry or condone it, needs lobbyists, lawyers or propaganda through media used to stifle that information which could confirm actual harmfulness of products, ideology or services. When that energy and resources would be used to implement change from harmful to non-harmful, the organisation that allows for ALL information which would provide a new ability to steer and control the organisation in an adaptive and sustainable way.