Meta

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Revision as of 17:57, 10 January 2025 by Fractalguy (talk | contribs)
The mobius strip is a model of self-reference and paradox you can make with receipt paper

Meta is a prefix that can be added to any word to denote self-reference, recursion, and feedback loops. Whenever a concept contains some central self-referential paradox or infinite regress, it might be referred to as "totally meta."

Kurt Gödel is the patron saint of self-reference.

Meta can also represent transcendence and higher level orders of complexity, where individual actors at one level of organization create a new, self-organized fractal pattern of behavior when acting collectively.

Meta was also the name of this organization and website for nearly 20 years before certain social media crypto-bros decided it was cool.

A short list of cultural references that elicit this concept:

This AI-generated virtual podcast that relates the nature of reality to the Ouroboros is actually rather insightful and gives a good overview of the holistic, self-referential perspective presented in this wiki.

Why Mapping Reality is an Infinite Loop


Barry Manilow - I Write the Songs