Glossary

Metastability (Simondon)

Metastability, as conceptualized by Gilbert Simondon, refers to a state of dynamic equilibrium where a system maintains balance amid the potential for transformation. Thus, the system is neither completely stabilized nor completely destabilized; it exists and operates in a permanent attempt to stabilize its unstable component parts. This condition allows for the coexistence of multiple, potentially conflicting, states without defaulting to a fixed state of stability. In Simondon's philosophy, metastability is crucial for understanding processes of individuation, where entities evolve from indeterminate, pre-individual potentials to more structured forms. This concept emphasizes the importance of internal and external interactions in the emergence of new structures and forms of organization, highlighting the processual and transformative nature of being.