In Letter and in Spirit: Social Morphogenesis and the Interpretation of Codified Social Rules

Abstract

How does intensified morphogenesis affect our ability to interpret codified rules? This paper examines the effects of social and systemic integration on the interpretation of codified rules in morphogenic times. When mophogenesis predominates, we witness both a fragmentation of deep social integration and an extension of minimal social integration over large geographical and social spaces. The result is a social configuration that both facilitates broad consensus on simple issues involving widely shared norms and that complexifies consensus on issues involving less widely shared norms.