Guidance, Encouragement, Warning
Advice
«The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.» Albert Einstein
Please do not take anything on this website for granted. Nothing has been written for you personally. The only way is to think things through for yourself: it really is the only way.
Skimming and scanning Topics will frustrate you. It is best to put enough time aside—even as little as 15 minutes—concentrate on what you read, and be ready to enjoy yourself.
«The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle.» Albert E.
I expect that all THEE inquiries, old and new, have errors that can only be removed by patient criticism, reflection, reading and dialogue-based inquiring. This website gives you a chance to experiment with thinking about matters that you probably understand as well as most anyone else. Inform us of any section, paragraph, or even sentence that is wrong or obscure.
If you want to do more, you can master a framework. Just six months of concentrated one-hour-a-day study will make you an expert on almost any theme where you have familiarity. Lacking such a background, you will also have to devote time to reading around the subject and getting experience. Weekly time needs to be allocated to discussing what you have understood.
Below are some issues relevant to engaging with the frameworks.
Topic Content Issues
Everyone is Knowledgeable
«Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.» Albert E.
You have much of the knowledge already, because THEE-Topics deal with what we come across and must handle, one way or another, daily.
You know what you know from your experiences, and that automatically qualifies you to appraise and contribute. There may be some relatively specialist topics that will be outside your experience (e.g. you may never have been an employer) or outside your interests (e.g. how a scientific discipline is organized). However, it will be obvious when this is the case.
Imagination : Openness : Willingness
«There are two ways to live your life—one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle.» Albert E.
By approaching what is posted with an openness, a belief in yourself, and a willingness to ask questions, you and everyone else will benefit. A closed mind is a good thing to lose.
Reading widely around any theme may give a degree of confidence, but no formal studies of any kind are required for most Topics. If you enjoy reading, good. If not, then your imagination will suffice. Of course, anyone who wants to inquire in a serious and deeper way will wish to read widely. Wide reading helps us avoid the danger of bias or (worse) unconscious adherence to a particular school of thought.
«The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.» Albert E.
The Enlightenment Lives
«Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.» Albert E.
Relevant authorities contribute to the corpus of knowledge and deserve due respect. However, this Project rejects appeal to authority as a valid way to control a person's thinking on everyday activities. Your goal here is not to gain knowledge or follow rules as affirmed by others, but to develop understanding that you can naturally use in your life.
Many authorities have a particular perspective, and even an agenda that has nothing to do with you. You are the only proper authority in regard to how you choose to live your life. Anyone else, including me, has a point of view with which you may legitimately agree or disagree, partly or completely. If you are thoughtful and reflective, you can work through authoritative analyses, and make them your own by understanding them.
«A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.» Einstein again.
«Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.» Again Einstein.
Topic Logic Issues
Names and Formulae
I hope there is general comfort with the names chosen for psychosocial things in the Taxonomy. However, I am aware that there are differences even amongst English-speaking countries. If these cause difficulty in communicating, then ways need to be found to handle them. Formulae are one way to be unambiguous.
The importance of both naming and formulae in the Taxonomy should be understood and accepted as reasonable in principle. Read more in the Hub. Formulae, often included with the name, can be ignored until you come to see their benefit.
A Glossary is currently under construction here.
THEE Jargon
THEE frameworks contain common-sense knowledge capable of being expressed in everyday vocabulary via short simple sentences. In contrast, describing taxonomic structures forces the use of jargon-terminology, as in any specialist research. The jargon may seem turgid and unpleasant, but it is unavoidable. It should be viewed as a hard-won achievement that dramatically speeds up inquiry and exposition.
Fortunately, taxonomic terminology is not needed to follow and understand the substance of frameworks. If you need to check any THEE jargon-term, simply click on the Terms tab at the top of the left-hand navigation column. An alphabetic list will appear and clicking on any term reveals a brief definition or explanation. Familiarity with the terminology will help your studies.
Changes to Formulations
If you have a particular interest in certain pages, you may notice textual or diagrammatic changes over time. Some may be minor, and some may seem rather significant to you. The reason is that this website is subject to a constant process of inquiry and refinement to formulations.
Any change to a formulation or a description leads to a change in the Last Updated (or Last Amended) date at the bottom of the Topic.
Taxonomic Path
You will notice that every Satellite and major framework will be introduced with a diagram of the taxonomic path from the Root Cell: Will. The inquiry will always be an extension of that path. The aim is to show the taxonomic location graphically, allow comparisons, and help familiarization with the overall structure.
Note that the taxonomic path is a conjectured conceptual route: it is not the path of discovery, nor should it guide practical thinking. Each item on the taxonomic path can be taken for granted or can be queried and studied. Some steps are posted. Others with minimal or preliminary investigation may be found in the Frameworks in Development section or the Architecture Room.
«The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine [spirituality] does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge.» Albert Einstein
I leave you with a final thought from Albert Einstein:
«Without creative, independently thinking and judging personalities, the upward development of society is as unthinkable as the development of the individual personality without the nourishing soil of the community.»
Originally posted: July 2009; Last updated: 15-Jan-2023.