An Current Tree of Information for Philosophy and Science

In 1997, I experienced a vision that I drew out, it would alter my life. It depicted the evolution of complexity that started off with strength and grew into the dimensions of make any difference, existence, mind, and tradition.

The 1997 authentic drawing of what I would name the Tree of Know-how.

Resource: Gregg Henriques

Inside of the calendar year, I would name my depiction the Tree of Know-how (ToK) Technique virtually 25 many years back. The Tree of Knowledge Method would grow to be the major insight that would finally ground the Unified Principle of Information (UTOK). This is a new method of being familiar with that I explain in my 2022 e-book, A New Synthesis for Solving the Issue of Psychology: Addressing the Enlightenment Hole. In it, I explain why the Tree of Know-how is a “descriptive metaphysical process” for mapping equally the enterprise of science and the photograph of truth it gives us.

There had been a lot of reasons why I called it the Tree of Awareness. Over the several years, I have noticed several far more linkages of which I was not conscious. Last week, I found however another sturdy link. I was studying up on Rene Descartes, who is generally thought of the father of contemporary philosophy. In 1644, he summarized his considering in the reserve, Principles of Philosophy. The e-book has a Tree of Awareness on the protect.

In the text, he describes a philosophical tree of expertise that demonstrates some striking parallels with the UTOK procedure. Specified that I usually critique Descartes for his material dualism, it was fascinating and enriching to examine his conception and align it with UTOK’s eyesight in common and the Tree of Information Procedure in certain. Listed here is Descartes describing his Tree of Knowledge/Philosophy, with crucial phrases in daring and italicized:

In the 1st location, a gentleman … ought, in advance of all else, to endeavor to sort for himself a code of morals, …. In the next put, he ought to examine Logic, not that of the educational institutions, …but the logic which teaches the appropriate conduct of the rationale with the view of discovering the truths of which we are ignorant… Then he really should begin to use himself in earnest to real philosophy, of which the initial element is Metaphysics, containing the concepts of expertise, amongst which is the explication of the principal attributes of God, of the immateriality of the soul, and of all the crystal clear and uncomplicated notions that are in us the second is Physics, in which, right after obtaining the genuine ideas of substance points, we examine, in general, how the whole universe has been framed in the subsequent area, we contemplate, in distinct, the character of the earth, and of all the bodies that are most normally discovered upon it, as air, h2o, fireplace, the loadstone and other minerals. In the subsequent place it is required also to analyze singly the mother nature of vegetation, of animals, and earlier mentioned all of male, in order that we could thereafter be in a position to find out the other sciences that are handy to us. Hence, all Philosophy is like a tree, of which Metaphysics is the root, Physics the trunk, and all the other sciences the branches that grow out of this trunk [and] I comprehend the maximum and most perfect which, presupposing an entire expertise of the other sciences, is … knowledge.

This description has a lot of fascinating parallels with UTOK’s wide conception of information, which permits us to body the organic sciences, the human psyche, and collective knowledge coherently together in a single method of being familiar with. In this article is a pictorial illustration of the UTOK system. It demonstrates three major philosophical pillars. UTOK’s Tree of Information Technique frames our natural scientific awareness of the globe, UTOK’s iQuad Coin frames the human psyche, and UTOK’s Yard supplies the frame for adaptive dwelling and collective knowledge.

UTOK’s core framework is composed of the Tree of Understanding Process, iQuad Coin, and Backyard garden

Gregg Henriques

Now, let us correspond to UTOK’s conception with the quotation from Descartes. He commences with a precise human knower who desires to be socialized and create a refined sense of values and logic. Linking this up with UTOK, we can establish this as being aligned with the certain human knower represented by the iQuad Coin. The style of the iQuad Coin is that it would make linkages involving the human psyche, mathematics, physics, and philosophy. We can align this with Descartes’ claim that an individual requires to educate themselves in logic and in remaining capable to realize the real truth of points.

Descartes then details to metaphysics as being necessary to frame one’s comprehension of philosophy. UTOK also aligns with this stage. Recall that I framed the Tree of Awareness as a “descriptive metaphysical process.” Also consistent with Descartes’ description of the Tree of Understanding System, it sites physics as the science of the foundational substance. Devoid of far too much mental gymnastics, I imagine we can see in Descartes’ frame some intuitive echoes of modern day physics.

Notice how he claims physics will map “the principles of substance things” and then consider to uncover “how the total of the universe has been framed.” I think we can loosely align the former with the Subject-Object dimension on the ToK Program and the latter with the Power Information Implicate Purchase, which is the ultimate ground of substance that frames the entire universe.

Consistent with the Make any difference cone of complexity, we see Descartes climb up his Tree into significantly elaborate entities, like minerals and earth Earth. And, steady with the Lifestyle-Organism, Brain-Animal, and Tradition-Individual dimensions on the ToK Technique, we see Descartes explain 3 escalating layers of complexity as “plants, animals, and gentleman.”

Eventually, we see Descartes come entire circle in a way that is consistent with the UTOK eyesight, which is landing on wisdom. This is steady with how UTOK positions the Backyard garden as a framework for organizing our knowledge and orienting toward wise dwelling.

It is the scenario that, when we go through into the information, there are some important discrepancies between Descartes’ eyesight and UTOK’s frame. Nevertheless, I was struck by how Descartes’ standard outline for philosophy shares a lot in typical with UTOK and its Tree of Know-how Program.