Review Clarification

Reminder of The Human Condition

THEE offers a distinctive view of the human condition. Remember that we abolished «the mind» as a useful concept. Rather than distinguishing the mind and noticing the need to use it from time to time, THEE posits that personal functioning is a continuous process. At any time we are in the midst of multiple endeavours, some very brief in duration others developing over days, weeks, months and even years.

To manage this multiplicity of endeavours and keep functioning balanced, we have methods of personal stabilization. Any society is comprised of unique individuals with their own pattern of endeavours. To keep social life balanced, we have the natural moral institutions which are systems for social stabilization.

The source of destabilization is the threat of change posed by situations we find ourselves in. This is not external to endeavours but intrinsic to them.

We discovered that the practical and immediate pursuit of endeavours is controlled by Change-RL3. In the terms used in this Satellite, this means becoming aware of situations, so as to determine whether or not they call for change—and therefore demand Decision/action-RL1, and possibly Inquiry/knowledge-RL2. See further elaboration here.

It is immediately evident that we are surrounded by «situations» that could require us to adjust a current endeavour or even provoke a new endeavour. We are therefore constantly, and mainly unconsciously, clarifying these situations to determine their significance.

Many situations are too complicated or too ramifying for us to handle and then we defer to authorities of various sorts and seek comfort in a group belief as to what they are about. At all times, we experience—both as individuals and as group members—pressures of acceptability in relation to explanations.

Accepting reality (RsH"G2⁶) , a transpersonal mantra that offers strength and self-control, often means accepting the unacceptable. In some situations, denial and even death may seem preferable.

While grasping reality is the aspiration and goal that can never be achieved, progressive clarification is possible and can be useful. Those who seek to penetrate situations to work out what is really going on find themselves embarking on the spiral trajectory described in this section.

Reminder of the Clarifying Stages

Viewing the depiction methods as Types reveals them as incompatible. However, if values are extracted from these Types, then modes can be formed which enable progressive clarification of situations. A spiral pattern emerges in Stages that cumulate the values of each mode. The pattern is shown below:

The initial mode-μ1 is Causal and its ready application means that any situation of interest is rapidly given a simple plausible explanation. If this is judged insufficient, then multiple stages of development are possible.

Cycle-1 progressively provides a better grasp of what the situation is about and how it is developing: initially by providing a holistic overview (structural-μ2), then by identifying opposing forces (dualistic-μ3), and finally by determining interactions, feedback, and evolution. The end result is in the Causal-μ1 ellipse as a sufficient explanation.

Cycle 2 strengthens any explanation by progressively enabling greater personal acceptance. The first step is personal ownership (atomistic-μ5), then the group's standards are imposed (unitary-μ6) to foster conformity, and finally practical adjustments are made to suit the context (unified-μ7). The end result is again in the Causal-μ1 ellipse as a robust explanation.

Details of how each mode may be appropriately handled are summarized in the Table below.

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• Explore some patterns in the Spiral.
• Two views of situations in organizations.
• Effects of situations on other domains.

Originally posted: 30-Oct-2024. Last amended: 30-Apr-2025.