Why the Shell?

Logo: Why the shell, the dunes, and the wave?

Nature has a wonderful way of embedding stability in chaos and chaos in stability. The predictability of the shape of known objects provides the stability. A shell looks like a shell; a sand dune is a pile of sand, and a wave is moving water. In the presence of individual dynamical forces, however, no two shells are alike, no two sand dunes look the same, and no two waves move through the water in just the same ways.  This surprise in the face of predictability are symbols of what human systems dynamics allows us to see, understand, and act on in our own worlds.  

The chambered nautilus demonstrates one powerful way this dynamical paradox plays out.  The rules for shell making are highly constrained, and they remain constant across individuals, places, times, and environments.  The shells themselves, however, depend on a variety of ever-changing conditions, so no two are alike.  Chemical concentrations in the water, size and age of the individual, temperature and pressure, local disruptions, and a host of other factors influence how a particular shell emerges during the individual's life path. 

The dunes represent the natural formation of patterns over time as natural forces interact on individual agents—the grains of sand. While each is separate and individual, they respond to the wind and heat in similar ways, creating the representative shape of all dunes. At the same time, each grain of sand has slight variations in shape and size, causing them to come together in myriad ways, creating the distinctive shapes of individual dunes. The height, length, and width of the dune is governed by these relationships between and among the individual grains of sand. 

The wave is a beautiful and powerful reminder of the nonlinear forces that create turbulence at the edges of a system. The forces of water, wind, and physical dynamics create the pressures that make each wave predictable and yet unique.

We, too, as examples of human systems dynamics, are shaped by universal rules and the infinite diversity of life experience.  Together, the known, unknown, and unknowable dance over time to create patterns that are coherent, functional, and beautiful.