Endeavour & Its Taxonomy

The Royal Road

Personal functioning can only be sensibly scientifically investigated by focusing on it as it happens in real-life activities where a person unequivocally commits themselves. That means the royal road to scientific understanding of personal functioning is found in the study of endeavours.

An endeavour is a goal-directed course of action that:

• depends on effort (will)
• requires relevant knowledge to succeed
• is owned and valued by at least one person
• affects other persons directly or indirectly
• alters a shared reality and reality-in-itself.

The technical-material dimension of endeavours, where substitution of persons is irrelevant, has been the preferred focus and beneficiary of scientific study and technological development.

Example: In “building a bridge”, scientific and engineering principles underpin choice of materials, load-bearing calculations, complex machinery &c.

However, the experiential and intrinsically personal aspect is primary, because the identity and pursuit of endeavours is determined by who is involved, how they feel, and the views of others who are affected. This aspect covers matters like:

• personal uniqueness and preferences
• diversity within and between groups
• integration of practical and ethical demands
• organising for effectiveness
• handling destructive tendencies.

Studying the personal aspect of endeavour has led to frameworks that can be converted into highly practical and socially beneficial intellectual technologies. The taxonomic schemas within THEE help us to understand and master ourselves and our situations as we pursue challenging endeavours.

Activities Are Not Endeavours

• avoiding a spider because... reflex and does not entail value
• making a wish because... no physical activity
• playing solitaire because… no alteration of reality
• lifting a finger because… no effect on others
• driving to work because… no use of knowledge or effort
• recovering from the flu because… no personal effort
• wandering in a park because…intrinsically aimless
• forming a traffic jam because… no purpose or knowledge

Problems in Neuroscience.

Cognitive neuroscience, following current social science, ignores endeavour as the logical frame of reference for studying the «mind». As a result, items of personal functioning are devitalized, taken out of context and deprived of needed influences from relevant associated elements. Conceptual confusion is also evident. An associated common error is to ascribe to neurons functions that can only be ascribed to persons e.g. registering, checking, comparing, mapping.

THEE: A Model of Personal Functioning

The first task of science is to provide order amongst phenomena in a field.

A taxonomy identifies and orders all elements that exist within that portion of reality selected as a field of scientific study. If the schema is comprehensive, unified, dynamic, useful and atheoretical, then the taxonomy is a model or map of that portion of reality.

Example: Anatomy The anatomy of the human body is not regarded as a theory, even if it contains uncertainties or errors. In the same way, THEE is not a theory.

To get a step-change in efficiency, effectiveness and ethics within social life, we need a science-based taxonomy that maps endeavour in terms of personal functioning.

THEE, the Taxonomy of Human Elements in Endeavour, is an impersonal scientific product purporting to represent and map all practical, social, organisational, emotional, intellectual, ethical and spiritual elements (as entity-categories) actually or potentially existent in the endeavours that constitute our lives.

These elements are all metaphysical in nature, but they can be brought into awareness, closely observed, and socially shared. Notice that these are elements of personal functioning i.e. the taxonomic field is an inescapable ever-present pervasive reality (as terms of reference) for all of us. It is impossible to take up a position outside it.

Taxonomic entity-categories are recognized and arranged in structures (frameworks) via their:

● Function – the essence that contributes to personal functioning.
● Properties – distinguishing qualities
● Relationships – effects and interactions.

In 2014, personal functioning as modeled by THEE was reformulated as a system of discrete linked Domains. Each Domain contains a distinctive triplet of structured fundamentals: a Vehicle that generates an Effect and operates within a Field. Each Domains has its own specialised system of intrinsic Controls, and there are also two sets of over-arching Ethical Controls.

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Forms : Pressures : Usefulness

• The Taxonomy is a complicated system but it uses just a few inter-linked structural forms. Hierarchy and duality play major roles, and a Tree pattern provides for dynamics in everyday functioning. See details of structures.
• The architecture, as a whole appears, to be shaped and integrated by 7 psychosocial pressures, currently under investigation. See details in the Architecture Room.
• In practice, all taxonomic structures are experienced as, and may be explicitly used as, frameworks for thinking and acting. See Framework Listing.

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Next Steps

• More about personal functioning in relation to the «mind» and the brain.
• Continue to issues in developing the taxonomy.

Originally posted: 1-March-2015. Last amended 22-May-2015.