Temporal Factorisation and Realisation in Cognitive Dynamics and Beyond

Temporal factorisation is a principle underlying approaches to dynamics used within many disciplines. According to this principle any temporal relationship of the form ‘past pattern implies future pattern’ can be factorised into a relationship of the form ‘past pattern implies present state’ and a relationship of the form ‘present state implies future pattern’. To enable this, the principle postulates the existence of certain mediating state properties in the present state. In this paper the question is addressed whether and how a postulated mediating state property relates to other state properties in the (present) state in which it occurs. This analyses provides a conceptual framework covering concepts and themes that usually are considered unrelated, such as, the notions of differential equations in Mathematics, of transition system and rule-based system in Computer Science, Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, and of reduction and realisation of mental states in Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Science.