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Theory Article

Metabolism: P Functions

Author: Juan E. Sandoval Cite
First Published: June 7, 2018, Latest Revision: July 18, 2021

Metabolism of P Functions

Information Properties
Definitions
S Short Cycle of Decay
(Real-Time)
A short cycle of decay means that the information properties vanish from awareness after a brief amount of time. Thoughts go in and go out. The moment transpires and refreshes the "frames" of reference suspended in consciousness. This eliminates previous observations and clears room for new ones to enter.
L Long Cycle of Decay
(Episodic)
A long cycle of decay means that the information properties remain suspended in consciousness as a background process for longer. Rather than wiping the slate clean every few moments, reality is embedded within a persistent context. After each cycle is over, it is stored in an episodic format into memory. The episode acts as a whole unit, consisting of the net effect of all that transpired during the cycle period. It can then be recalled later and rebooted in the background whenever the environment causes a recall.
A Abstract Data
(Extrapolated)
"Abstract" or "extrapolated" refers to information properties called into awareness by the existing situation but which are not manifested in the situation itself. The extrapolation is then considered a dataset of its own, treated with as much or more reality as what exists in the current situation.
C Concrete Data
(Literal)
"Concrete" or "literal" refers to information properties which have an explicit analog within the existing situation. As with all data, literal data is still conceptualized in the mind but registers as a dataset with an anchoring to a previously stored or presently perceived analog.
E Environmental Data
(Present)
Environment refers to the present moment with all its available objects.
P Precedent
(Archived Data)
Precedent refers to the collective past experience (or "map") of a person, with all its available information.

Equations

Equation Function Elaboration
AS * E Ne A vector to explore extrapolations (A) in real-time with a short cycle of decay (S), multiplied by the number of triggers in the environment (E).
CS * E Se A vector to explore literal data (C) in real-time with a short cycle of decay (S), multiplied by the number of triggers in the environment (E).
AL * P Ni A hearkening back to extrapolations (A) with a long cycle of decay (L), multiplied by the breadth and scope of the subject's precedent (P).
CL * P Si A hearkening back to literal datasets (C) with a long cycle of decay (L), multiplied by the breadth and scope of the subject's precedent (P).

Emergent Effects

Ne

As a Pe function, Ne has a short cycle of decay (S), making its extrapolations (A) necessarily limited to what the present situation (E) offers before facing the refresh factor. This forces Ne to generate short-term, situational associations between the objects at hand rather than longstanding, interlaced schemas. Each association is formed between objects, but because the objects Ne juggles do not need to be anchored to any concrete (C) analog, purely mental objects often become more plentiful in their thoughts since they are easier to create. The slightest attribute of the environment may trigger a caricature to rise out from a physical object while the actual object is henceforth neglected. The environment is still necessary for Ne to generate associations, but only as a catalyst which it can diverge from and handle the extrapolated material instead.
This divergent property causes Ne to register reality in a very iconic fashion, where objects are often only attended to long enough to extract a caricature. This gives Ne a memetic approach to information, as each dataset it handles is more analogous to a meme than an actuality. Reality becomes emblematic, and suspended somewhat above the physical like a proxy or a series of simulations they can enter in and out of. This suspension from the limits of the presently concrete will lead naturally to an optimistic approach to metabolism. Since the restraints of the present are neglected, more appears plausible and Ne's libido turns to chasing those unexplored potentialities.

Se

As a Pe function, Se has a short cycle of decay (S), limiting its exploration to the numerous qualities that objects and situations (E) evidence. And since Se requires a concrete (C) analog to simulate a mental object, it does not diverge its attention from the environment like Ne but instead sinks more acutely into the physical world to extract out a greater volume of subtleties and datasets. This gives Se a photographic approach to information; a somatic registration of reality and a sense of presence. However, this sense of presence also makes Se more susceptible to the conditions of the physical environment such as through noise and irritants. This photographic focus is not easy to turn off, leading to a higher sensitivity to stimuli and a need to adjust to those conditions.
Inversely, if the environment is providing insufficient stimulation, Se will compel the individual to take a more kinesthetic and mobilizing route of exploration and seek out new landscapes with richer details to extract. It will have a magnetic attraction to areas with the most pleasant and aesthetic frequencies. This makes Se's exploration opportunistic, rather than optimistic like Ne. Se identifies existent opportunities for high stimuli in the environment, rather than being satiated with simulated potentialities.

Attitude Attention Knowledge Libido
Ne Extrapolative Divergent Memetic Optimistic
Se Literal Acute Photographic Opportunistic

Ni

As a Pi function, Ni has a long cycle of decay (L), keeping information schemas perpetually suspended in consciousness as a background process; providing context. These schemas form over time as thousands of concrete stimuli are aggregated into net themes that encapsulate the entire situation during the cycle/episode's duration. What is stored is not strictly a memory, but a kind of extrapolated proverb or aphorism that summarizes the lesson void of dependency on any concrete analog. The theme is triangulated and extracted from a keen and persistent observation of the environment through Se, but is dateless in its construction and exists as a truth across domains both temporal and timeless.
And because of this lack of concrete or chronological dependence, the extrapolated aphorism is treated as a whole and identified in situations whenever any element of the narrative is seen to be in motion. Which aspect of the episode one is presently within is irrelevant to Ni's capacity to understand what kind of episode is being run, leading it to be karmic in its registration of time and causality. The start and end are happening at once, causing Ni to be somewhat fatalistic in its understanding of situations once it has registered the universal theme at play.

Si

As a Pi function, Si has a long cycle of decay (L), keeping information schemas perpetually suspended in consciousness as a background process; providing context. These schemas are episodes from the past that have been stored as anecdotes, and which are brought back into awareness as they relate to the situation. All the details relevant to the navigation of that particular situation are re-triggered into consciousness, effectively rebooting the same simulation or actuality that was entertained originally. This gives Si a nostalgic capacity, since it stores episodes more or less just the way they were last left -- due to Si being a concrete (C) process which does not alter the properties of its datasets.
However, what this means is that Si's episodes will not be interwoven into a universal or thematic web, but will be indexed as a series of lessons each relevant to a multitude of different situations. This does not mean Si gives a person a good understanding of chronology, since the order in which the episodes are stored is not always remembered, but each episode is nonetheless indexed in a somewhat isolated fashion. Si will then toggle between schemas as situations change, calling forth those that relate the most to the environment. And when Si has understood what the context is, they will remember the outcome of this context from before, and understand the situation in a consequential fashion; anticipating a similar outcome this time around.

Attitude Reference Episodes Results
Ni Extrapolative Aphoristic Thematic Karmic
Si Literal Anecdotal Indexical Consequential

Emergent Properties

Ne/Si

No person lacks the capacity for either N or S, but the two attitudes converge differently across the axes to address all the necessary domains of life. For the Ne/Si user, information starts with Ne. Then after Ne's cycles decay, what is left over is epitomized in Si as a static anchor point made up of the idea that was generated. This effectively makes Si a library of stored abstractions, rather than literal representation of the moments which transpired. The literality of the Si function comes in the fact that each dataset stored is static in its properties, unchanging, and can be references with the same concreteness as any data would have if it had actually happened just as observed. If the concept Ne stored was not too far removed from the actuality of that moment, there will be some fidelity in the translation. This happens more when Si is given higher priority, because Ne diverges less from objects as it absorbs it's data (Pe). Nonetheless, there will still always be some extrapolation from the sensory world which happens in all Si users, causing Si's archive to be a collection of conceptual registrations over time -- which we can term Impressionistic. No matter what the hierarchy, the Ne/Si user will have this impressionistic quality to their experience.
Additionally, as a Pi function Si will aim to form a comprehensive view of reality that encompasses every domain. But since not all domains are woven together, this complete understanding is achieved by a pluralistic approach, not by having a convergent unity. This is directly due to the N attitude (which is the associative operation) being tied to the Pe function and not Pi, causing thematic strings to be woven into things at shorter ranges via Ne. The smaller range of Ne's associations leads necessarily to a modular mode of registering reality for the Ne/Si user. Now, a unified view of reality may still be inserted from a certain J paradigm, but this P axis will not generate that intuition about the universe by itself.
Disclaimer: This lack of literality doesn't mean that an Ne/Si user can't ever perceive reality as it is. But it will be energetically taxing for Ne to stay on the same beat/object (i.e. lock on) for multiple cycles. This becomes easier the more Si is involved in the duality. And just as a wrench can be used to hammer in a nail, Ne can be used to take in (Pe) the world as it exists but it will have to discard its own divergences to re-focus continually. This will lead to a level of mental fatigue and even so the detail may not be completely grasped (or stored) but perhaps sufficient for the task at hand.

Ni/Se

For the Se/Ni user, information starts with Se. After Se's cycles have decayed, what is left over is woven into a thematic tapestry that aim to describe all occurrences of that particular nature, in all contexts. This essentially makes the Ni/Se axes an archive of timeless literalities. The themes that are extracted out of life will be felt as imminent truths, due to their original extrapolation out from a rich sensory input that is concrete and tangible. This alters even the experience of Ni to be one that is hearkening back to the somatic an expecting certain somatic events to play themselves out. Thus Ni is not experienced as a hypotheses generator, but as a library of what will actually happen or does happen. This makes the experience of Ni/Se qualitatively visceral; having always the quality of contact with the world.
Additionally, as a Pi function Ni will aim to form a comprehensive view of reality that encompasses every domain. And because of Ni's metabolism, as the associative function, this worldview will be deeply interwoven and holistic. There is no reason why any domain of life cannot or should not be associated to the rest when life is seen as a fabric of influence that runs in all directions. This causes the Ni/Se worldview to be monistic rather than compartmentalized or indexical. Trend lines cross along different domains of influence, and no domain is excluded from this view of reality.
Disclaimer: This doesn't mean Ni/Se users can't come up with hypotheses on the spot, but they would do so through the combined effect of Se's exploration of Ni themes. Rather than branching newly into unknown trajectories, Se will riff across an Ni trendline that is in peripheral view. Still, it will lack the suspended and surreal quality of Ne, and be instead a simulation that is still tied to the sensory and appropriately adjacent to it or coming from precedent.

Equation Worldview Data Structure
Qualia of Existence
Ne/Si (AS * E) / (CL * P) Pluralistic Modular Impressionistic
Ni/Se (CS * E) / (AL * P) Monistic Holistic Visceral
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