Conditions for Goodness

Colour Convention Ultimate values are universally-sought experiential states. Examples of ultimate values will be in green e.g. peace. Goodness (in blue) refers either to spiritual energy or to a conception of what humans most desire in spiritual terms. Goodness (in green) refers to a specific ultimate value. Terms in purple refer to Channels in the Framework-Tree of Intentionality.

Using a Perspective from Levels of Purpose

In the 1980s, I distinguished the Levels of Purpose according to their psychosocial function and relevant properties. This was exceedingly difficult at the time. However, as the distinguishing features were slowly determined, the forms of purpose and the special qualities of values became clearer and easier to understand and explain The original clients providing criticism and validation were politicians.. Eventually the nature and use of the various forms of purpose became transparent—although, as revealed here, there was still much more to learn.

As part of this process, I found myself associating each Level of Purpose with a characteristic quality. This seemingly imprecise quality was far simpler than the full functional definition. Still, when explaining the Levels, I found that I got rapid understanding using those terms. I now suspect that they relate to a projection from the Root Hierarchy: a conjecture which is explored in the Architecture Room.

Here is a Table with the details for Purpose-PH6. For convenience, the Table also shows the correspondence of these words for Vehicles of Goodness-R"G1, as will be proposed and explained below.
Click on the purpose names for a pop-up definition.

PH6 Levels	Forms of Purpose	Characteristic Quality	Vehicle for Goodness	RsH" Monads
7	Ultimate value A universally accepted and eternally pursued state of being.	is an inner experience.	Enjoyment	1
6	Value System Interlinked-valued ideas ordering understanding within a social domain.	is a deep belief.	Knowing	3
5	Social Value A freely shared need-based value serving a specific community.	is a personal need.	Submission	6
4	Principal Object An activity defining the identity of an endeavour.	is the core activity.	Unification	7
3	Internal Priority A degree of emphasis among valid values or actions for immediate use.	is a brute assertion.	Aspiration	2
2	Strategic Objective A desired and feasible outcome which maximizes impact.	is a desired outcome.	Helpfulness	4
1	Tactical Objective A precise tangible time-targeted result which is a step to a desired outcome.	is a pure means.	Exertion	5

Qualities of the Vehicles of Goodness

The Vehicles for Goodness are the mechanism for enabling a focus on goodness to come to the fore in personal and social life. They enable the production of goodness through applying ultimate values, which are themselves evoked and created by an act of will.

In evaluating that production, the above schema of characteristic qualities devised for purposes seemed to fit the vehicles. Note, however, that the ordering is different You should reflect on the order, and later check alternatives for yourself: feedback or comment below..

The criterion here is pragmatic: does the exposition below help you (and me) understand goodness and this framework. If it does, then it is worthwhile (i.e. an expression of goodness). The ultimate value example used below is: goodness.

Unification-R"G1⁷: I must recognize that unification is the core activity. In any particular situation there will be several specific unifications that goodness makes necessary and appropriate: between conflicting ideas, or disputing parties, or my wishes and the needs in the situation.
Comment

The only person who spends much time and effort unifying with goodness itself is a full-time mystic or some one on the Spirituality Quest-RH'L7.

Submission-R"G1⁶: I must recognize a personal need for submission. Depending on the situation or project, this submission typically relates to expressed values or purposes that confer goodness. These may have been personally selected, or may apply to me via a group that I willingly joined.
Comment

Submission to goodness is usually expressed in religious contexts as submission to God or to God's will.

Exertion-R"G1⁵: I must make exertions in the cause of goodness, but these are a near-biological means with little intrinsic significance. The beneficial tasks may be rather minor, but they take time and energy, and can disrupt my usual work-flow. However, without exertion, everything else here just will not occur.
Comment

«Good deeds» are small tasks that safely deliver goodness. «Good works» are large tasks that often entail full-time jobs and bureaucratization,
so … the resulting organizations are liable to become inward looking and self-perpetuating, placing the interests of the institution above the good of its clientele.

Helpfulness-R"G1⁴: For goodness to be effective, the actual outcome must be helpful. Any process or end-result that is unhelpful suggests that, despite best intentions, something has gone wrong somewhere.
Comment

Because «having helpful intentions» is not sufficient for goodness, the need for unification and submission becomes evident. This sheds light on the effects of religious charities that expect beneficiaries to submit: it's back-to-front!

Knowing-R"G1³: The provision of goodness at any moment depends on a belief that I personally have knowledge about what is truly relevant and can help in the specific situation.
Comment

Reflex sources of belief are based on indoctrination and conventional wisdom (what everyone knows). But personal knowing is required for goodness. This entails attunement to and learning about a situation, and taking responsibility for the belief.

Aspiration-R"G1²: Goodness can be contributed via assertions of what is good, and consequently your aspirations will come into play.
Comment

Those gaining egocentric benefits often assert goodness via emotional arguments or by appeal to doctrines held to be right. Preferences (priorities) rather than aspirations are then in play. To paraphrase the saying: the road to hell is paved with good assertions.

Enjoyment-R"G1¹: Goodness can ensure that I have an experience of the situation through positive enjoyment. Experiencing enjoyment has effects on myself and others that can make even seemingly impossible challenges worthwhile.
Comment

The presence of enjoyment as an index of goodness is not sufficiently appreciated.

Summary

The characteristic qualities are taken from the Levels of Purpose (PH6) framework (see Table above). The orientation to good and goodness has been slightly modified from the original. This Table seems valid, but the rationale is currently uncertain.

L	Vehicle of Goodness	Characteristic Quality	Orientation to Good(ness) (adapted from L of Purpose)
7	Unification	is the core activity	i.e. what is essential for achieving good.
6	Submission	is the personal need	i.e. what provides the potential for good.
5	Exertion	is the pure means	i.e. extra inputs as tasks for good.
4	Helping	is the desired outcome	i.e. the evidence of actual good
3	Knowing	is the deep belief	i.e. the proffered rationale for goodness.
2	Aspiration	is the brute assertion	i.e. the personally preferred good.
1	Enjoyment	is the inner experience	i.e. the emotional generator of goodness.

Don't Get Confused by Unconscious Shifts in the Frame of Reference

You may be playing with these ideas and suddenly get the sense that all qualities apply everywhere. In one sense they do, but this is because you can and do change your frame of reference all the time. The vehicle and characteristic quality are only fixed within a given frame of reference. For example, the frame might be: «apply strength to handle X».

However, if you then alter the frame of reference to «apply unification to "apply strength in handling X"», which you can easily do when you focus on it, then you will notice that the outcome of unification must be helpful or that you depend on a belief during unification based on what you know.

So the quality associated with unification suddenly seems to change from a core activity to an outcome and then to a belief.

Confusing, isn't it?

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• Continue to humanity's «primal values», as suggested by the vehicles.

Originally posted: 29-Mar-2013