1 Introduction – The Universe as Self-Theorising
In the previous series, we explored how meaning unfolds through relational processes of potential and instance — how reality is not built from things but from relations, construed through perspectival differentiation. We saw that “potential” can be understood as a theory, a structured field of possible instances, while “instance” is an event, a concrete unfolding within that field.
Now, we step back to consider the universe itself as a theoriser — as a system that not only unfolds but also theorises its own unfolding. This may sound grandiose, but it follows naturally from the relational ontology we have developed: if all reality is relational meaning construed through difference, then the universe’s very becoming is a form of recursive theorising.
What Does It Mean for the Universe to Theorise?
To theorise is not simply to hold ideas or build models. It is to actively construe a field of possibility, to make distinctions and to hold those distinctions open across time and scale. A theory is a construal — a system of potential that frames what instances can be.
By viewing potential as theory and instance as event, we recognise that every event is both an outcome and a construal that feeds back into the system’s evolving theory. The universe, through its unfolding instances — from particles to galaxies, from cells to conscious beings — is continuously generating new ‘theories’ that shape its own future potentials.
The Reflexive Loop of Theorising
This creates a reflexive loop:
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The universe theorises by holding open a field of potential relations.
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Instances emerge as events that embody a particular construal within that theory.
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Those instances, in turn, modify the structure of potential — the ‘theory’ itself — shifting what can unfold next.
In other words, the universe is not static or predetermined; it is self-reflexive, dynamically updating its own ‘theory’ through its own becoming.
Why Is This Important?
Seeing the universe as self-theorising reframes our place in reality. We are not passive observers standing outside a fixed world. We are active participants, nodes in the universe’s recursive process of theorising and unfolding.
This perspective bridges physics, linguistics, epistemology, and consciousness studies by highlighting a shared grammar of relational meaning — a grammar in which theorising is the very mode through which reality unfolds and knows itself.
In the next post, we will dive deeper into what it means to theorise as an act of meaning-making, exploring the difference between passive knowing and active theorising across language, science, and physics.
2 The Act of Theorising — Meaning-Making Across Domains
We introduced the idea that the universe is self-theorising — continuously constraining and differentiating its potential through the unfolding of instances. But what exactly is theorising?
Theorising is not mere observation or representation. It is an active meaning-making process — the ongoing creation, refinement, and negotiation of relational structures that shape what can unfold next.
Theorising in Language: System and Instance
In language, theorising is manifest in the development and use of system networks — models of potential meanings that structure how texts can be produced and interpreted.
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The system is the theory — a network of interrelated choices and constraints representing possible meanings.
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A text is an instance — a concrete unfolding of those potentials into a realised event of meaning.
When a speaker uses language, they are both drawing on and modifying the system: their choices reveal and shape the potential space for future discourse.
Theorising in Science: Modelling Reality
Similarly, scientific theories are structured models — conceptual systems designed to explain and predict phenomena.
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The theory is the potential: a structured space of possible outcomes and explanations.
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The experiment or observation is the instance: a concrete event that actualises and tests the theory.
Scientists theorise by interpreting instances, which then inform and reshape the theoretical framework itself. This ongoing dance between theory and data is a dynamic construal process.
Theorising in Physics: Potential and Instance as Complementary Perspectives
In physics, the wavefunction or quantum field represents the potential — a structured field of possible outcomes. Measurement or detection is the instance — the concrete event selected from potential.
Physicists theorise by constructing mathematical models (potentials) that explain observed instances, which in turn influence the evolution of these models.
Theorising as Recursive Meaning-Making
Across language, science, and physics, theorising is a recursive process:
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Construct a system of potential meanings or outcomes.
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Encounter or create instances that instantiate and differentiate that potential.
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Refine the system based on the patterns revealed by these instances.
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Repeat, continually shaping the evolving landscape of possibility.
The universe, through its reflexive unfolding, enacts this process at all scales.
Conclusion
Theorising is thus the grammar of becoming — the structured act of constraining and differentiating potential to give rise to meaningful instances.
By recognising theorising as the fundamental mode of the universe, we appreciate that knowledge, language, and physical reality are interwoven expressions of one dynamic process.
3 Reflexivity and the Recursive Nature of Theorising
We’ve explored theorising as the dynamic process by which systems of potential are shaped and reshaped through the unfolding of instances. Now we deepen our understanding by examining the reflexive nature of theorising itself.
What is Reflexivity?
Reflexivity refers to a system’s capacity to refer back to and modify itself. In the context of theorising, this means that the act of theorising is not external or detached, but is itself part of the unfolding system.
Theorising is not just about modelling an external world. It is a recursive, self-referential process where theory and instance co-constitute each other continuously.
Theorising as a Feedback Loop
At every moment, theorising involves:
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Generating potential — creating or updating a theoretical framework or system of possibilities.
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Encountering instances — unfolding events or data that instantiate and differentiate that potential.
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Reflecting on instances — interpreting and constraining future potential in light of what has unfolded.
This cycle loops endlessly, each iteration refining both the theory and its scope.
Reflexivity in Language
Consider a writer crafting a text:
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Their system of language choices (grammar, vocabulary, style) forms the potential.
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Each word or phrase written is an instance, an actualisation of that potential.
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As the text unfolds, the writer continuously reflects on the emerging meaning, adjusting their choices and thus the potential space for the next words.
This recursive feedback creates the richness and unpredictability of language.
Reflexivity in Science and Physics
In scientific practice:
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Theorists build models (potentials) based on prior observations.
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Experiments and data (instances) actualise phenomena within those models.
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Scientists then revise their theories in response, updating the potential for future inquiry.
Similarly, in physics:
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The wavefunction represents the evolving potential.
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Measurement actualises an instance, which feeds back to alter the wavefunction’s evolution.
Thus, the universe itself can be seen as reflexively theorising — generating potentials, instantiating events, and recursively reshaping its unfolding.
The Importance of Perspective
Reflexivity also highlights the role of perspective or agency. Theorising involves a positional standpoint — a conscious or non-conscious perspectival construal that shapes which potentials are considered and which instances are foregrounded.
This recursive relation between perspective, potential, and instance is the essence of meaning-making.
Conclusion
Reflexivity reveals that theorising is not a linear, one-way act but a recursive dance — a continuous loop of construal, actualisation, and refinement.
Understanding this recursive grammar deepens our grasp of how knowledge, meaning, and reality unfold as intertwined, self-organising processes.
4 The Meta-Theory of Theorising – Awareness and Self-Reference
Building on our understanding of reflexivity as the recursive process of theory and instance co-constitution, we now explore what happens when theorising turns upon itself—when the act of theorising becomes an object of theorising.
What Is Meta-Theory?
Meta-theory is a theory about theorising. It’s the level at which we step back to observe and describe the process by which we generate, apply, and revise theories.
In our relational framework, meta-theory is a higher-order construal: the awareness of how systems of potential and instance themselves emerge, interact, and evolve.
Awareness as a Reflexive Turn
When consciousness enters the picture, theorising acquires awareness of its own dynamics.
This self-awareness is not an external vantage point but a perspective from within the recursive loop—where the subject recognises itself as both the creator and the product of theorising.
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It entails an ongoing negotiation between being the knower and being known.
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Theorising becomes a process of observing one’s own acts of construal and differentiation.
Self-Reference and Meaning
Self-reference is a hallmark of complex systems that can theorise themselves.
In language, this appears as a text reflecting on its own form or content; in science, as a paradigm examining its own foundations.
This meta-level is where meaning becomes aware of meaning, enabling:
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Reflection on assumptions
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Recognition of context-dependence
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Accommodation of ambiguity and multiplicity
Meta-Theory as a System of Constraints
Meta-theory imposes constraints on theorising—guiding what can be said or done at the theoretical level.
But these constraints are themselves subject to revision, creating a meta-system of potential and instance.
This layered, nested structure parallels the fractal nature of the universe’s unfolding, where each level recursively informs and shapes others.
Implications for Knowledge and Inquiry
Recognising the meta-theoretical dimension encourages:
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Humility about certainty—since all theorising is provisional and situated.
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Openness to alternative perspectives and interpretations.
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A dynamic stance toward knowledge as an evolving process rather than a fixed product.
It shifts epistemology from a quest for final truth to an ongoing craft of recursive meaning-making.
Conclusion
Meta-theory illuminates the reflexive heart of theorising—where awareness, self-reference, and recursive constraint converge.
This perspective enriches our understanding of how knowledge is not only constructed but lived as an embodied, participatory process in the reflexive universe.
5 The Infinite Horizon – The Ongoing Journey of Theorising
As we conclude our exploration of theorising as a recursive, reflexive process, we face a profound insight: theorising is an infinite horizon—an ongoing journey without a final destination.
The Open-Ended Nature of Theorising
Theorising is never complete. Each instance of theorising:
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Arises from existing potentials shaped by past theories and instances.
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Opens new potentials for future theories, interpretations, and actions.
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Is constrained and enabled by the current relational context.
This continual unfolding means knowledge is always provisional, emergent, and evolving.
The Horizon as a Metaphor
The horizon is never reached, yet it guides movement.
Similarly, the “truth” or “final theory” is an ideal we pursue, but never fully attain.
This does not render theorising futile—instead, it highlights its generative power as a creative, participatory act.
The Role of Creativity and Imagination
In this infinite process, creativity is vital.
Imagination extends potential by proposing new relations, new ways of seeing, new constraints.
Theorising becomes an art as much as a science—a dance between rigor and openness.
Participatory Becoming
We do not simply discover knowledge; we co-create it.
Theorising is a mode of participation in the universe’s becoming.
Each act of theorising is a gesture in the ongoing conversation between potential and instance.
Embracing Ambiguity and Multiplicity
The infinite horizon invites us to embrace ambiguity rather than eliminate it.
Multiple, even conflicting, theories can coexist as expressions of diverse perspectives.
This pluralism enriches the field of meaning and deepens our engagement with complexity.
Living the Reflexive Universe
To live within this reflexive universe is to accept our role as:
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Creators and interpreters of meaning.
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Agents situated in layered relational fields.
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Travellers on an unending journey of understanding.
This orientation nurtures humility, curiosity, and responsibility.
Final Thoughts
Theorising as a recursive, reflexive process is the universe becoming conscious of itself through us.
Our knowledge is not a fixed monument but a flowing river—always shaping, and shaped by, the unfolding world.
The journey of theorising never ends, and in that infinite horizon lies the profound beauty of meaning itself.
Coda: Embracing the Reflexive Journey
As we close this series, we pause to reflect on what it means to theorise within a universe that is itself reflexive—where knowing is not separate from becoming, and theory is not detached from event.
The journey of theorising is both an invitation and a responsibility:
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An invitation to participate creatively in the unfolding of meaning and reality.
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A responsibility to remain open to the multiplicity and fluidity of knowledge.
In this reflexive universe, knowledge is not a destination but a way of travelling—a continual dance between the potential of ideas and the actualities of experience.
Each theory is a moment of articulation, a new position within a vast and ever-shifting field.
Yet no articulation exhausts the landscape; each opens new paths, new questions, new horizons.
To theorise is to embrace uncertainty and complexity—to engage with the world as a living, evolving text, written and rewritten through our acts of construal.
As participants in this infinite dialogue, we are both shaped by and shaping the universe’s becoming.
May this awareness inspire humility, creativity, and a deep appreciation for the endless possibilities of thought and meaning.
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