# Conceptual system
## MicroSim spec
- **Recommended sim type:** [[Cellular_automaton|cellular automaton]]
- **Microsimmability score:** 58/100
- **Layout:** cell grid on the canvas evolving over steps; sliders below.
### Parameters (tunable controls)
- `Rule number`
- `Grid size`
- `Density / seed`
### What animates
Cells update in lockstep from their neighbors; the pattern evolves row by row as the rule and seeding change.
### Learning objective
Show how a simple local update rule generates complex global [[Structure|structure]].
## Links (Wikipedia order)
<!-- injected from _registry/childlinks/Conceptual_system.json (2026-07-30T02:09:12Z) -->
`6th_century_BC` · `Abilene_paradox` · `Abstract_rewriting_system` · `Academic_bias` · `Action_(philosophy)` · `Activism` · `Aesthetic_emotions` · `Aesthetic_taste` · `African_traditional_religions` · `Afterlife` · `Agnosticism` · `Agriculturalism` · [[Alexander_Bogdanov]] · [[Allenna_Leonard]] · `Alms` · `Altruism` · `Anarchism` · [[Anatol_Rapoport]] · `Anecdotal_evidence` · `Anima_mundi` · `Animal_cognition` · [[Anthony_Wilden]] · `Anthropology` · `Argument` · `Argumentum_ad_populum` · `Aristotelianism` · [[Artificial_intelligence]] · `Atheism` · `Atlantic_Ocean` · `Atomism` · `Attentional_bias` · `Attitude_(psychology)` · `Attitude_change` · `Authoritarianism` · `Autonomy` · `Averroism` · `Axiom` · `Axiomatic_system` · `Axis_mundi` · `Aṣṭādhyāyī` · `Baháʼí_Faith` · `Bandwagon_effect` · [[Barbara_J._Grosz]] · `Basic_belief` · `Beauty` · `Belief` · `Belief_bias` · `Best_practice` · `Bias` · `Binary_system` · [[Biological_system]] · `Brainwashing` · `Buddhism` · `Burial` · [[Béla_H._Bánáthy]] · [[C._West_Churchman]] · `Calendar` · `Canonical_form` · `Caodaism` · `Capitalism` · `Cartesianism` · `Caste` · `Causality` · `Censorship` · `Ceremony` · `Charisma` · `Charity_(practice)` · [[Charles_A._S._Hall]] · `Charvaka` · `Cheondoism` · `Chinese_folk_religion` · `Chiplet` · `Christian_democracy` · `Christianity` · `Circular_reporting` · [[Claude_Shannon]] · `Clever_Hans` · `Code_of_conduct` · `Cognitive_bias` · `Cognitive_dissonance` · [[Cognitive_science]] · `Collective` · `Collective_animal_behavior` · [[Collective_behavior]] · [[Collective_consciousness]] · `Collective_effervescence` · [[Collective_intelligence]] · `Collective_narcissism` · `Collective_unconscious` · `Colonialism` · `Comedy` · `Common_good` · `Communism` · `Communitarianism` · `Comparative_mythology` · [[Complex_system]] · `Concept` · `Conceptual_framework` · `Confirmation_bias` · `Conflict_continuum` · `Conformity` · `Confucianism` · `Congruence_bias` · `Conscience` · `Consciousness` · `Consensus_theory` · `Consensus_theory_of_truth` · `Consent` · `Conservatism` · `Constitutionalism` · `Context` · [[Control_theory]] · [[Convention_(norm)]] · `Conventional_wisdom` · `Coronation` · `Cosmogony` · `Cosmology` · [[Coupled_human–environment_system]] · `Creation_myth` · `Creativity` · `Criteria_of_truth` · `Critical_mass` · `Critical_theory` · `Critical_thinking` · `Cross-cultural_psychology` · `Crowd_psychology` · `Cryptomnesia` · `Culpability` · `Cult` · `Cultural_anthropology` · `Cultural_bias` · `Cultural_dissonance` · `Cultural_identity` · `Cultural_movement` · `Cultural_psychology` · `Culture` · `Culture-bound_syndrome` · [[Cybernetics]] · `Cynicism_(philosophy)` · `Cyrenaics` · `David_Premack` · `Deindividuation` · `Deity` · `Deprogramming` · `Destiny` · `Determinism` · `Devanagari` · `Disgust` · `Distributism` · `Doctrine` · [[Donella_Meadows]] · `Doublethink` · [[Doubling_time]] · `Dualism_in_cosmology` · `Duty` · [[Earth]] · [[Earth_system_science]] · `Eastern_Orthodox_Church` · `Echo_chamber_(media)` · `Economic_system` · `Economics` · [[Ecosystem]] · `Ecstasy_(emotion)` · `Ecstasy_(philosophy)` · [[Edsger_W._Dijkstra]] · `Education` · [[Edward_Norton_Lorenz]] · `Eleatics` · `Elegance` · [[Emergence]] · `Emotion` · `Emotional_contagion` · `Empiricism` · `Employment` · `Entertainment` · `Entitativity` · `Environmentalism` · `Epic_poetry` · `Epicureanism` · `Epistemology` · `Eretrian_school` · [[Eric_Trist]] · `Eroticism` · `Eschatology` · `Ethics` · `Ethnic_religion` · `Ethnic_stereotype` · `Ethnocentrism` · `Etiology` · `Etiquette` · `Euphemism` · `Everything` · `Evidence` · [[Evolution]] · `Excommunication` · `Existence` · `Existence_of_God` · `Existentialism` · `Explanation` · `Extremism` · `Fact` · `Factoid` · `Faith` · `Fallacy` · `False_consensus_effect` · `Family` · `Family_values` · `Fanaticism` · `Fascism` · `Fatalism` · `Fearmongering` · `Feminism` · `Fiction` · `Fideism` · `Filter_bubble` · `Folie_à_deux` · `Folklore` · `Food_and_drink_prohibitions` · `Forced_conversion` · `Formal_grammar` · `Formal_science` · [[Formal_system]] · `Foundationalism` · `Framing_(social_sciences)` · [[Francisco_Varela]] · `Fred_Emery_(psychologist)` · `Free_will` · `Fundamentalism` · `Funeral` · `Future` · `Game` · `Generative_grammar` · `Geoffrey_Hodgson` · [[George_Dantzig]] · [[George_Klir]] · `George_Lakoff` · `Globalism` · `Gnosis` · `Golden_Rule` · `Great_ape_language` · `Green_politics` · [[Gregory_Bateson]] · `Group_action_(sociology)` · `Group_cohesiveness` · `Group_dynamics` · `Group_emotion` · `Group_polarization` · `Groupshift` · `Groupthink` · `Guilt_(emotion)` · `Happiness` · `Harmony` · `Hedonism` · [[Heinz_von_Foerster]] · `Herd_behavior` · `Hermeneutics` · `Hinduism` · `Historical_negationism` · `Historical_revisionism` · `Historicism` · `History` · `Holiday` · [[Holism]] · `Homophily` · `Honour` · [[Howard_T._Odum]] · `Human_rights` · `Human_sexuality` · `Humanism` · [[Humberto_Maturana]] · `Hygiene` · `Hysterical_contagion` · `Hòa_Hảo` · `Idea` · `Idealism` · `Identity_(philosophy)` · `Ideological_repression` · `Ideology` · `Idios_kosmos` · `Illuminationism` · `Illusion` · [[Ilya_Prigogine]] · `Imperialism` · `In-group_and_out-group` · `In-group_favoritism` · `Incarnation` · `Individualism` · `Indoctrination` · `Industrialisation` · [[Information]] · `Information_cascade` · [[Information_system]] · `Institution` · `Integrated_circuit` · `Intellectualism` · `Intelligence` · `Interoception` · `Intuition` · `Invisible_hand` · `Irreligion` · `Islam` · `Islamism` · `Jainism` · [[James_Grier_Miller]] · [[James_J._Kay]] · [[Jay_Wright_Forrester]] · [[Jennifer_Wilby]] · [[John_Seddon]] · `Jonathan_Glover` · `Judaism` · `Judgement` · `Jurisprudence` · `Justice` · `Kalam` · `Kardecist_spiritism` · [[Kathleen_Carley]] · [[Katia_Sycara]] · `Kenneth_E._Boulding` · [[Kevin_Warwick]] · `Kind_(type_theory)` · `Knowledge` · `Kokugaku` · `Korean_shamanism` · `Lagrange_point` · `Language` · `Large_language_model` · `Law` · `Legalism_(Chinese_philosophy)` · `Liberalism` · `Libertarianism` · `Liberty` · `Life_stance` · `Liminality` · [[Limiting_factor]] · `Linguistic_description` · `Linguistics` · `List_of_cognitive_biases` · [[List_of_systems_sciences_organizations]] · `List_of_systems_scientists` · `List_of_world_folk-epics` · `Liturgy` · [[Living_systems]] · [[Logic]] · `Logical_form` · `Love` · [[Ludwig_von_Bertalanffy]] · [[Lydia_Kavraki]] · `Lynching` · `Magic_(supernatural)` · `Magical_thinking` · `Magnificence_(history_of_ideas)` · `Majoritarianism` · [[Manfred_Clynes]] · `Manipulation_(psychology)` · [[Manuela_M._Veloso]] · [[Margaret_Boden]] · [[Margaret_Mead]] · `Marriage` · [[Mars]] · [[Mary_Cartwright]] · `Masculism` · `Mass_action_(sociology)` · `Mass_psychogenic_illness` · `Materialism` · `Mathematical_logic` · `Mathematical_proof` · `Maxim_(philosophy)` · `Meaning-making` · `Meaning_of_life` · `Media_bias` · `Media_manipulation` · `Megarian_school` · `Meme` · `Memeplex` · `Memory` · `Mental_model` · `Metacognition` · `Metanarrative` · `Metaphor` · `Metaphysics` · `Methodology` · [[Mihajlo_D._Mesarovic]] · `Mike_Jackson_(systems_scientist)` · `Milieu_control` · `Militarism` · `Mindset` · `Mind–body_problem` · `Miracle` · `Misanthropy` · `Missionary` · `Mob_rule` · `Mobbing` · `Modern_paganism` · `Modernism` · `Mohism` · `Monarchism` · `Monism` · [[Moon]] · `Moral_panic` · `Morality` · [[Multi-agent_system]] · [[Murray_Bowen]] · `Myth_and_ritual` · `National_epic` · `National_myth` · `Nationalism` · `Natural_law` · `Natural_philosophy` · `Naturalism_(philosophy)` · `Nature` · `Nature_(philosophy)` · [[Negative_feedback]] · `Neo-Kantianism` · `Neo-scholasticism` · `Neoplatonism` · `Neopythagoreanism` · [[Nervous_system]] · `New_Confucianism` · `New_historicism` · `Nihilism` · [[Niklas_Luhmann]] · [[Norbert_Wiener]] · `Nothing` · `Oath` · `Obligation` · `Observation` · `Observational_error` · `Observational_learning` · `Observer-expectancy_effect` · [[Ontology]] · `Optimism` · `Origin_myth` · `Origin_of_water_on_Earth` · `Otherworld` · `Outline_of_epistemology` · `Pacifism` · `Paradigm` · `Peace` · `Peer_pressure` · `Perception` · `Peripatetic_school` · `Persuasion` · `Pessimism` · [[Peter_Senge]] · `Phenomenology_(philosophy)` · `Philosophical_Transactions_of_the_Royal_Society_B` · `Philosophical_theory` · `Philosophy` · `Philosophy_Bites` · [[Physics]] · `Piety` · `Pilgrimage` · `Placebo` · `Platonism` · `Play_(activity)` · `Pluralistic_ignorance` · `Point_of_view_(philosophy)` · `Polite_fiction` · `Political_correctness` · `Political_engineering` · `Political_freedom` · `Political_myth` · [[Positive_feedback]] · `Positivism` · `Post-structuralism` · `Postmodernism` · `Pragmatism` · `Praxeology` · `Pre-Socratic_philosophy` · `Presupposition` · `Primal_world_beliefs` · [[Principia_Cybernetica]] · `Principle` · `Problem_of_evil` · `Progressivism` · `Proof_assistant` · `Propaganda` · `Propaganda_model` · `Proselytism` · `Pseudoconsensus` · `Psychological_warfare` · `Psychology` · `Public_morality` · `Punishment` · `Pyrrhonism` · `Pythagoreanism` · `Pāṇini` · [[Qian_Xuesen]] · `Quality_(philosophy)` · [[Radhika_Nagpal]] · `Radical_politics` · `Rastafari` · `Rationalism` · `Reality` · `Reality_tunnel` · `Reason` · `Recluse` · [[Recommender_system]] · `Reductionism` · `Reformism` · `Religion` · `Religious_conversion` · `Religious_cosmology` · `Religious_ecstasy` · `Religious_education` · `Religious_law` · `Religious_persecution` · `Religious_uniformity` · `Renaissance_humanism` · `Rens_Bod` · `Repentance` · `Republicanism` · `Revelation` · `Reverence_(emotion)` · `Revolution` · `Rhetoric` · `Rights` · `Rite_of_passage` · `Ritual` · `Ritual_purification` · `Rodinia` · `Russell_L._Ackoff` · `Ruzena_Bajcsy` · `Sanskrit` · `Scapegoating` · `Schema_(psychology)` · `Scholasticism` · `School_of_Names` · `School_of_Naturalists` · `School_of_thought` · `Scientific_community` · `Scientific_evidence` · `Secular_coming-of-age_ceremony` · `Secularity` · `Selective_exposure_theory` · `Selective_perception` · `Self-censorship` · `Self-deception` · `Self-fulfilling_prophecy` · [[Self-organization]] · `Sensory-motor_coupling` · `Sentientism` · `Serfdom` · `Set_(psychology)` · `Sexual_ethics` · `Shinto` · `Sikhism` · `Sin` · `Slavery` · `Social_action` · `Social_anthropology` · `Social_behavior` · `Social_change` · `Social_class` · `Social_constructionism` · `Social_control` · `Social_democracy` · `Social_emotions` · `Social_engineering_(political_science)` · `Social_exclusion` · `Social_facilitation` · `Social_facilitation_in_animals` · `Social_group` · `Social_influence` · `Social_norm` · `Social_organization` · `Social_proof` · `Social_psychology` · `Social_reality` · `Social_status` · `Social_stigma` · `Social_system` · `Socialism` · `Sociality` · [[Society]] · `Sociology` · [[Sociotechnical_system]] · `Sophist` · `Soul` · `Spontaneous_order` · [[Stafford_Beer]] · `Status_quo` · `Status_quo_bias` · [[Stephanie_Forrest]] · `Stereotype` · `Stewardship` · `Stigmergy` · `Stoicism` · `Structuralism` · `Style_(visual_arts)` · `Sublime_(philosophy)` · `Suffering` · [[Sun]] · `Supercontinent_cycle` · `Supernatural` · [[Swarm_behaviour]] · `Symbol` · `Symbolic_boundaries` · `Sympathy` · [[System]] · [[System_dynamics]] · `System_on_a_chip` · `Systemic_bias` · `Systemics` · `Systems_analysis` · `Systems_art` · [[Systems_biology]] · [[Systems_ecology]] · [[Systems_engineering]] · [[Systems_neuroscience]] · [[Systems_pharmacology]] · `Systems_philosophy` · `Systems_psychology` · [[Systems_science]] · [[Systems_theory]] · `Systems_theory_in_anthropology` · [[Systems_theory_in_archaeology]] · [[Systems_theory_in_political_science]] · [[Systems_thinking]] · `Taboo` · `Tacit_assumption` · [[Talcott_Parsons]] · `Taoism` · `Teleology` · `Tenrikyo` · `Terence_Tao` · `Testimony` · `The_Mind_of_an_Ape` · `Theodicy` · `Theology` · `Theory_of_everything` · `Thermohaline_circulation` · `Thinking_In_Systems:_A_Primer` · `Thomas_Nagel` · `Thomism` · `Thought_experiment` · `Time` · `Tradition` · `Transcendentalism` · `Trust_(social_science)` · `Truth` · [[Twelve_leverage_points]] · `Umwelt` · `Unclean_animal` · `Unitarian_Universalism` · `Unobservable` · `Unspoken_rule` · [[Urban_metabolism]] · `Utilitarianism` · `Values_education` · `Veganism` · `Vice` · `Victor_Aladjev` · `Viral_phenomenon` · `Virtue` · `Vitalism` · `Weltschmerz` · `Wilson_Cycle` · `Wishful_thinking` · `Woozle_effect` · `Work_of_art` · `World-systems_theory` · `World_disclosure` · `Worldview` · `Worship` · `Wrongdoing` · `Yangism` · `Zoroastrianism`
## From the Real GENERATIVE library (beauty pass)
*Conceptual system — image hotlinked from Wikimedia Commons (via the Real G.E.N.E.R.A.T.I.V.E. course library, Information room). [Details & license](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MarsReconnaissanceOrbiter-Views-EarthMoon-20220422.jpg).*
> A conceptual system is a system of abstract concepts, of various kinds.[A] The abstract concepts can range "from numbers, to emotions, and from social roles, to mental states ..".[A] These abstract concepts are themselves grounded in multiple systems.[A][a] In psychology, a conceptual system is an individual's mental model of the world; in cognitive science the model is gradually diffused to the scientific community; in a society the model can become an institutio ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_system))
<!-- BEAUTY-PASS-MEDIA:END -->
> p5.js MicroSim stub · part of [[System]] · [Wikipedia source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_system)
> Relation: subfield of System.
## Concept summary
A conceptual system is a system of abstract concepts, of various kinds. The abstract concepts can range "from numbers, to emotions, and from social roles, to mental states ..".
## Build checklist
- [ ] Claim it: set `status: in-progress` + `lease` + `leased_at`
- [ ] Write the child page explaining the concept (tie it back to system)
- [ ] Finalize parameter ranges and defaults
- [ ] Implement the p5.js sketch (drawing + control regions)
- [ ] Add caption + the learning objective on the page
- [ ] Set `status: done`
## p5.js sketch
```javascript
// MicroSim: Conceptual system
let controls = {};
function setup() {
// createCanvas(...); create sliders for the parameters above.
}
function draw() {
// background(...); read controls; render cellular automaton; respond live.
}
```
---
Back to [[System]] · Wikipedia: [Conceptual system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_system)
---
<!-- SEMIOTIC-PROFILE:START -->
## Semiotic profile
> *The semiotic universals this article invokes, machine-derived from the crossref — **unverified** (born so). Populated 2026-07-06 for the Systems room.*
**Universals (8):** 🟡 system (33) · 🟡 society (3) · 🟡 structure (2) · 🟢 diffusion (2) · 🟢 emergence (2) · 🟢 feedback (2) · 🟡 science (2) · 🟡 density (1)
**Enter by sign:** Systems Semiotic Gateway · Alphabetum · Icon Registry · ← Systems Portal
<!-- SEMIOTIC-PROFILE:END -->
<!-- BEAUTY-PASS-MEDIA:START -->
## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_system) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Conceptual_system)
## Previous hub tags
Tree parent: [[Systems_theory]].
Legacy hubs: none.
---
*Sources: 2 legacy notes. Minted wave 1, 2026-07-30 (v1.6 order).*