Potential, Probability, and the Relational Turn: IX The Coherence of Becoming

In the previous post, we explored the evolution of potential: how readiness unfolds temporally, recursively shaping the field of inclinations and capacities.

Now we turn to coherence: how evolving potential maintains integrity, produces patterns, and enables emergent order within relational systems.

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1. Coherence as alignment of readiness

Coherence is the structural principle of relational fields:

• Local coherence: actualisations align with nearby capacities and inclinations.

• Global coherence: patterns of readiness scale across the system, producing stable tendencies.

• Emergent coherence: interactions among local alignments generate predictable, persistent structures without deterministic control.

In essence, coherence is the natural ordering of potential as it becomes actualised.

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2. Mechanisms of coherence

Coherence arises through the recursive modulation of readiness:

1. Feedback loops: each actualisation modifies inclinations and capacities, reinforcing systemic integrity.

2. Relational constraints: interactions define which alignments are possible, shaping the flow of potential.

3. Selective stabilisation: repeated actualisations solidify certain patterns, while others dissipate.

These mechanisms allow relational systems — from quantum fields to social structures — to organise themselves without invoking probability as ontic law.

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3. Coherence across scales

Relational coherence manifests multi-scalarly:

• Microscale: quantum tendencies produce local stability and interference patterns.

• Mesoscale: symbolic, social, and cognitive systems maintain consistent norms and behaviors.

• Macroscale: ecological, technological, and cosmological structures emerge from nested fields of readiness.

Each scale preserves systemic integrity while remaining responsive to evolving inclinations and abilities.

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4. Implications for understanding potential

The coherence of becoming demonstrates that:

• Evolution of readiness is neither chaotic nor probabilistic; it is guided by relational alignment.

• Order emerges from dispositional topology, not from external constraints or abstract probabilities.

• Actualisations are local expressions of systemic coherence, preserving relational integrity across space and time.

Coherence is thus the natural “grammar” of potential — the way readiness unfolds into meaningful, structured actuality.

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5. Visualising coherence

We can represent coherence as:

• Clusters of aligned nodes: actualisations following inclinations and capacities.

• Nested patterns: local alignments propagate stability across scales.

• Dynamic feedback: emergent patterns continuously reshape readiness while maintaining structural integrity.

This captures the kinetic architecture of becoming, showing how potential produces order without collapsing into probabilistic determinism.

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6. Preview of Part X

In the next post, we will explore the recursion of possibility: how systemic coherence feeds back into evolving readiness, producing self-modifying fields of potential that allow both stability and novelty.

We will see how relational recursion underlies the continuous creation of structure, alignment, and emergent order in complex systems.