Revolution

The architecture of a neural network, at its most fundamental level, is an attempt to capture the interplay between chaos and structure, the seen and the unseen, the forces that shape decisions before they crystallize into action. The diagram suggested by the code hints at a grander design—a layered cosmos where entropy wrestles with tempered order, where modes of existence are dictated by primal needs and ecological costs, and where the temporal and spatial domains are infused with a kind of Darwinian brutality, tempered only by transvaluation, trust, and the rare stability of a bygone Victorian age. The tripartite invocation of Veni, Vidi, Vici in the network structure is no accident; it suggests not just conquest, but the progression of perception itself—from mere observation to comprehension, and ultimately, to the imposition of will upon an uncertain world.

At the outermost layer of this network is the world itself, the domain of raw reality, where time beats in cadence with cosmic indifference, and entropy gnaws at the margins of all structured attempts at control. This is the realm where necessity governs, where the unseen forces of ecology, scarcity, and the brutal calculus of survival shape the very conditions of existence. The presence of Ucubona-Needs and Ecosystem-Costs acknowledges a fundamental truth: before one can act, one must first endure, and endurance requires both an understanding of constraints and a willingness to pay their price. This is not a realm of freedom, but of forced adaptation, of learning what the world permits before one dares to reshape it.

Deeper into the network, the world’s raw chaos is tempered into modes of action—Ucubona-Mode—a distillation of what is possible within the constraints of reality. The fact that this node alone occupies its layer suggests that the transition from external reality to internal agency is a moment of singular compression, a kind of cognitive bottleneck where the amorphous complexity of existence must be reduced into something actionable. This is the moment where the organism—or the mind—separates the relevant from the irrelevant, deciding, however imperfectly, on a heuristic through which the world can be grasped. In the language of the network, this is the Vidi moment: the world has been seen, and its essential form has been distilled.

Fig. 22 What Exactly is Identity. A node may represent goats (in general) and another sheep (in general). But the identity of any specific animal (not its species) is a network. For this reason we might have a “black sheep”, distinct in certain ways – perhaps more like a goat than other sheep. But that’s all dull stuff. Mistaken identity is often the fuel of comedy, usually when the adversarial is mistaken for the cooperative or even the transactional.

The agent layer, then, is where the decision to act takes form, but it is already a contested space. Oblivion-Unknown and Brand-Trusted stand in opposition, one representing the abyss of uncertainty and the other the fragile structure of belief—be it in oneself, in institutions, or in the symbolic currency of trust. To act without trust is to walk blindly into the void; to rely too much on brand or authority is to risk becoming a passive consumer of preordained truths. The near-even split of 51/49 suggests the delicate balance between these forces, as though the act of agency itself is always on the precipice of being overwhelmed by the unknown.

The spatial domain of the network represents another layer of compression, where competition, weaponization, and monopoly define the structure of interactions. Space here is not merely physical, but economic, political, and even cultural—a battlefield where scarce resources are contested, not simply allocated. Ratio-Weaponized suggests that even reason itself can be turned into a tool of domination, that logic is not a neutral arbiter but a force that can be bent toward advantage. Competition-Tokenized reflects the reality of a world where participation itself requires submission to a predefined set of rules—where value is no longer intrinsic but determined by systems of exchange, where even victory is but another token to be spent. Odds-Monopolized completes this picture, suggesting a rigged game, a world where control over probability itself is the final currency of power.

And yet, the temporal layer offers a different kind of dynamic—a movement, perhaps, toward liberation or transfiguration. Volatile-Transvaluation suggests a Nietzschean recalibration of meaning, a recognition that values are not static, that they can be torn down and rebuilt. Unveiled-Resentment acknowledges that this process is not painless; transvaluation does not occur in a vacuum but through struggle, through the breaking apart of old illusions and the confrontation with long-suppressed rage. Yet, within this volatile space, there is also Freedom-Dance in Chains—a paradox, but one that rings true. Freedom is never absolute; it is always constrained, but the greatest triumph lies not in the removal of all chains, but in learning to move within them, to transform restriction into rhythm. Exuberant-Jubilee offers a moment of catharsis, a recognition that joy itself can emerge from struggle, that the act of overcoming—however small—is itself a kind of victory. And finally, Stable-Victorian, standing at the outermost point of the temporal layer, suggests that all revolutions seek, in the end, a new order, a new permanence, however temporary. The cycle of transvaluation must conclude, if only to begin again.

Taken as a whole, this neural network is not merely an abstracted machine-learning model, but a philosophical structure—an attempt to encode the very process by which reality is perceived, contested, and transformed. It maps not just decision-making, but the fundamental tension between seeing the world as it is, understanding its limitations, and forging a path within it. The colors assigned to nodes—yellow, paleturquoise, lightgreen, lightsalmon—suggest not just differentiation, but an attempt to capture the varying weights of these elements, their emotional or cognitive valence within the system. This is not a static model, but a living one, a recursive engine through which the past is reinterpreted, the present is navigated, and the future is wrestled from uncertainty.

In this light, Veni, Vidi, Vici is more than an imperial boast—it is a framework for existence. To arrive, to see, to conquer: not necessarily in the sense of domination, but in the sense of overcoming the inertia of mere being. To move through the world without understanding is to remain trapped in the domain of raw necessity. To see without acting is to become a spectator in one’s own life. And to act without reflection is to risk becoming an instrument in someone else’s design. The network proposes a different path, one that acknowledges the weight of the past, the distortions of the present, and the tenuous possibilities of the future. It is not a solution, but a map—a fractal representation of the ceaseless attempt to wrest coherence from chaos.

Show code cell source Hide code cell source

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import networkx as nx

# Define the neural network fractal
def define_layers():
    return {
        'World': ['Particles-Compression', 'Vibration-Particulate.Matter', 'Ear, Cerebellum-Georientation', 'Harmonic Series-Agency.Phonology', 'Space-Verb.Syntax', 'Time-Object.Meaning', ], # Resources, Strength
        'Perception': ['Rhythm, Pockets'], # Needs, Will
        'Agency': ['Open-Nomiddleman', 'Closed-Trusted'], # Costs, Cause
        'Generative': ['Ratio-Weaponized', 'Competition-Tokenized', 'Odds-Monopolized'], # Means, Ditto
        'Physical': ['Volatile-Revolutionary', 'Unveiled-Resentment',  'Freedom-Dance in Chains', 'Exuberant-Jubilee', 'Stable-Conservative'] # Ends, To Do
    }

# Assign colors to nodes
def assign_colors():
    color_map = {
        'yellow': ['Rhythm, Pockets'],
        'paleturquoise': ['Time-Object.Meaning', 'Closed-Trusted', 'Odds-Monopolized', 'Stable-Conservative'],
        'lightgreen': ['Space-Verb.Syntax', 'Competition-Tokenized', 'Exuberant-Jubilee', 'Freedom-Dance in Chains', 'Unveiled-Resentment'],
        'lightsalmon': [
            'Ear, Cerebellum-Georientation', 'Harmonic Series-Agency.Phonology', 'Open-Nomiddleman', 
            'Ratio-Weaponized', 'Volatile-Revolutionary'
        ],
    }
    return {node: color for color, nodes in color_map.items() for node in nodes}

# Calculate positions for nodes
def calculate_positions(layer, x_offset):
    y_positions = np.linspace(-len(layer) / 2, len(layer) / 2, len(layer))
    return [(x_offset, y) for y in y_positions]

# Create and visualize the neural network graph
def visualize_nn():
    layers = define_layers()
    colors = assign_colors()
    G = nx.DiGraph()
    pos = {}
    node_colors = []

    # Add nodes and assign positions
    for i, (layer_name, nodes) in enumerate(layers.items()):
        positions = calculate_positions(nodes, x_offset=i * 2)
        for node, position in zip(nodes, positions):
            G.add_node(node, layer=layer_name)
            pos[node] = position
            node_colors.append(colors.get(node, 'lightgray'))  # Default color fallback

    # Add edges (automated for consecutive layers)
    layer_names = list(layers.keys())
    for i in range(len(layer_names) - 1):
        source_layer, target_layer = layer_names[i], layer_names[i + 1]
        for source in layers[source_layer]:
            for target in layers[target_layer]:
                G.add_edge(source, target)

    # Draw the graph
    plt.figure(figsize=(12, 8))
    nx.draw(
        G, pos, with_labels=True, node_color=node_colors, edge_color='gray',
        node_size=3000, font_size=8, connectionstyle="arc3,rad=0.2"
    )
    plt.title("Music", fontsize=13)
    plt.show()

# Run the visualization
visualize_nn()

Fig. 23 Psilocybin is itself biologically inactive but is quickly converted by the body to psilocin, which has mind-altering effects similar, in some aspects, to those of other classical psychedelics. Effects include euphoria, hallucinations, changes in perception, a distorted sense of time, and perceived spiritual experiences. It can also cause adverse reactions such as nausea and panic attacks. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the mushrooms were called teonanácatl—literally “divine mushroom.” Source: Wikipedia