Amanda Gefter
Hurray!!!!! Yahoo!!!!!
You answered my question!
Your essay led me to the solution!
The answer is, "the spectrum of interactions between harder shapes and softer shapes." ("more rigid" is more accurate than "harder", but harder rolls off the tongue easier)
The questions are, "What bridges the split between subject and object?" and "What connects Quantum mechanics and Classical mechanics?" There are actually a huge number of questions that this answer applies to.
The cliffs of Dover are a hard shape. The waves in the ocean are soft shapes. Multiple actions occur when an ocean wave hits a rock cliff. 1) Water bounces off of stone. 2) The wave "shape" reflects from the cliff "shape". 3) Stone shakes/vibrates from the impact of water. 4) The water wave "shape" converts to a sound wave "shape" and continues moving forward through the rock.
Soft shapes pass through one another easily. Harder shapes are more likely to shatter when they collide.
Multiple softer, or lower amplitude, or smaller, shapes can exist within and upon a harder, higher amplitude, larger shape. Different speeds also alter the relative rigidity of shapes.
Some things are very hard to see (perceive), until you see them, then you can't avoid seeing them. I've been able to see this soft shapes to hard shapes continuum for a while now, but I couldn't put it into easy words. Thank you very much for your essay. It improved my understanding.