Monday, July 1, 2002

Along with Alfred Korzybski, R. Buckminster Fuller, Arthur Young and N. Arthur Coulter,  Edward Haskell was one of the leading pioneers of synergic science. His books have been out of print for many years. It is an honor to again make one of the classics of synergic science available. The following is the introduction to the first chapter of Full Circle: The Moral Force of Unified Science.

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What Generalization of Mendeleev's Periodic Table Means

Harold G. Cassidy 

I would like, first, to summarize briefly the theoretical ideas present in Haskell's work as I have observed them appear and develop over the last twenty years to their present fruition. Then I would like to suggest in summary their meaning for the field of Education.

In my opinion, Haskell has discovered a scientifically-based pattern of a universal kind which is displayed in some respect by all of human knowledge and experience of Nature and Man. This is a large statement. Propositions of this kind have been advanced since the earliest days of philosophy, and in view of the signal lack of agreement among philosophers throughout the ages and today, it behooves us to be extremely wary of such statements. Yet strange things have been happening in science; and if I say that, in my opinion, this pattern that Haskell has discovered (and such discovery inevitably involves a degree of creative invention) constitutes an invariant-relation that enables translation between various developing fields of knowledge and experience, then at least metaphorically one can understand me to mean that like the Lorentz Transformations it makes the applicable relativity tolerable.

I assume then, that my task is to summarize the theoretical and empirical bases of this statement. That is, to give support to the hypothesis that Haskell has here a universal pattern; to show its nature and empirical reference; and to make it plausible for scientists to give it their attention. The pattern with which we are concerned is made up of several sub-patterns. I shall summarize each of these, as I see them, then put the whole together.

Read the full article: What Generalization of Mendeleev's Periodic Table Means

Edward Haskell

New online version of  Full Circle: The Moral Force of Unified Science

Read more about Haskell's work in UnCommon Science 
Also see:  The Relationship Continuum and Understanding Order