Review and Discuss

My posts will be infrequent for the next couple of months, since I'm supposed to be studying for the bar exam. Very difficult to concentrate on though; while the law as it relates to human reality is a fascinating subject, I'm still too busy trying to understand human reality on more of a meta-level. Hence the theory of patterns. By the way, it only just crossed my mind that there may be (and a quick Google confirms it) an existing "Pattern Theory" which is under academic discussion. I suspect my "pattern theory" has something to do with, but mine is more of an evolution from studying evolution at the grade school level, and from considering problems of social disruptions at the political level in college.

Let's review. Pattern theory basically restates the primary theory of evolution as a tautology: those patterns of existence which tend to survive and propagate... tend to survive and propagate. Duh. If there are slight changes to the pattern which further enhance survival and propagation, then, duh, that pattern's survival and propagation are further enhanced. And so existence evolves. For our purposes here, you are nevertheless welcome to debate whether humans come from apes. The specific outcome is not a tautology, at least not without additional evidence, only the general rule. In fact the general rule in no way precludes a divine hand helping out in the "evolution" of things or even more or less creating people out of whole cloth or, in Eve's case, spare ribs (this pun is from Richard Armour's cute book of historical satire, "It All Started With Columbus").

Since it is based on a tautology, pattern theory should not be considered earth-shattering in and of itself. What it does do, is provide an interesting lens to look through in considering existence and other theories of existence. Take for example economics. Economics may be seen as patterns of behavior in which individual and groups of humans (individuals as patterns within patterns of groups) attempt to ensure their own survival, their own ability to thrive, and to propagate, both in the forms of children who are then to be successfully raised, and in the forms of groups similar to the one(s) the individuals currently belong to. Economic patterns may take such forms as cooperation, competition, or exploitation among individuals and groups, all of whom are struggling to survive and propagate their patterns of existence, including their genome, lifestyles, beliefs, ways of thinking etc. They... we... act this way not necessarily because of some higher calling (we may get to that question later), but simply because patterns that act in the interests of survival and propagation are the tautological outcome of evolution in an existence where "existence", "continued existence" and "patterns" can be descriptive terms.

Pattern theory can also be applied to questions of war and peace, which I have indirectly discussed previously. The application is actually very similar to the economic one; people as patterns trying to provive (survive and propagate) in the presence of conflicting people (patterns) may try to terminate those patterns, cause them to become cooperative (harmonious) patterns, or exterminate the conflicting patterns altogether.

Still, evolution is not complete, and our mechanisms of provival are still imperfect. So there is much to discuss.