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{{a|bi|}}{{Quote|In Europe you can see it in terminology, where the names of months (governance) have varied radically since 1500, but the names of signs of the Zodiac (culture) are unchanged in millennia.  Europe’s most intractable wars have been religious wars.
{{a|bi|{{image|Pace layering|jpg|}}}}{{Quote|In Europe you can see it in terminology, where the names of months (governance) have varied radically since 1500, but the names of signs of the Zodiac (culture) are unchanged in millennia.  Europe’s most intractable wars have been religious wars.
:—Stewart Brand, ''Pace Layering: How Complex Systems Learn and Keep Learning''<ref>https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/issue3-brand/release/2</ref>}}
:—{{author|Stewart Brand}}, ''Pace Layering: How Complex Systems Learn and Keep Learning''<ref>https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/issue3-brand/release/2</ref>}}


Stewart Brand’s ''pace layering'' concept, which evidently he developed in a collaboration with Brian Eno, explains the resilience of a [[complex system]], how it resists shocks and how it adapts over time by the [[metaphor]] of “layers” of which the system is comprised, and that operate at different scales and at different rates of change. It also acknowledges that such systems are not hermetically-sealed clockwork engines, but rather amorphous, boundary-less ephemeral contrivances that borrow from or depend on, ''other'' pre-existing systems with their own dependencies.
{{author|Stewart Brand}}’s ''pace layering'' concept, which evidently he developed in a collaboration with Brian Eno, explains the resilience of a [[complex system]], how it resists shocks and how it adapts over time by the [[metaphor]] of “layers” of which the system is comprised, and that operate at different scales and at different rates of change. It also acknowledges that such systems are not hermetically-sealed clockwork engines, but rather amorphous, boundary-less ephemeral contrivances that borrow from or depend on, ''other'' pre-existing systems with their own dependencies.


Brand, described six layers. From the bottom up: ''nature'', ''culture'', ''governance'', ''infrastructure'', ''commerce'' and ''fashion''. To work through these, let’s take the example of a single market.
Brand described six layers. From the bottom up: ''nature'', ''culture'', ''governance'', ''infrastructure'', ''commerce'' and ''fashion''. To work through these, let’s take the example of a single market.
===The layers===
=== Layers===
“'''Nature'''” describes the most universal, fundamental, difficult-to-fiddle-with engineering of the system, on which all other levels depend. Nature applies universally, well beyond the scope of the individual market in our example. It includes biology, chemistry, physics, meteorology, geology to the extent these determine how the participants behave, and are impacted by the behaviour of participants in the market. The market may generate changes in nature (as to life expectancy, crop yield, climate and so on) but they happen over extremely long time scales and would require concerted effort amongst many different markets. It may not change very fast, but nature is highly determinative of what a market can and cannot do.
“'''Nature'''” describes the most universal, fundamental, difficult-to-fiddle-with engineering of the system, on which all other levels depend. Nature applies universally, well beyond the scope of the individual market in our example. It includes biology, chemistry, physics, meteorology, geology to the extent these determine how the participants behave, and are impacted by the behaviour of participants in the market. The market may generate changes in nature (as to life expectancy, crop yield, climate and so on) but they happen over extremely long time scales and would require concerted effort amongst many different markets. It may not change very fast, but nature is highly determinative of what a market can and cannot do.


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“'''Commerce'''” ''does'' march to the cadence of the quarterly earnings report, and fights off competing products, market development and customers who are influenced by fashionable views.  
“'''Commerce'''” ''does'' march to the cadence of the quarterly earnings report, and fights off competing products, market development and customers who are influenced by fashionable views.  


“'''Fashion'''” is ephemeral, random, dynamic, fluctuating, noisy — in the sense of “loud” and in the sense of “obscuring signal” — but even this can effect the adjacent layers if persistent through time.
“'''Fashion'''” is ephemeral, random, dynamic, fluctuating, noisy — in the sense of “loud” and in the sense of “obscuring signal” — but even this can effect the adjacent layers if persistent through time.


The scale of operation of the successive layers is different: Nature affects a species, but chances at a glacial, evolutionary pace. Culture affects a people — values and customs do change, but gradually, and these cultural groupings may be more profound than the nations in which we find them. There are commonalities between the alpine people of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy that are not shared by others from those countries. Governance is of a nation, infrastructure a city, business a market and fashion whoever likes it. The fastest layers are the most innovative: the slowest are the most stable.  
=== Pace ===
The rate at which the successive layers change, and the scale at which the change operates differs. Change happens most slowly and most universally at the bottom:
 
'''Nature''' affects a ''species'', but changes at a glacial, evolutionary pace. As this changes, the more transient layers above change, on a faster cycle, to accommodate it. Doorways and ceilings are higher than they were a thousand years ago, because development in diet and nutrition has led to taller humans. 
 
'''Culture''' affects a ''people'', which is a deeper and more fundamental grouping than a ''nation.'' There are commonalities in outlook, values and way of life between the Alpine people of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy that are not shared by others from those countries. Values and customs change, but gradually, and while they may be influenced over generations by migratory patterns, cultural conflicts, shifts in technology, government, and even fashion, these influences must persist for long periods before they permanently affect the deep cultural preferences and values. 
 
Governance is of a nation, infrastructure a city, business a market and fashion whoever likes it. The fastest layers are the most innovative: the slowest are the most stable.  


Fast layers learn. Slow layers remember.
Fast layers learn. Slow layers remember.


===What are not layers===
===What are not layers ===
''[[Technology]] is not a layer'' but operates across the spectrum at different layers, which means you should be careful, [[legaltechbro]]s, to consider where your application fits in.<ref>[https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cjjZ4mjKHcEfOHraLimzb? Stewart Brand and Paul Saffo, ''Pace Layers Thinking] (about 38 minutes in).</ref>
''[[Technology]] is not a layer'' but operates across the spectrum at different layers, which means you should be careful, [[legaltechbro]]s, to consider where your application fits in.<ref>[https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cjjZ4mjKHcEfOHraLimzb? Stewart Brand and Paul Saffo, ''Pace Layers Thinking''] (about 38 minutes in).</ref>


Nor is art, which may be shallow as fashion or as deep as culture, but may be a device for reimagining any of the components (cave art and mythology deep; flared trousers and hula-hoops shallow)
Nor is art, which may be shallow as fashion or as deep as culture, but may be a device for reimagining any of the components (cave art and mythology deep; flared trousers and hula-hoops shallow)
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{{Quote|''“Fast learns, slow remembers. Fast proposes, slow disposes. Fast is discontinuous, slow is continuous. Fast and small instructs slow and big by accrued innovation and by occasional revolution.  Slow and big controls small and fast by constraint and constancy.  Fast gets all our attention, slow has all the power.”''}}
{{Quote|''“Fast learns, slow remembers. Fast proposes, slow disposes. Fast is discontinuous, slow is continuous. Fast and small instructs slow and big by accrued innovation and by occasional revolution.  Slow and big controls small and fast by constraint and constancy.  Fast gets all our attention, slow has all the power.”''}}


So to understand how deep and persistent a system effect is and how fixable it is, consider the level are which it presents. A local gang conflict can fix easily, a religious grievance won’t.  
So to understand how deep and persistent a [[system effect]] is and how fixable it is, consider the level are which it presents. A local gang conflict can fix easily, a religious grievance won’t.  


If an issue presents as a matter of ''fashion'' but proves inexplicably resistant to change, it may be an indication that it is really operates at a deeper level.
If an issue presents as a matter of ''fashion'' but proves inexplicably resistant to change, it may be an indication that it is really operates at a deeper level.
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{{Ref}}
{{Ref}}
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