Readiness, Inclination, Ability: A Relational Ontology of Embryogenesis: 4 Individuation: Localising the Collective Potential

Introduction

Ability defines the organism-scale horizon of potential, and inclination biases which paths are more readily actualised. But both of these operate only when there is a locus for them. Enter individuation: the perspectival partitioning of the organism’s potential into local readiness fields.

Individuation is not the creation of discrete entities, nor is it lineage fate. It is the articulation of the organism’s collective potential from a local perspective. Each cell enacts a constrained view of organismal readiness, making it possible for inclinations and abilities to operate meaningfully at local scales.

The Cell as a Perspectival Instance

A cell does not “contain” the genome; it enacts a perspectival construal of the organism’s developmental theory.

• Two identical genomes in different cells may generate different outcomes, not because of the sequences themselves, but because of the local relational context — position, history, neighbours, and mechanical environment.

• This perspectival enactment allows distributed but coherent development: cells can express diverse inclinations and abilities while maintaining organism-level cohesion.

Individuation is therefore the condition for meaningful local readiness.

Features of Individuation

1. Locality — each cell’s readiness is situated in a spatial and temporal context.

2. Relationality — individuation arises from interactions within the tissue, not intrinsic properties alone.

3. Dynamism — individuation evolves continuously as cells divide, migrate, and interact.

These features ensure that the organism’s developmental system is both flexible and coherent.

Individuation and the Triad of Readiness

With individuation, the triadic structure becomes clear:

• Ability: the global horizon of possible actualisations.

• Inclination: local biases shaping which paths are more easily followed.

• Individuation: the perspectival locus that allows local readiness to be expressed and coordinated.

Individuation provides the frame through which ability and inclination can interact meaningfully. Without it, local inclinations would have no anchor, and abilities could not be narrowed effectively.

The Dynamic Nature of Individuation

Individuation is not static. As the embryo develops:

• Cells continuously recalibrate their local readiness fields.

• Interactions among cells reinforce or shift inclinations.

• Morphogenetic and mechanical constraints feed back into individuation.

Development is thus an ongoing negotiation of local perspectives, each enacting a cut through the organism’s collective potential.

Looking Forward

Post 5 will explore differentiation as the actual narrowing of ability and the stabilization of inclination, enacted through individuated perspectives. Differentiation is where developmental potential becomes locally committed without losing system-level coherence.