In light of the following, perhaps the greater question before us is whether or not Homo sapiens sapiens (our most-official, self-bestowed—and under the current global circumstances—hubris-laden, moniker) is indeed wise wise enough to grasp the critical importance of our living in more 1 + 1 = 3 grassroots emergent ways, and especially so in a universe that apparently has no other means of manifesting long-term sustainable development.

[Note: Email suggested improvements and additions to lance@supportingscience.org.]

1. Cosmic Realm

Lay Description: Beginning with our first recollected memory and progressing to the present the entirety of our experienced universe has, without exception, continued expanding, with each new moment of experience emerging forth from the one preceding it, all the while displaying with each new experience a quality of novelty, uniqueness, and freshness independent of all proceeding it; and which is not unlike the manner in which, from within, or grassroots-like, blossomings spontaneously, naturally, and effortlessly emerge as a more-cooperating-than-controlling gestalt.

Scientific Description: (Hubble,¹ Schmidt,² Perlmutter,³ Efstathiou,⁴ Bennet or NASA WMAP⁵): The long-term developmental thrust of the universe has been repeatedly measured via numerous independent studies to be significantly more asymmetric than symmetric—as in more expansive and emergent than it is 'contractive and causal'—and thus more bottom-up/trickle-up cooperating and grassroots-like than 'top-down/trickle-down' controlling, competing, manipulating, and dominating.

2. Theory of Special Relativity

Lay Description: No two humans, even if we were infinite in number, experience the same reality (occupy identical spacetime), which is not unlike the manner in which from within—or grassroots-like—blossomings spontaneously, naturally, and effortlessly emerge what is commonly experienced as a more-cooperating-than-controlling gestalt.

Scientific Description: (Einstein⁶): Recognizing every 'inertial frame of reference' as an emergent property of spacetime—and acknowledging the existence of an infinite number of 'inertial frames of reference', and as compared to the finite number of governing physical or 'causal' laws—it is concluded that spacetime is infinitely more emergent than it is causal; which, it is important to note is fully consistent with emergence, or cosmic process, being a priori to both 'causality' and 'principle'; and likewise fully consistent with 1 above.

3. Theory of General Relativity

Lay Description: Based upon our own, personal, moment-by-moment, day-to-day, year-in-and-year-out experience of the lives each of us comes to live, although some considerable amount has a degree of certainty and predictability, like our available gene pool, gender, etc., what is by far the vast majority of the reality of our lives unfold serendipitously.

Scientific Description: (Einstein⁷): The absence of a fixed background for (i.e., the 'background independence' of) 'space, time, and gravity', accurately describes a primarily emergent - as compared to, primarily 'causal' - universe; which is fully consistent with 1 and 2 above.

4. Quantum Realm

Lay Description: Although hidden from conscious awareness, each of us is intimately familiar with—in those lives well lived—the adventure of each new moment outshines all that is sure and certain .

Scientific Description: (Planck,⁸ Bohr,⁹ Heisenberg,¹⁰ Gel Mann,¹¹ Schrödinger¹²): The emergent characteristics (asymmetry, probability, randomness) of the quantum field ... are more descriptive and functionally relevant* than are ... its 'causal' characteristics (symmetry, determinism, coherence); which is fully consistent with 1-3 above.

5. Atomic Realm