Determinants of Knowledge PH'2CHK

Note: Details of Spirals and their Trees are or will be worked out in the Frameworks sections of this website. This topic is focused on the architecture and specifically on the contribution of psychosocial pressures to meeting our Primal Needs.

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Reaching this Point

Here is a summary of material that has been developed and explained in earlier Topics in this section and elsewhere. It is the basis for appreciating the Tree framework shown below.

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Summary of the PH'2 Control Diagram

The Inquiry Root Level emanates the Primary Hierarchy of Inquiry-PH2, which is the foundation for knowledge, its Primal Need
The PH2-L6 element is Judgement, and its dynamic form is proposed as Justify Judgement.
The critical factor in optimizing inquiry is to enable certainty in the production of findings.
More:

Under pressure of autonomy, a person justifies judgements as optimal by appealing to the use of one or other of the research methods-PH'2.
Knowledge depends on the use of conjectures that are "certain enough" to count as knowledge, because they have been subject to a variety of research methods.
The Primal Means for knowing about anything is conjecturing: its minimum involves proposing plausible relations, without which there is no research.
Conjecturing gets established by viewing each research method as a mode for investigating, and progressively cumulating mode values via the TET Spiral.
The 4 Cycle-1 modes are values controlling the establishment of inquiry-RL2. However, the 3 Cycle-2 modes, despite emerging from inquiry-RL2 and its research methods-PH'2, have values primarily serving change-RL3. This is due to critical reactions of a reference group of inquirers and researchers who determine acceptability.
As a result, the Emergent Tree, Determinants of Knowledge, reveals that Change-RL3 enables and constrains Inquiry-RL2.

Conjectures for «Knowledge»

It is proposed that an inherent biology-based rationale for inquiry-RL2 is knowledge. Knowledge is not restricted to the moment or to the individual. It can be built on the output of specialized research methods over many years to increase certainty about its validity.

The Primal Means for knowledge is conjecture. Anyone can conjecture and treat that as knowledge. But research disciplines need a sharper and more critical focus on conjectures.

Conjectures become progressively established as they are investigated and integrated, extended and elaborated, using values drawn from all research methods.

No single method guarantees the validity of desired knowledge, nor does conjecturing. Nothing guarantees the certainty of knowledge. Reality is simply too complicated for that.

The more modes/methods that are included, the stronger conjectures can be, but incorporating modes takes time and follows a necessary order as explained in the Spiral framework.

Regardless of the plausibility of a conjecture, knowledge will always be determined by the way all mode/method essences (Tree centres) are used.

The inexorable passage of time and use of resources is represented in the Tree framework by its base in the Primal Nexus. Here, performance pressure orients conjecturing (KL1) and performance pressure is also evident in the conjecture that results (CL1).

The intrinsic lack of certainty in any knowledge noted above raises concerns about the acceptability of any research work to the relevant reference group. That is why conjecturing, once the Nexus is secure, moves its orientation from inquiry-RL2 to change-RL3, which is driven by acceptability.

In the Tree, the interaction of actualization and transcendence is dramatic.

Given attention to the Primal Nexus, the lower part involving RL2-Inquiry requires:

use of actualizing pressures—in orienting conjecturing input to the conducting of research
i.e. KL2-certainty (in selecting analyses), KL3-acceptability (of conflicting perspectives), KL4-well-being (in choice of data);

but
use of transcending pressures—in producing the conjecturing output that brings research under control
i.e. CL2-selflessness (in conducting analyses), CL3-understanding (in choice of perspective), CL4-autonomy (in collecting data).

while the upper part involving RL3-Change requires:

use of transcending pressures—in orienting conjecturing input to enhance acceptability.
i.e. KL5-understanding (of assumptions), KL6-autonomy (in regard to choice of a theoretical framework), KL7-selflessness (in noticing patterns);

but
use of actualizing pressures—in producing the conjecturing output so that it enables and constrains lower levels in a way that generates acceptability
i.e. CL5-certainty (in using assumptions), CL6-well-being (in working within a theoretical framework), CL7-acceptability (in selection of a pattern).

This framework has numerous implications for the handling of research within scholarly disciplines.

Now consider Determinants of Fitness (PH'3CK).

Initially posted: 21-Jan-2023