Truth, love, and art are all evolutionary responses to rising contingency

Evidence

That is, with the stranger one has only certain more general qualities in common, whereas the relation with organically connected persons is based on the similarity of just those specific traits which differentiate them from the merely universal. … A similarity so widely shared could just as easily unite each person with every possible other. This, too, is evidently a way in which a relationship includes both nearness and remoteness simultaneously. To the extent to which the similarities assume a universal nature, the warmth of the connection based on them will acquire an element of coolness, a sense of the contingent nature of precisely this relation—the connecting forces have lost their specific, centripetal character. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 396 (#expands, via linked claim)

If now life—as a cosmic, generic, singular phenomenon—is such a continuous stream, there is good reason for its profound opposition against form. This opposition appears as the unceasing, usually unnoticed (but also often revolutionary) battle of ongoing life against the historical pattern and formal unflexibility of any given cultural content, thereby becoming the innermost impulse toward culture change. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 820 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Widely shared similarities cool connections into a sense of contingency — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 396; Articulating thoughts leads to self-discovery and meaning. — Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life An Antidote to Chaos, 831; The tension between life and form drives cultural change. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 820 (+4 more)

Related

• Life and its cultural forms are fundamentally in tension (similarity 0.78)
• Truth, money, love, and art each emerged as media from rising contingency (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Widely shared similarities cool connections into a sense of contingency #expands (0.60) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 396
• Trust and power are generalized media converting improbable contingencies into stable meaning systems #expands (0.50)
• The tension between life and form drives cultural change. #expands (0.45) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 820
• Enduring art balances a safe structure against deliberate subversion #exemplifies (0.40) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1068
• Human consciousness is undergoing significant evolution currently. #expands (0.40) — Dan Harris, 10 percent Happier, 0
• Articulating thoughts leads to self-discovery and meaning. #responds-to (0.35) — Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life An Antidote to Chaos, 831