No Way Out Unlocking Reality: OODA Loops, Emergence, and the Mind's Hidden Boundaries
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Jan 5, 2026 Luiz von Paumgartten, a patent attorney and author of The Abstractionist's Papers, dives into the interplay between reality and perception. He explores John Boyd's OODA loop and its connection to emergence and meaning. Luiz articulates how sensory inputs transform into meaning across the mind's boundaries, stressing the importance of reorientation in navigating uncertainty. He contrasts red (interpretive) and blue (raw) spaces, sheds light on orthogonality, and discusses how paradoxes fuel emergence, providing a fresh perspective on how we interpret our experiences.
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Meaning Versus Happening
- Luiz von Paumgartten separates reality into two orthogonal domains: meaning (inside the mind) and happening (outside in the world).
- That boundary is mediated by sensory signals ("light") which transform external variation into internal interpretation.
Orthogonal Domains Connected By Light
- The mind and the external world live on perpendicular (orthogonal) planes connected by a transformation.
- Luiz calls the transformative boundary "light": the signal that converts happening into meaning.
Close Paradoxes Proactively
- Monitor mismatches between interpretations and expectations (paradoxes) and close them by three methods: reinterpret, change expectations, or update logic.
- Use these actions continuously below awareness to reduce surprise and improve decisions.
