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Engendering and navigating pantheons -- angelic and demonic?
Meta-pattern via Engendering and Navigating Pantheons of Belief? (Part #11)
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Ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny? As the systematic organization of life in general -- potentially to be recognized as a pantheon -- systems biology makes use of circular cladograms and dendrograms and phylogenetic trees (as illustrated below). These techniques could be compared with those used by comparative mythology in the organization of mythomemes. However it does not appear that efforts have been made to explore the possibility of such organization of knowledge in 3D.
With respect to the continuing controversy with regard to recapitulation theory, it is noteworthy that its potential relevance to cognitive development is of ongoing interest. From that perspective it could be asked whether the articulation of a pantheon follows some such pattern.
From a general systems perspective, one possibiity that can be explored is the potential correspondence between fundamental biological processes and globalzation (Engendering Invagination and Gastrulation of Globalization: reconstructive insights from the sciences and the humanities, 2010). This includes discussion of:
Cognitive bias and "Death Star" pantheons? A related diagrammatic approach has been used in the remarkable organization of 180 cognitive biases in the circular articulation of the Cognitive Bias Codex (Terry Heick, The Cognitive Bias Codex: a visual cf 180+ cognitive biases, TeachThought, 3 July 2019).
| Phylogenetic tree | Cognitive bias codex |
| Highly resolved, automatically generated tree of life, based on completely sequenced genomes | Cognitive Bias Codex: design by John Manoogian III categories and descriptions; implementation by Buster Benson. See large scale version |
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| Ivica Letunic: Iletunic. Retraced by Mariana Ruiz Villarreal: LadyofHats, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons | By Jm3 [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons |
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Arguably it is indeed cognitive biases which are central to comprehension of the global problematique at this time -- and to effective engagement with it. Just as the religious pantheons may refer to the organization of "demons" in "hells" (in addition to the organization of "deities" in "heavens"), there is a case for exploring the set of such biases as a form of demonic pantheon in cognitive terms (Variety of System Failures Engendered by Negligent Distinctions: mnemonic clues to 72 modes of viable system failure from a demonic pattern language, 2016). However, rather than a representation in 2D (as above), it is appropriate to ask whether greater insight could be achieved by the organization of biases in 3D.
Configuration of future blindness biases in 3D: The argument can be developed in terms of the cognitive biases integral to current global institutions (Group of 7 Dwarfs: Future-blind and Warning-deaf: self-righteous immoral imperative enabling future human sacrifice, 2018). This is especially the case in the light of the envisaged Global Reset (Justin Haskins, Introducing the 'Great Reset': world leaders' radical plan to transform the economy, The Hill, 25 June 2020; Klaus Schwab: 'Great Reset' Will Lead to Transhumanism, New World Order Report, 17 November 2020).
The question is the susceptibility of such initiatives to some form of cognitive bias, as may be argued with respect to their collective representation as a "negative pantheon" on polyhedra (Global configuration of cognitive biases: towards mapping G7 susceptibility, 2018). The failure to learn from history, and the assumption of lack of bias, takes little account of the resultant unintegrative conflict as concluded by Nicholas Rescher:
For centuries, most philosophers who have reflected on the matter have been intimidated by the strife of systems. But the time has come to put this behind us -- not the strife, that is, which is ineliminable, but the felt need to somehow end it rather than simply accept it and take it in stride. To reemphasize the salient point: it would be bizarre to think that philosophy is not of value because philosophical positions are bound to reflect the particular values we hold. (The Strife of Systems: an essay on the grounds and implications of philosophical diversity, 1985)
In a quest for insight into "future blindness" it is somewhat extraordinary to note the far greater proportion of references to the "future of blindness" and to "blindness in the future" -- especially given the eventual possibility of enabling the blind to see (Future blindness and the deaf effect as cognitive biases, 2018).
Especially interesting therefore is the checklist of 30 forms of future blindness by Morne Mostert (Future Blindness: an index of bias for leaders, University of Stellenbosch, 15 October 2015) and the thesis of Arno Nuijten (Deaf Effect for Risk Warnings A Causal Examination applied to Information Systems Projects. Erasmus University Repository, 2012).
The set of 30 "future blindness biases" selected by Mostert can be usefully configured in 3D. The rhombic triacontahedron on the right is the dual of the icosidodecahedron in the images on the left.
| Animations of tentative mapping of 30 Future blindness biases onto polyhedra | ||
| onto vertices of icosidodecahedron (triangular faces transparent) | onto vertices of icosidodecahedron (pentagonal faces transparent) | onto faces of rhombic triaconahedron |
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| Animations prepared using Stella Polyhedron Navigator | ||
Configuration of 180 cognitive biases in 3D: The larger set of cognitive biases can be tentatively configured as follows, necessarily raising the question of how they may be clustered and interrelated in any such mapping.
| Animation of tentative mapping of biases from Cognitive Bias Codex on 180 vertices of truncated truncated icosahedron | Animation of tentative mapping of clusters of Cognitive Bias Codex on 20 faces of icosahedron |
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| Animations prepared using Stella Polyhedron Navigator | |
In popular imagination such configurations could be readily recognizable as corresponding to the design of a Death Star -- the fictional mobile space station and galactic superweapon featured in the Star Wars space-opera franchise. Indeed it is that imagination which currently gives attention in online gaming to the "war of the pantheons" and to the "dimensions of chaos". Just as pantheons have inspired architectural forms, it is of some relevance to recall the Nazi ambitions in relation to Wewelsburg Castle -- used by the SS from 1934 under Heinrich Himmler as a complex to serve as the central SS cult-site and as a so-called "Centre of the World".
Both popular imagination and global leadership now anticipate space warfare in quest of full-spectrum dominance of physical space. Curiously, given the religious interpretation of pantheon, this quest is matched by a less evident quest for "full-spectrum dominance of spiritual space".
In the case of evangelical Christianity, dominionism is a primary driving force with major political implications (Brian Morris, Dominionism â-- nothing to see here? Australin Independent Media, 16 April 2021; Katherine Yurica, Conquering by Stealth and Deception: how the dominionists are succeeding in their quest for national control and world power, Rosamond Press, 14 September 2004). This is however consistent with the Great Commission, with its "marching orders for Christians", as a "a comprehensive task that aims at developing a worldwide Christian civilization and culture" -- understood to be one of the most significant directives in the Bible (Matthew 28:16-20). Corresponding agendas of mutual dominance may be recognized in the other Abrahamic religions (Chris Farrell, Civilization Jihad: Islam's "Great Commission", Scribd, 2014).
It is therefore appropriate to anticipate the design of cognitive counterparts to any "Death Star" in the drama -- of which configurations of human values are indicative, as argued separately (Dynamic Exploration of Value Configurations: polyhedral animation of conventional value frameworks, 2008). The
| Polyhedral representation of value configurations: a challenge to integrative imagination screen shots of stages in the transformation of the geometry of sets of values | ||
| European Convention on Human Rights | Universal Declaration of Human Rights | Arab Charter on Human Rights |
| 18 Articles displayed on 2 face-types of a rhombicuboctahedron | 30 Articles displayed on 1 face-type of a rhombicosidodecahedron | 53 Articles displayed on 2 face-types of a rhombicosidodecahedron |
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| Prepared using Stella Polyhedron Navigator | ||
As the hypothetical confluence of three Abrahamic pantheons, any integrative comprehension of Jerusalem usefully frames the challenge of the insights with which its dimensions might be fruitfully ordered (Jerusalem as a Symbolic Singularity: comprehending the dynamics of hyperreality as a challenge to conventional two-state reality, 2017).
Some "navigational implications" are explored separately (Hyperspace Clues to the Psychology of the Pattern that Connects, 2003). The navigation metaphor can be notably explored in the light of progressive insight into the so-called Pentagramma Mirificum as a spherical polyhedron (Global Psychosocial Implication in the Pentagramma Mirificum: clues from spherical geometry to "getting around" and circumnavigating imaginatively, 2015; Beyond dispute in 5-dimensional space:Â Pentagramma Mirificum? 2015).
Further clues to the possibility of such navigation are considered separately (Time for Provocative Mnemonic Aids to Systemic Connectivity? 2018)
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