8.0.1 Debating the Structure

Version 1.0 March 2013                                    Previous Version

None of the conclusions in this site are dogmatic statements, to be believed “on faith” alone. These are all conclusions based on reason and the available evidence, or at the lowest level, reports of observations and inferences.

That is what we said in the introduction (on Beliefs).  This is why:

·         we invite people to provide feedback on where we have got it wrong;

·         we accept there will be an ongoing debate about these issues;

·         we include version numbers and dates – as we update the contents.

8.0.1.1 Subject Selection

In these pages we are attempting to construct a comprehensive guide to life’s major decisions.

Some people believe they obtain this in the Bible or the Qur’an, or other holy books.  We can find inspiration in some religious texts.  But we have shown that they contradict themselves and each other, they do not accord with reality and our core values, and we cannot rely on them. 

Some people have suggested the collected works of the famous English poet and playwright William Shakespeare provide sufficient moral guidance.  There is no doubt that we can use the works of many artists to illustrate various issues.  But we still have a problem with selecting who to follow, and which parts of their work, and how to interpret them in the real world.

We have pointed out that many excellent books summarise particular knowledge domains, in philosophy, science and history.  These are great sources of information and we must learn from them.  But there are no books covering almost “everything”.  We need an overview.

Most people are already confused enough about what to believe, and most people don’t have the time or wherewithal to wade through dozens of texts to distil what they need. 

We have adopted “action based criteria” to select the subject matter for consideration:

Whether some knowledge of that area is required

for a reasonable, informed, educated, sane, concerned person

to adopt values or personal guidelines for a reasonable way of life,

in both personal and political spheres.

Guiding principles in this selection process are:

·         What are the most significant conclusions that distinguish these global beliefs as a whole from other religions, world views and philosophies?  In other words, why bother to do this?

·         What do we really want our children – and our leaders - to know and understand?

·         What is required for us to be responsible custodians of life on this planet?

·         What areas can most of us agree on so that we can cooperate more fully?

8.0.1.2 Structure of Conclusions

We can summarize the beliefs selected according to the stated criteria in various ways.

We have presented eight high “diamond level” conclusions in each ‘knowledge domain’. 

We justify each of these with a few dozen “gold level” conclusions.

Then we justify each of these with “silver level” conclusions.

Finally we justify each of those with many “bronze level” conclusions.

These must be based on reason and the evidence we present.

This is obviously somewhat arbitrary, and we can debate whether it is an effective way to structure these beliefs.  We suggest this structure:

·         provides short summaries for those who need them, for ourselves to be able to grasp the whole approach in one (big) breath, and for us to briefly convey what we believe to those who are confused and others of different faiths and beliefs.

·         provides detailed justifications and analyses to back up each conclusion, allowing the reasons for the conclusions to be understood and debated.

This does not stop us, or anyone else, presenting the material or summarising it in other ways.  We have included alternative summaries in Section 10.1.

8.0.1.3 Substance of the Conclusions

Whether we accept this, or a similar structure, or a totally different structure, we still must work out what we actually believe and why.  This is a separate from the presentation structure.

We can debate whether the “higher level” conclusions follow from the lower level ones and the reasons and evidence presented on each topic.  This debate is about the content of the conclusions, what they really mean, rather than how they are phrased.

We can debate the degree of certainty with which a reasonable person can hold a belief.  Some are very much subject to modification as our understanding of science and history evolves.  But if we have to work with knowledge and insights that we have right now, can we take a particular conclusion as a valid working hypothesis and the basis for action?

8.0.1.4 Phrasing of the Conclusions

Even if we agree on the substance of a conclusion, what it means, we can still debate how each conclusion should be phrased, and what level of detailed should be included.

Many words have different implications and connotations to different people.

How a conclusion is phrased will depend on the language used – English, Chinese or Swahili.