Notes on 9.1.1 Diamond Summary

1.  Intention of the Section

This section is intended to provide a high level summary, suitable for hanging on a wall.

2.  Specific Inclusions

The 8 conclusions should directly match those in section 0.3 – Beliefs Overview – which now need to be updated.

3.  Specific Exclusions

We want to keep this brief, under 2 pages, so no padding allowed.

4.  Notes on Phrasing

4.1 History

The first version merely summarised the ‘factual’ conclusions in each knowledge domain, with an addenda that put the core values as ‘single word summaries’.

The next version explicitly includes the values we adopt, including the categories, and removes the notion of ‘single word summaries’.

4.2 Alternative

Perhaps the high level summary should be more ‘academic’ saying eg

1. Philosophy

We adopt (which?) epistemology, realist & materialist metaphysics with (which?) linguistics, a naturalist position in the mind body problem, the atheist position in theology, and (which approach?) in ethics and aesthetics.

2. Science

We accept that science reflects reality, falsifiability, etc, and the scientific consensus.

3. History

We acknowledge the validity of some of post-modernism’s criticism of universal narratives, but feel forced to construct one, because most people do, and we wish to avoid the negative consequences of obviously false narratives, by presenting one that is historically justifiable.

We acknowledge the risks of choosing ‘effecting’ and ‘ancillary’ values from history, but feel forced to do so to counter the silly suggestions made by narrow minded parochialists.

4.3 Another Alternative

Alternatively perhaps the high level summary should be more appealing to the fifth order of consciousness according to Robert Kegan (In over our heads: the mental demands of modern life, p314), because some people think in concrete terms, others are rule based, other abstract, others more dialectic.

5.  References

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6.  Outstanding Work

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