Tree of Knowledge System

= "offers a pictographic representation of cosmic evolution as occurring in four distinct phases: Matter, Life, Mind, and Culture." [1]

Description

Gregg Henriques:

1.

"The Tree of Knowledge System (as a) Unified Theory offers a new consilient vision of scientific knowledge that solves the problem of psychology, and explicitly depicts how the domain of psychological knowledge exists in relation to the other special sciences."

(http://www.gregghenriques.com/uploads/2/4/3/6/24368778/evofrommethconunif.pdf)

2.

"The Tree of Knowledge (ToK) System is the first key idea in the Unified Theory of Knowledge. It is a theory of scientific knowledge that defines the human knower in relation to the known. It achieves this novel accomplishment by solving the problem of psychology and giving rise to a truly consilient view of the scientific landscape. It accomplishes this via dividing the evolution of behavioral complexity into four different planes of existence. Life, Mind, and Culture emerge out of the dimensions beneath them as a function of complexity building feedback loops that are self-organizing and mediated by novel systems of information processing and communication. The ToK also characterizes modern empirical natural science as a kind of justification system that functions to map complexity and change."

(https://www.unifiedtheoryofknowledge.org/8-key-ideas/the-tree-of-knowledge)

Characteristics

Gregg Henriques:

References the basic ToK graphic:

"Joint points are the theories that link the dimensions.

• Quantum gravity is the first joint point and is theorized to be the link between Energy and Matter. It refers to the theoretical merger between the twin pillars in physics: quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

• The modern evolutionary synthesis is the joint point between Matter and Life, and refers to the merger of Darwin’s theory of natural selection with genetics. The modern synthesis can be thought of as the unified theory of biology because it provides the framework for understanding how complex, self-replicating organic molecules were ultimately transformed into organisms. Biology is a unified discipline precisely because it has a clear, well-established definition (the science of Life), an agreed upon subject matter (organisms), and a unified theoretical system that provides the causal explanatory framework for its emergence (the modern evolutionary synthesis). Some key elements of the modern synthesis will be explored later in the chapter, when we delve into Edward O. Wilson’s work.

• Behavioral Investment Theory is the joint point between Life and Mind because it merges fundamental insights across the cognitive, behavioral, and neurosciences to provide a framework for understanding how Mind emerges out of Life.

• Finally, the Justification Hypothesis is the joint point between Mind and Culture because it provides a framework for understanding the changes in the human mind that resulted in the evolution of self-consciousness and human culture.

(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251419612_The_Tree_of_Knowledge_System)

More information

• Explanation by Gregg Henriques via http://www.gregghenriques.com/uploads/2/4/3/6/24368778/henriques_ppihk__1_.pdf