Part Three: You can take science out of philosophy, but.....

Image credit: Wikipedia

.....you can't take philosophy out of science.*

INTRODUCTION

In a discussion that was taking place recently on beBee, Ali Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee wrote; “…the many buzzes that we inspired between us I shall not be surprised to read this chain "A post on a post on a post...." forming" The natural polymer of posts".

A polymer (/ˈpɒlᵻmər/; Greek poly-, "many" + -mer, "parts") is a large molecule, or macromolecule, composed of many repeated subunits. Because of their broad range of properties, both synthetic and natural polymers play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life. (Emphasis mine.)

In this case, the chain of posts and discussions have revolved around the topics of self and consciousness. Readers from many disciplines have engaged and contributed to this discussion, reflecting how some topics are not limited to one discipline; especially when the topic is about us and who we are. We are conscious beings. The difference between the personal and the professional me is context. The “who” I am engages with others and the world around me in the same way; it is the situation that changes, not me. So it is not a stretch to discuss who I am, as a conscious being, on social media. It especially makes sense on beBee.

Part Three:   Spontaneity; a word in search of an identity.

Ali 🐝 Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBees buzz, Spontaneity in Human Relationship, has been a catalyst for a very thought provoking and dynamic discussion on the concept of spontaneity. I found myself not only being drawn into a diversity of perspectives, but I felt that there was something else contributing to the opinions. After doing a quick search into the definition and synonyms of spontaneity, I realized what I was experiencing; spontaneity was not only being communicated from an intellectual perspective but from an emotional one as well. Each comment on spontaneity was based on a different subjective definition. What is so interesting about this process, which takes place most of the time, is that in this case, the official definition is so open ended that its synonyms cross many boundaries.

Definition of spontaneity:
1. the quality or state of being spontaneous
2. voluntary or undetermined action or movement
3. happening or done in a natural, often sudden way, without any planning or without being forced.
Synonyms; impulsivity, risk-taking, intuitive, creativity, inspiration, improvisation, inclination, tendency, whim, will, ad-libbing, abandon, energy, freedom, naturalness, and more!

Spontaneity comes up in many areas of discussion such as psychology, business, the arts and physics, to name a few.

In this discussion, I would like to highlight three points related to the areas of psychology, physics and creativity.

1. Psychology

I attribute the expanded view of spontaneity to, what I consider to be, its relation to time. In this “sense” I would not use impulsivity as a synonym but rather view spontaneity as an ability we develop as we mature.

In the series of articles, The Wisdom of Spontaneity, the author writes:

"Although a spontaneous act may be impromptu, unconscious, or casual, it's generally seen as safe--rather than precarious. That is, we're not very likely to talk about the "dangers," or the "destructiveness," of acting spontaneously.
Impulsive behavior, on the other hand, is prompted behavior, whether by "some external incitement or sudden inner inclination" (Webster's New World Thesaurus). It's impelled--or better, driven--in a way that spontaneous behavior isn't. As such, induced by some sort of outward or internal passion, pressure or appetite, it bypasses--or may even "hijack"--our more rational faculties. Inevitably, then, such behavior exposes us to risk, puts our welfare in jeopardy. This is why we don't hear of a person's being told to behave more impulsively--though it's hardly uncommon for someone to be advised to act more spontaneously. (Part One)
What makes a young child's unthinking behavior impulsive rather than spontaneous is that typically it hasn't first been "previewed" (or "mediated") by some internal censoring mechanism. This is why I assign impulsivity to the realm of childhood, and spontaneity to the domain of the adult." (Part Two)

2. Physics

"A spontaneous process is the time-evolution of a system in which it releases free energy and moves to a lower, more thermodynamically stable energy state. The sign convention of changes in free energy follows the general convention for thermodynamic measurements, in which a release of free energy from the system corresponds to a negative change in free energy, but a positive change for the surroundings.
Depending on the nature of the process, the free energy is determined differently. For example, the Gibbs free energy is used when considering processes that occur under constant pressure and temperature conditions whereas the Helmholtz free energy is used when considering processes that occur under constant volume and temperature conditions.
Because spontaneous processes are characterized by a decrease in the system's free energy, they do not need to be driven by an outside source of energy." – Wikipedia

If we translate this process to a human dynamic one, it may look something like this:

A spontaneous process is experienced when, over time, free energy is released and moves us towards a more stable state. We benefit from the release of what is a negative energy, which than allows the potential for a positive change in our surroundings.
Depending on the nature of the process, the free energy is determined differently. For example, stress or inspiration may be contributing factors to a spontaneous process taking place.
Spontaneous processes are characterized by our ability to enable a decrease in our system's free energy. In this way, there is more control over what takes place and the process is not driven by another source of energy not in our control.SJ

"Creativity is not merely the innocent spontaneity of our youth and childhood; it must also be married to the passion of the adult human being, which is a passion to live beyond one's death."