• Astorre
    369
    I am working on a functional methodology under the general title “Architecture of the Break.” Within it, I have set myself the task of examining and systematically arranging—along a scale of weights—“human representations of reality,” which, in the framework of my approach, I refer to collectively as “ideas.”

    A key part of my approach is a functional description of the methods for weighting “ideas” (including the creation of a mathematical model). This allows one to quickly and easily determine—using this toolkit—the level of significance, accuracy, productivity, and universality of any given “idea.”

    Why this matters to me: everything I had encountered before was either too complicated or too entrenched within a specific paradigm of truth (political or ideological). The approaches I studied did not meet the criterion of universality, because within them the paradigms in which they were created are treated as ideal, while everything else is considered fake. I did not like this, because it contaminates the lenses through which I am trying to achieve “clarity of understanding.”
    My approach also allows one to work with pure speculations and even make certain predictions regarding the fate of a speculation—specifically, whether it can grow into a level of necessary truth. But that is for later; for now I offer the core of my system for discussion. (I could easily add two more pages of justification, but this seems to be a different format.)

    The core of my approach is a system for ranking any “idea” by its weight across three criteria:

    1. Universality — Scope of Applicability
    A measure of how broadly a given idea X can functionally regulate different domains.
    Universality prevents “Niche Blindness” (when an idea applies only within a narrow area while ignoring others).

    2. Accuracy — Verifiability and Predictive Power
    A measure of how precisely idea X corresponds to testable consequences (both empirical and deductive).
    Accuracy allows us to diagnose conflict at the lowest level. If an idea we rely on is inaccurate, it cannot serve as a foundation for rational action.

    3. Productivity — Generative Power
    The ability of idea X, once adopted as a law, to generate new, logically necessary, nontrivial consequences that could not have been derived from prior experience.

    The proposed hierarchical model looks as follows:

    Level 1. Axioms (Foundation of Being)

    Weight: Highest
    Determined by: Maximum Universality
    Essence: Ideas without which thought and the perception of causality are logically impossible (laws of logic, the existence of time and space). Their Accuracy is not discussed (though sometimes contested), and their Productivity is continuous—they constantly generate the very possibility of thought.
    Ontological Status: Necessity

    Level 2. Deductive Constructions (Constituting Principles)

    Weight: High
    Determined by: High Productivity
    Essence: Ideas adopted as laws that generate new, necessary consequences (for example, mathematical theorems or a nation’s Constitution). Their strength lies in asserting a new order and being functionally necessary for the operation of a system.
    Ontological Status: Functional Necessity

    Level 3. Empirics (Experience and Facts)

    Weight: Medium
    Determined by: Maximum Accuracy and Low Universality
    Essence: Ideas that have been validated by past experience and can be verified. Their weakness is that they describe only what has already happened (low Productivity) and apply only to specific conditions (low Universality).
    Ontological Status: Demonstrated Contingency

    Level 4. Models and Interpretations (Lenses)

    Weight: Below Medium
    Determined by: A combination of Universality and Accuracy
    Essence: Philosophical and worldview systems. They are not facts (low Accuracy), but they offer a universal way of organizing facts. Their weight depends on how successfully they systematize incoming information.
    Ontological Status: Methodological Optionality

    Level 5. Speculations (Noise and Possibility)

    Weight: Low
    Determined by: The absence of all three criteria
    Essence: Unverified hypotheses, fantasies, personal desires. They are inaccurate, non-universal, and lack proven productivity. Yet precisely here lies the seed of any future Deductive Construction, as these ideas are free from the burden of past experience (Empirics).
    Ontological Status: Pure Possibility

    I will not elaborate here on the mathematical model for distributing weights. Instead, I will analyze several “ideas” using this method:

    1. “Theory of Crystalline Humans”

    The fundamental nature of human consciousness and emotions is determined by crystalline structures in the brain that resonate with Earth’s energy fields.

    Analysis:

    Universality: Low. Cannot regulate physics, economics, law, etc.
    Accuracy: Zero. Cannot be subjected to empirical observation or deductive verification (no scientific implications). At least at the current moment.
    Productivity: Zero. Generates no new necessary laws or working technologies.
    Conclusion: Speculation (Level 5)

    2. “Increasing Centrifugal Force by 10% Doubles Bearing Wear”

    Analysis:
    Universality: Low. Applies only to this specific system of bearings and centrifugal force; cannot regulate, say, family relations.
    Accuracy: Maximum. Highly verifiable.
    Productivity: Low. Does not generate new fundamental laws; it describes a consequence of existing physical laws.
    Conclusion: Fact (Level 3)

    3. “Natural Rights of Man”

    Universality: High. The idea was intended to regulate politics, law, economics (property rights), and ethics simultaneously.
    Accuracy: Zero (in fact). It contradicted the empirical reality at the time of its emergence.
    Productivity: Maximum. It generated entirely new, necessary consequences: separation of powers, democracy, market economy. It created a whole class of new solutions.
    Conclusion: Constituting Principle (Level 2)

    It is worth expanding on this. For a contemporary Westerner, this idea appears self-evident, natural, and universally correct. However, at the time of its creation, it was not so. Its architects (Locke, Rousseau, the Founding Fathers) performed an Act of Will, translating it into a Constitution, thereby forcing reality to conform to it. This is a paradigmatic example of a successful Architectural Act.

    In this text, I will also not describe the mechanics of an “Idea” rising from Level 5 (speculation) to Level 2 (deductive construction).

    I ask participants to evaluate and provide recommendations on this model. Critical remarks are welcome.

    (P.S. I understand that the idea of “Natural Human Rights” may, for many readers, occupy the same role as “sunlight”—without which the world collapses. If that is the case for you, please do not spend time commenting. I fully acknowledge, respect, and accept your position.)
  • frank
    18.6k

    I like the idea of weight because weight is a result of gravity. Heavy (or massive) ideas bring other ideas into orbit around themselves.

    An example is the idea of home. It probably came into existence with agriculture because farmers have to stay in one place. They can't follow herds. they have to wait through the summer for crops to grow and they can't just tote around the harvest. They have to stay and protect it from robbers.

    There's an ancient artifact that is believed to be an early map, with the most heavily occupied area in the center. Nomads wouldn't have a map like that because for them the center of the map would always be changing.

    So all sorts of things begin to orbit that idea of home.
  • Astorre
    369


    This is truly a high-quality level of rhetorical mastery.

    The nomadic idea of ​​"home" is tied not to the land, but to everyday life, loved ones, and life itself. The idea of ​​"home on the land" enabled the development of many things related to establishing a life in one place, and, as you noted, primarily agriculture. However, the idea of ​​"home in the mind" (as among nomads) enabled the development of speed of movement and rapid expansion and contraction.

    In the history of the world, it was nomads who managed to build the largest (in terms of size) states, but it was sedentary people who built the most stable states.

    Yes, the settled people did invent a map with a center. The nomads simply made sure that this center was located where their headquarters were located at that moment.

    What else? I would note that nomads are best adapted to the unexpected (famine, cold, catastrophes) – the so-called "black swan." Sedentary people, on the other hand, learned to overcome difficulties based on the principle of "nowhere to run."

    History always tells us that a problem can have several solutions, and the model I propose allows us to consider their pros and cons.
  • frank
    18.6k
    What else? I would note that nomads are best adapted to the unexpected (famine, cold, catastrophes) – the so-called "black swan." Sedentary people, on the other hand, learned to overcome difficulties based on the principle of "nowhere to run."Astorre

    :up: Through European history those two sides revolve around one another since the ideological ancestors of the bourgeoisie were traveling merchants who paid rent to noble castle owners to camp by their walls in the winter. And the nobles themselves were descendants of semi nomadic warlords. The rule seemed to be that when you take over society, you settle down.

    History always tells us that a problem can have several solutions, and the model I propose allows us to consider their pros and cons.Astorre

    :up:
  • Zebeden
    13


    I made a table of your system. I can’t upload a picture, so I drew a simplified one using my keyboard:
    |-----------------|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
    |-----------------|.........1..........|.....2.......|.....3......|.....4......|.....5......|
    |-----------------|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
    |.Universality.|......HIGH......|............. |..LOW...|..HIGH..|..LOW...|
    |-----------------|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
    |.Accuracy.....|.....................|..............|..HIGH..|..LOW...|..LOW...|
    |-----------------|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
    |.Productivity.|..NOT..LOW..|..HIGH..|..............|.............|..LOW...|
    |-----------------|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|

    1. Foundations, 2. Constructions, 3. Empirics, 4. Interpretations, 5. Speculations.

    This visualised form of your system helped me notice a few things:

    First, an idea cannot be both highly universal and highly accurate (though it can be low on both). Otherwise, your system would fail to account for certain possible outcomes (HIGH, HIGH, [ANY]).

    Second, levels 2 and 3 can be determined solely by Productivity and Accuracy respectively, provided those values are high.

    Third, both levels 1 and 4 can be identified by their high Universality. In fact, they can share the same combination: high universality, low accuracy, and not-low productivity. This makes distinguishing between the two levels ambiguous. But this is not a weakness. On the contrary, I think it shows that your system reflects real-life situations quite well. Often, the difference between interpretation and foundation can be just a matter of belief—I (or we as a society) strongly believe certain things to be true, and so they become foundational within my (our) worldview.

    And, of course, level 5 is also clearly defined, as it lacks any high values.

    Nicely done. I really enjoyed analyzing your system.
  • RogueAI
    3.5k
    the existence of time and spaceAstorre

    Are you talking about physical time and space (space-time)? Also, isn't "there is at least one thinking mind in existence" axiomatically true?
  • Astorre
    369


    Thank you for your comment. Do you think it's possible to provide a precise estimate of each parameter of the idea without empirical methods (psychological or sociological)?

    Currently, the Model does a good job of achieving its explanatory power, but the estimate of each parameter is highly dependent on the interpreter.
  • Astorre
    369


    The examples given here are, of course, not exhaustive. However, even axioms are sometimes revised. This is an extremely rare, but possible, phenomenon.
  • Zebeden
    13
    If you’re asking whether there’s a way to determine an idea’s value without the involvement of an interpreter, then unfortunately I can’t think of any such method. Not every idea requires an empirical approach, I think, but it still requires an interpreter—whether to provide purely logical reasoning for the proposed “weight” of the idea, or simply to assert that X is an obvious axiom without further proof.
  • Corvus
    4.6k
    In Hume, ideas are copies of impressions, and is totally mental in nature. But it is interesting that Hume was talking about vivacity and strength in ideas depending how strong and vivid the resemblance between impressions and corresponding ideas. When perceiving objects in front of you, you are supposed to have most vivid impression and ideas because you see the object in front of you, and the qualities of perception is as real as it can be.

    But if you are trying to recall an image from your distant past memories, for instance a friend you have met 20 year ago last time, then the idea of the image would be faint and weak.

    But I find it a bit challenging to understand how idea could have weights. Or how can ideas be weighed. Weights can be only measured on the physical objects with solidity and mass, and by gravity from the earth.

    Ideas which is purely mental in nature, and copy of the perceived impression cannot have weights. Your thoughts?
  • Sir2u
    3.6k
    The core of my approach is a system for ranking any “human representations of reality” by its weight across three criteria:

    1. Universality — Scope of Applicability
    A measure of how broadly a given idea X can functionally regulate different domains.
    Universality prevents “Niche Blindness” (when an idea applies only within a narrow area while ignoring others).
    Astorre

    How would this be applied, for instance, on the ideas of the birth of a star and the beginning of life? Taking both as ideas about reality based on reality, they are both very "Niche" with little in common. Or does your new method only apply to certain areas of reality?


    The nomadic idea of ​​"home" is tied not to the land, but to everyday life, loved ones, and life itself.Astorre

    I doubt that the concept of home even existed for the nomads They lived mostly where food was available and had little use for the personalized possessions usually found in homes. Early nomads lived in caves or built branch shelters against the sun and rain, they were abandoned when they moved on. Later nomads found that as they moved around, taking advantage of the different places where food was available, that they often returned to the same areas every year. This is when the started do build more solid structures out of stone, even when they still abandoned them as the food ran out they returned the following year to repair and improve.
    The concept of home probably appeared when the started to settle down and grow enough crops to dedicate time to acquire belongings and needing a place to keep them.

    In the history of the world, it was nomads who managed to build the largest (in terms of size) states,Astorre

    Could you give an example of a large nomadic group.
  • Astorre
    369
    ↪Astorre If you’re asking whether there’s a way to determine an idea’s value without the involvement of an interpreter, then unfortunately I can’t think of any such method. Not every idea requires an empirical approach, I think, but it still requires an interpreter—whether to provide purely logical reasoning for the proposed “weight” of the idea, or simply to assert that X is an obvious axiom without further proof.Zebeden



    It's important to clarify here. The proposed model cannot assess the value of an idea or evaluate its truth per se. It's about assessing the weight of an idea in a given mind or group at a given historical point in time.

    Let's give an example. Let's take the classical scientific method of evaluating a proposition. Let's take the statement, for example, "all people are sisters." Classical science insists that the proposition must first be reduced to simple concepts. This creates problems from the very beginning. Let's consider the context of its origin. Historically, it's a feminist slogan. It can be interpreted as "only women are people." From a scientific perspective, this statement has zero weight. However, in the minds of representatives of this movement, the weight of this proposition is maximal, almost fundamental. All reasoning of a group or individual can be built on this proposition, and the proponent of this proposition refuses to admit that it's not true (and is even willing to deal with its opponent). Moreover, a person driven by this idea can begin conducting scientific research that will confirm their arguments. And even be successful in doing so. A person can then begin to act in accordance with this belief.

    Here I see some limitations of classical epistemology. A patently false assertion generates consequences for reality and the lives of ordinary people who aren't even aware of it.

    The model I propose can say: idea X has a weight of U2 in this group. This means that this group will restructure reality in accordance with this idea.

    Of course, I've already slightly revised what I presented at the start.

    At the same time, why did I consider it important to identify the "weight" of an idea? Because this approach can provide a new lens for predicting the viability of certain ideas you intend to instill in a group, as well as provide new explanations for people's behavior within groups.

    But the model faces limitations. For example, I need to identify what ideas group M uses in their everyday lives. We can conduct quantitative and qualitative sociological or psychological studies, and still not obtain verifiable results. Another approach: I can interpret it myself, but then it would be even further from reality.


    How would this be applied, for instance, on the ideas of the birth of a star and the beginning of life? Taking both as ideas about reality based on reality, they are both very "Niche" with little in common. Or does your new method only apply to certain areas of reality?Sir2u


    Speaking of a supernova explosion, the event itself could signify the emergence of a new civilization. But the weight of this idea is near-zero for our everyday lives. Unless, of course, it somehow begins to impact everyday life. A supernova explosion itself is an event that means nothing. But the idea that pops into someone's head: "It wasn't a supernova explosion, but an alien war that will soon reach us"—that already carries weight. For now, the weight of this idea is speculation. If this weight is artificially inflated, it could have incredible consequences. It's just a matter of finding enough believers and presenting the information correctly.
  • Corvus
    4.6k
    "all people are sisters."Astorre
    It can be interpreted as "only women are people."Astorre

    They are propositions. Propositions are either true or false. Ideas can be building block of propositions.
    Ideas are mental image. On their own it has no true or false values. As Hume wrote, ideas can be vivid or faint, strong or weak depending on the type of perception.

    There could be real life cases where propositions could have weighing aspects. For instance,
    1) The guitar is nice.
    2) The guitar is too expensive for my budget.

    Then in order to make decision whether to buy the guitar or not, I must weigh the two propositions. The more heavier proposition will be the foundation of my decision. Even here using "heavier" proposition sounds awkward. Should it not be "more effecting" or "more critical" for my situation?
  • Astorre
    369


    Thanks for your comment. You've pointed out a very important detail. I don't yet know whether I agree with it or not, but it's definitely a weak (unresolved) point in my model.

    I'm grateful because you've made me think and clarify. In fact, that's exactly why I posted this here, not just to boast, "Look how clever I came up with this."

    I want to calmly consider your clarifications and will return with a response later.
  • Corvus
    4.6k


    Sure. Cool. I wasn't saying your idea is wrong. I was just looking at the issue from a different angle. Looking at the ideas and concepts from different angles and keep on discussing in logical point of view, is philosophy in my idea. :)
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