Catching up on Christopher Alexander stuff it strikes me that his work has close parallels to John Boyd. Might even be isomorphic at some level. 🤔
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This by feels like an accurate gloss of his legacy. Can’t judge since I haven’t delved and don’t intend to. The 11-step “fundamental differentiating process” looks like an unrolled OODA loop. Patterns had a role for both.
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For a comparative religion person or Great Nan biographer type to dive into. I know more about Boyd than Alexander, but am not Straussian-scholar-religious enough to truly go deep into either.
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I like this connection. Alexander perhaps aiming to support the human OODA loop instead of disrupting it?
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I see them both respecting form and context (or shape). Alexander is looking for fit and Boyd is seeking mismatch.
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Alexander's cycles had 4 steps since the 80s or earlier. In the mid-90s, I asked him to read an OODA loop presentation. He agreed with the homology, saying something like "it's just how humans coax reality." Brought it up 20 years ago: gregbryant.com/grogbrat/aspen
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