Categories and Dimensions

Live Long and Prosper

The Needs of the Many

[The] needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few …

— Nicholas Meyer (1945), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 1982.


[Our] administration favours the many instead of the few
This is why it is called a democracy

— Pericles (c495 – 29 BCE), Funeral Oration, Athens, 431 BCE.


Society is an educational product. …
It is no good asking people what they want …
That is the error of democracy.
You have first to think out what they ought to want — if society is to be saved.
Then you have to:

• tell them what they want, and
• see that they get it.

— Herbert Wells (1866 – 1946), The Shape of Things to Come, 1933.


Reformers seek to make things better
Reactionaries, to stop things from getting worse

— peaceandlonglife

(Adapted from Dan Kahan & Mary Douglas)

Stratification (Vertical Distribution of Power)
Hierarchy (Freedom for the Few)	Equality (Justice for the Many)
Winners	Losers
Rule Maker	Rule Taker
Privilege	Disadvantage
Deserving	Undeserving
Rich	Poor
Virtue	Vice
Reward	Punish
Tax Cuts	Spending Cuts
Incentives	Deterrents
Carrots	Sticks
Lifters	Leaners
Producers	Parasites

Cohesion (Horizontal Strength of Connection)
Individualism	Collectivism
Competition	Cooperation
Rationality	Morality
Self-interest	Common Interest
Better for Each	Better for All
Egoism	Altruism
Market Norms	Social Norms
Individuality	Community
Independence	Interdependence
Autonomy	Solidarity
Self-Reliance	Mutual Aid
Atomization	Cohesion
Fear	Trust
Private	Public
Privatization	Nationalization
Private Property	Common Wealth

Government (Politics)	Society (Culture)	Economy (Economics)
Conservative (Hierachical Individualism)
Plutocratic Oligarchy	Collectivism	Individualism
Libertarian (Egalitarian Individualism)
Market Democracy	Individualism	Individualism
Progressive (Egalitarian Collectivism)
Social Democracy	Individualism	Collectivism
Authoritarian (Hierarchical Collectivism)
Totalitarian Oligarchy	Collectivism	Collectivism

Henry Brands (1953) [Historian]:
The essence of democracy is equality.
Everybody gets one vote.
The essence of capitalism is inequality.
Rich people are much more powerful than poor people.
(Sarah Colt, The Gilded Age, PBS American Experience, 2018)

Socialism (Slavery & Serfdom)	Liberalism (Capitalism)	Conservatism (Feudalism)
Democracy	Plutocracy	Aristocracy
Labor	Capital	Land
Wages	Profits	Rents
Lower Class	Middle Class	Upper Class

The Purposes of Society

• Maximize the benefits of cooperation
• Distribute those benefits fairly
• Minimize free-riding

Games
Positive Sum	Win-Win
Zero Sum	Win-Lose
Negative Sum	Lose-Lose

(Adapted from Shalom Schwartz in Tim Jackson, Prosperity Without Growth, 2nd Edition, 2017,
Figure 7.2, p 136)

Bertrand Russell (1872 – 1970)

The philosophy of the Greeks reveals throughout its stages the influence of a number of dualisms.
In one form or another these have continued to be topics about which philosophers write or argue.
At the basis of them all lies the distinction between truth and falsehood.
Closely connected with it … are the dualisms of good and evil, and of harmony and strife.
Then there [are the dualisms] of appearance and reality … mind and matter, and freedom and necessity.
Further, there are cosmological questions concerning whether things are one or many, simple or complex, and finally the dualisms of chaos and order, and of the boundless and the limit. …

Truth and falsehood are discussed in logic.
Good and evil, harmony and strife, are questions belonging … to ethics.
Appearance and reality, and the question of mind and matter, might be set down as the traditional problems of the theory of knowledge, or epistemology.
The remaining dualisms belong to ontology, or the theory of being.

(Wisdom of the West, 1959, p 14-5)

Cultural Theory of Risk Perception

Sigve Oltedal, Bjørg-Elin Moen, Hroar Klempe & Torbjørn Rundmo

[The] empirical support for this theory has been surprisingly meagre …
The report is financed by The Norwegian research Council's RISIT (Risk and Safety in Transport) — program.
(p 2)


Originally [the group and grid theory was developed] as a neutral instrument [whereby] the morphology of societies could be compared [independently of their location] in time and space. …

Mary Douglas (1921 – 2007) [Social Anthropologist]:
The group itself is defined in terms of

• the claims it makes over its constituent members,
• the boundary it draws around them,
• the rights it confers on them to use its name and
• other protections, and the levies and constraints it applies. …

The term grid suggests the cross-hatch of rules to which individuals are subject in course of their interaction.
As a dimension, it shows a progressive change in the mode of control.
At the strong end, there are visible rules about space and time related to social roles …
[At] the other end [—] near zero [—] the formal classifications fade, and finally vanish.
At the strong end of grid, individuals do not … freely transact with one another.
An explicit set of institutionalized classifications [keeps] them apart [— regulating] their interactions [and] restricting their options. …
(Cultural Bias, Occasional Paper no 35, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1978)

{The grid-group analysis describes different modes of social control. …
If the dimensions are placed in a two-axis system, from low to high, four outcomes [occur.]

[Each represents a different kind of social environment possessed of a distinct] self-preserving pattern of risk perceptions.

• The individualistic worldview is characterized by low group and grid.
• Egalitarians are members of high group and low grid cultures,
• high grid and high group defines the hierarchical way of life, while
• high grid and low group is the fatalistic worldview.}

A typical high-grid situation is … where each person has very limited behavioural options.
As grid weakens, individuals are free to act and are increasingly expected to negotiate their own social relations.
(pp 17-18, emphasis added)

(Explaining risk perception: an evaluation of cultural theory, Rotunde no 85, 2004)

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Values Are Not Facts

Ideology and Fanaticism

Cultural Cognition of Risk Perception

Matthieu Ricard

Values and Virtues

Categories and Dimensions

Progressive	Conservative
Equality	Hierarchy
Intrinsic Motivation	Extrinsic Motivation
Public Bads	Private Goods
Generosity	Greed
Social Insurance	Philanthropy
Fair Shares	Winner Takes All
Paternalism	Self-reliance
Entitlement	Enterprise
Redistribution	Trickle Down
Powerless	Powerful
Vanquished	Victor
Slave	Master
Affiliation	Dominance
Merit	Heredity
Follower	Leader
Mercantile	Feudal
Proletariat	Bourgeoisie
Labor	Capital
Collectivism	Individualism
Many	Few
Weak	Strong
Long Term	Short Term
Prisoner's Dilemma	Zero Sum
Stakeholder Value	Shareholder Value
Reciprocity	Free Riding
Productivity	Rent Seeking
Common Humanity	Common Enemy
Inclusion	Exclusion
Self	Other
Us	Them
Patriotism	Nationalism
Trust	Fear
Security	Threat
Participation	Alienation
Enlightened Self-interest	Naked Self-interest
Schools	Prisons
Civility	Political Correctness
Optimism	Pessimism
Things Are Getting Better	Things Are Getting Worse
Utopian Future	Mythical Past
Openness to Experience	Threat Sensitivity
Confidence	Uncertainty
Citizens	Consumers
Abundance	Scarcity
Risk Tolerance	Risk Aversion
Harm	Purity
Refugee	Economic Migrant
Human Rights	Property Rights
Expanders	Punishers
Meliorism	Fatalism
Rights	Responsibilities
Diversion	Incarceration
Judicial Discretion	Mandatory Sentencing
Decriminalization	Prohibition
Prevention	Deterrence
Gesellschaft	Gemeinschaft
Society	Community
Modernity	Tradition
Science	Religion
Commerce	Land
Free Labor	Forced Labor
Natural Rights	Inherited Rights
Mechanization	Manual Labor
Industry	Agriculture
Manufacturing	Farming
Urban	Rural
Democracy	Aristocracy
Republic	Monarchy

Monism	Pluralism
Unity	Division
Uniformity	Diversity
Conformity	Deviance
Sameness	Difference
Familiarity	Novelty
Monoculturalism	Multiculturalism
Nationalism	Multinationalism
Nativism	Cosmopolitanism
Parochialism	Universalism
Isolationism	Interventionism
Protectionism	Free Trade
Unilateralism	Multilateralism
Autarky	Globalization
Self-sufficiency	Interdependence
Open Society	Closed Society
Liberalism	Authoritarianism
Populism	Elitism
Egalitarian Collectivism	Hierarchical Collectivism
Reformist Socialism	Revolutionary Socialism
Democratic Socialism	Authoritarian Socialism
Industrial Socialism	Political Socialism
Anarchism	Statism
Private Tyranny	Public Tyranny
Body	Mind
Physical	Mental
Material	Spiritual
Hardware	Software
Biology	Culture
Profane	Sacred
Mundane	Transcendental
Earth	Heaven
Empiricism	Idealism
Experience	Rationality
Sensible	Intelligible
Appearance	Essence
Concrete	Abstract
Tangible	Intangible
Visible	Invisible
Actual	Virtual
Quantitative	Qualitative
Imperfect	Perfect
Finite	Infinite
Impermanent	Permanent
Ephemeral	Eternal
Mortal	Immortal
Conditional	Unconditional
How to think	What to think
Process	Content
Thinking	Feeling
Rationality	Rationalization
Deliberation	Intuition
Slow	Fast
Type 1	Type 2
Self
Configuration	Essence
Continuity	Snapshot
The Middle Way
Hedonism	Asceticism
Fanaticism	Indifference
Excitement	Laxity
Enthusiasm	Apathy
Actors	Actions
Culpability	Responsibility
Virtue	Wealth
Mistake	Error
Criticism	Disagreement
Morality	Convention

Kindness

Compassion

Joy

Equanimity

Justice
Economic	Social	Environmental	Civil & Criminal
Retribution	Incapacitation	Restoration	Rehabilitation

Power
Political	Economic	Propaganda	Naked

Plato (Jostein Gaarder, Sophies World, Phoenix, 1991, p 78)
Body	Soul	Virtue	State
Head	Reason	Wisdom	Rulers
Chest	Will	Courage	Auxiliaries
Abdomen	Appetite	Temperance	Laborers

Causes (Aristotle)
Material	Formal	Efficient	Final

Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) (Michael Sandel, Justice, Penguin, 2009, p 127)
Duty	Morality	Inclination
Autonomy	Freedom	Heteronomy
Categorical Imperative	Reason	Hypothetical Imperative
Intelligible Realm	Standpoints	Sensible Realm

Mythology
Political	Racial	Religious

Matter	Energy	Information
Risk	Uncertainty	Ignorance
What we know	What we know we don't know	What we don't know we don't know
Known knowns	Known unknowns	Unknown unknowns
Mine	Ours	Yours
Giving	Sharing	Taking
Always	Never	Sometimes
And	Or	Possibly
Empirical Knowledge	Ideological Position	Religious Belief
Science	Philosophy	Theology
Objective	Intersubjective	Subjective
Object	Percept	Subject
Integration	Assimilation	Segregation
Past	Present	Future
What Was	What Is	What May Be
Passing Away	Changing	Coming To Be
Courage	Serenity	Wisdom
Positive	Neutral	Negative
Impermanence	Nonself	Suffering
Indifference	Equanimity	Attachment
Functions of Prayer
Adoration	Thanksgiving	Petition

David Hume (1711 – 76)
Abstract Reasoning	Experimental Reasoning
Relations of Ideas	Matters of Fact
Intuition / Demonstration	Empirical Observation / Causal Reasoning
Mathematics / Logic	Fact / Existence

William James (1842 – 1910) (Pragmatism, 1907)
Tender-Minded	Tough-Minded
Rationalistic	Empirical
Intellectualiztic	Sensationalistic
Idealistic	Materialistic
Optimistic	Pessimistic
Religious	Irreligious
Free-Willist	Fatalistic
Dogmatical	Sceptical

Erik Erikson (1902 – 94)
Trust	Mistrust
Autonomy	Shame and Doubt
Initiative	Guilt
Industry	Inferiority
Identity Cohesion	Role Confusion
Intimacy	Isolation
Generativity	Stagnation
Integrity	Despair

Simon Baron-Cohen (1958)
Systematizer	Empathizer

Moral Nihilism — Skepticism — Error Theory
Abolitionist	Fictionalism

Moral Realism
Relativism	Universalism — Objectivism

Isaiah Berlin (1909 – 97)
Foxes	Hedgehogs

Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980)
Accommodation	Assimilation

Journey	Destination
Determinism	Free Will
Necessary	Contingent
Categorical	Hypothetical
Impersonal	Personal
Chance	Luck
Nature	Craft
Wisdom	Virtue
Choice	Habit
Principle	Practice
Pure	Applied
Education	Training
Righteous	Wicked
Blessed	Damned
Purity	Pollution
Clean	Dirty
White	Black

Essence	Family Resemblance
Intrinsic Value	Instrumental Value
Creativity	Calculation
General	Specific
Universals	Particulars
Organizing Principle	Enabling Technology
Signal	Noise
Pattern	Data
Interpretation	Results
Heaven	Hell
Sky	Earth
Father	Mother
Definitive	Provisional
Final	Incremental
Categories	Dimensions
Black and White	Shades of Gray
Simplicity	Complexity
Partial	Impartial
A Priori	A Posteriori
Analytic	Synthetic
Deduction	Induction
Deducing Fact from Theory	Inducing Theory from Fact
Contradiction	Consistency
Extremism	Moderation
Hypocrisy	Integrity
Quantity of Life	Quality of Life
Disgust	Anger
Punishment	Avoidance
Cyclical	Linear
Coercion	Persuasion
Stillness	Motion
Peace	Turmoil
Stability	Volatility
Effortlessness	Striving
Nonaction	Action
Being	Becoming
Deidentification	Identification
Letting go	Grasping
Renunciation	Attachment
Nonself	Self
Having angry feelings	Being angry
Choice	Reflexivity
Meditation	Rumination
Awareness	Phenomena
Sky	Clouds
Ocean	Waves
Mirror	Reflection
Context	Content
Background	Foreground
Pleasure	Pain
Happiness	Suffering
Joy	Sorrow
Elation	Depression
Gratitude	Resentment
Approval	Disapproval
Attraction	Repulsion
Acceptance	Rejection
Approach	Withdrawal
Desire	Aversion
Wanting what you don't have	Having what don't want

Passive	Active
How	Why
Properties	Relations
Vast	Profound
Method	Wisdom
Compassion	Emptiness
Growth Mindset	Fixed Mindset
Flexible	Brittle
Bend	Break
Resist	Adapt
Self Awareness	Self Consciousness
Common Ground	Common Understanding
Employee	Employer
Wages	Profits
Income	Capital Gain
Savings	Investment
Consumption	Production
Taxes	Subsidies
Liabilities	Assets
Innocent	Guilty
Victim	Perpetrator
Freedom Fighter	Terrorist
Prophet	Heretic
Civilization	Barbarism
Approval	Disapproval
Adore	Despise
Idealize	Denegrate
Wellbeing	Suffering
Tolerance	Persecution
Level Playing Field	Equal Opportunity
Affirmative Action	Discrimination
Fact	Opinion
Commentary	News
That which no longer exists	That which may never exist
Anywhere But Here	Anywhen But Now
Emergence	Reductionism
Synthesis	Analysis
Basic	Applied
Discovery	Invention
Intellectual Honesty	Special Pleading
Intellectual Courage	Wishful Thinking
Consumption	Conservation
Extraction	Preservation
Forethought	Impulsiveness
Delayed Gratification	Immediate Gratification
Long Term	Short Term
Respect	Humiliation
Citizen	Alien
Elitism	Populism
Top Down	Bottom up
Remote	Local
Determinism	Free Will
Mandatory	Voluntary
Warmist	Denialist
Sustainability	Growth
Game	Rules
Efficiency	Equity
Vulnerability	Resilience
Protection from Oneself	Protection from Others
Cognition	Emotion
Information	Motivation
Shared Neurobiology	Individual Differences
State	Church
Emperor	Pope
Laiety	Priesthood
Humanist	Theist
Ivory Tower	Mainstreet
Education	Experience
Expert	Layman
Professional	Amateur
Theory	Practice
Pure	Applied
Unfit	Fit
Have Not	Have
Subject	Sovereign
Serf	Land Owner
South	North
Settler	Native
Immigrant	Resident
Debtor	Creditor
Doing Good	Not Doing Harm
Commission	Omission
Rights	Responsibilities
Honesty	Deceit
Rule of Law	Rule by Law
Accountability	Impunity
Transparency	Secrecy
Privatizing Profits	Socializing Losses
Moral Hazard	Too Big To Fail
Defend	Attack
Superiority	Inferiority
Peace	War
Appeasement	Retaliation
Flight	Fight
Conciliation	Confrontation
Entitlement	Desert
Need	Ability
Form	Function
Linear	Chaotic
Conjecture	Proof
Problem	Opportunity
Pride	Shame
Evolution	Revolution
Incremental Change	Transformative Change
Criticism	Apologetics
Awareness	Content
Consensus	Polarisation
Slavery for the Poor	Freedom for the Rich
Benevolence	Malevolence
Phenomenological Truth	Narrative Truth