3. Hierarchy

Hierarchies are everywhere, including where it matters to us the most, in society. Few large and many small are flowing together. Hierarchy is the visible manifestation of freedom, economies of scale, and the universal natural tendency to enhance flow access to the finite space that is available. Hierarchical systems cover a hugely diverse territory in science–all size, scales, animate, inanimate, human made and not human made, and steady and time-dependent. Without hierarchy humanity would not have evolved to have language, religion, science, books, army, government, university, library shelves, and grocery shelves. The flows of society generate hierarchical flow configurations constantly, in commerce, in the numbers and sizes of cities in a country, in sports and in academia. Society is a laboratory with evolution on display, where hierarchies are of two kinds, those that are in plain view and known to everyone, and those that are invisible to most, and known only to a few (dark networks, mafias). Many hierarchies are so big, distant, and obscure that they do not cross our minds, for example, bodies suspended in outer space, and the natural emergence of bones, skeletons, tree roots, and other solid members. Flow, freedom, and evolution lead to easier flowing.