User:Physis/Bootstrapping
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The word bootstrapping is a highly productive metaphor, grasping the common, related or similar pattern in many diverse phenomena, crosscutting several sciences. These manifestations usually explain the origin of certain (usually complex or nontrivial) phenomena, or even implement them from scratch. Usually, these phenomena are such that their origin is not trivial to understand, as it is hidden behind a sophisticated shift process. A complex phenomenon may turn out to have being built "on top" of the "infrastructure" of another, mostly more basic level phenomen. This underlying "scaffolding" often has become obsolete with the emergence of the new one, it even disappeared, thus the history of the level-sifting process has not been preserved in the "architecture", making its understanding a challenge or even paradoxical (chicken or egg). Thus, the process of this passed takeover, "coup d’état" can usually be traced back only by indirect evidences (simulations, reverse engineering etc).
As mentioned, the metaphor is highly productive: scientists of various fields seem to introduce new manifestations with due certainty, usually keeping correctly the pattern.