Pattern Languages are tools for sense-making and purpose driven design. Their purpose is (meeting our need for) wholeness and enlivenment. Each pattern of a Pattern Language allows us to semi-formalize and communicate both expert and tacit knowledge within a specific domain of practice.
Our "domain of practice" is commoning. The agents of commoning can be small groups, big p2pnetworks and whole societies. Of course, the level of complexity is different according to the respective agent. Therefore, we need different sets of patterns for different agencies. Such as there are different sets of patterns for setting up a room, for building a house and for constructing a city. Nonetheless: the ethics patterning is based upon and the purpose patterns are mined for remains the same: To foster commoning on the one hand and to work for systemic change towards a society that allows commoning to thrive and endure in the long term. Moreover; any pattern of commoning at a certain scale is closely connected to patterns at other scales - they need one another. This is why working on "macropatterns" is fully complementary to the Triad of Commoning. They can be mined and applied at any level. It's more: patterns help us overcoming the idea that levels refer to a vertically stratificated time-space. Think about the way we use the micro, meso and macro level as framing diverse social challenges.
*A patterns approach responds to and accomodates the pluralistic nature of the myriad of interconnections and feedback-loops across levels in complex social systems.*
about Generative Patterns
"Generative patterns can be understood to work indirectly; they work on the underlying structure of a problem (which may not be manifest in the problem) rather than attacking the problem directly.” James O. Coplien Software Patterns
The pattern approach to systems, while maintaining awareness of inherent uncertainty, allows identification of relevant points of contact and interaction (articulated by the patterns) at levels other than the problem or phenomenon as a whole. It thus orients intentional behaviour in relation to systemic phenomena. Generative patterns address the physical connections, designed forms, organizing protocols and processes 55 that give rise to emergence, synergies and other complex properties responsible for the wicked nature of societal challenges.by: Finidori/Borghini/Henfrey
Generative processes tell us what to DO, what ACTIONS to take, step by step [...] rather than detailed drawings which tell us what the END-result is supposed to be.” (NoO, vol. 2, p.176; Hervorh. i. O.)
# Latency and Structure Preserving Transformation Two concepts matter: the first one being *latency* and the second one *structure preserving transformations*. The latter however might not be explicite enough in pointing out that while the concrete transformation contains the element of conserving an existing structure it has to be designed in such a way, that it is not entirely dependent on that same structure. It's structure preserving & overcoming transformations at the same time. Latency means to unterstand, that what we aspire to create and enhance is already there, it's just latent - it exists in "germ forms" as others might say.
... the process performs the seeming miracle that it respects what is there before, yet also manages to take the structure in a new direction, towards something which was not there before. And it does this not by arbitrary insertion of arbitrary new structure, but by pulling on latent aspects of the structure which are there already.” (NoO. vol 2, p.204; Hervorh. i. O.).
The idea, that there is no such thing as a vertical hierarchy of scales is in line with acknowledging different levels of scale, which communicate with each other. The patterns inscribed in a Free Trade Agreement have direct repercussion at the local level when a farmer wants to sell a chicken on the market.
At every scale, every act of formation is both local and global, both creative/complete and accretive/incomplete. (NoO, vol.2, p. 206)