Septemics: Hierarchies of Human Phenomena: Analysis, Prediction and Management of Human Affairs

By Jim Marshall

Portions of this book are posted on
Septemics.com

Isaac Asimov, in his famous Foundation trilogy, imagined a future in which a science of the mind could accurately predict human events.This work is a down payment on that promise. It comprises a revolutionary and elaborate system for accurately analyzing, assessing, predicting and managing the behaviors and characteristics of groups and individuals. It is a textbook about a new philosophical science called Septemics, which consists of thirty-five scales, each of which delineates the exact sequence and patterns in which human beings actually behave and manifest in various contexts. Each of these scales describes an axis upon which individuals, and/or groups, advance or decline. This book would generally fit into the literary category of Psychological Philosophy, although there has never been a book quite like this in human history. One must actually read the book in order to access the power of its contents, because it is not like anything else.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665512435

Book preview

2021 Jim Marshall. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Published by AuthorHouse  05/24/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-1244-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-1245-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-1243-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021901556

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Prologue

Glossary for Introduction to Septemics

Introduction to Septemics

Individual Scales

Glossary for The Scale of Basic Purposes

The Scale Of Basic Purposes

Glossary for The Scale of Personal Influence

The Scale Of Personal Influence

Glossary for The Scale of Choice

The Scale Of Choice

Glossary for The Scale of Permeation

The Scale Of Permeation

Glossary for The Scale of Thought

The Scale Of Thought

Glossary for The Scale of Identity

The Scale Of Identity

Glossary for The Scale of Evaluation

The Scale Of Evaluation

Glossary for The Scale of Motivation

The Scale Of Motivation

Glossary for The Scale of Control

The Scale Of Control

Glossary for The Scale of Stopping

The Scale Of Stopping

Glossary for The Scale of Scholarship

The Scale Of Scholarship

Glossary for The Scale of Literacy

The Scale Of Literacy

Glossary for The Scale of Human Ability

The Scale Of Human Ability

Glossary for The Scale of Memory

The Scale Of Memory

Glossary for The Scale of Spiritual Identity

The Scale Of Spiritual Identity

Glossary for The Scale of Mental Deletion

The Scale Of Mental Deletion

Glossary for The Scale of Aberration

The Scale Of Aberration

Glossary for The Scale of Physical Fitness

The Scale Of Physical Fitness

Glossary for The Scale of Justification

The Scale Of Justification

Glossary for The Scale of Belief

The Scale Of Belief

Glossary for The Scale of Equanimity

The Scale Of Equanimity

Glossary for The Scale of Attack

The Scale Of Attack

Glossary for The Scale of Conflict

The Scale Of Conflict

Glossary for The Scale of Reaction

The Scale Of Reaction

Group Scales

Glossary for The Scale of Relationships

The Scale Of Relationships

Glossary for The Scale of Life Spheres

The Scale Of Life Spheres

Glossary for The Scale of Government

The Scale Of Government

Glossary for The Scale of Civilization

The Scale Of Civilization

Glossary for The Scale of Survival

The Scale Of Survival

Glossary for The Scale of Management

The Scale Of Management

Glossary for The Scale of Exchange

The Scale Of Exchange

Glossary for The Scale of Communication

The Scale Of Communication

Glossary for The Scale of Allegiance

The Scale Of Allegiance

Glossary for The Scale of Sexuality

The Scale Of Sexuality

Glossary for The Scale of Politics

The Scale Of Politics

Case Studies of Septemic Analyses

Epilogue

Prologue

Septemics, noun:

1) A philosophic system based on the fact that many phenomena related to Human Beings occur in a sequence of seven levels.

2) Literally, of, or pertaining to, seven.

3) A collection of scales or sequences, each of which breaks down some human phenomenon into a hierarchy of seven steps.

4) A descriptive science, like botany or astronomy.

5) A new way of looking at human interactions and functions, so as to better understand them.

6) The patterns of life-as-we-know-it, in a wide variety of applications.

7) A philosophical science.

8) A form of mathematics adapted to human behavior.

9) A conceptual technology which facilitates the resolution of human issues.

10) An especially useful hierarchical system.

This book comprises a revolutionary and elaborate system for accurately analyzing, assessing, predicting and managing the behaviors and characteristics of groups and individuals. It is a textbook about a new philosophical science called, for lack of a better term, Septemics, which consists of thirty-five scales, each of which delineates the exact sequence and patterns in which human beings actually behave and manifest in various contexts. Each of these scales describes an axis upon which individuals, and/or groups, advance or decline.

This book would generally fit into the literary category of Psychological Philosophy. Since Septemics is a philosophical science, it has characteristics of both science and philosophy. Consequently, it requires the dispassionate analytical prowess of a scientist, and the insightful literary prowess of a philosopher.

It is often said that anything worth doing is worth doing well. In the case of studying this work, doing well means knowing the correct meanings of the words used. The concepts will be clear only if the words are understood. The author has been careful to adhere to the standard meanings of words as conveyed by a proper lexicon. If you find any part of this work confusing or unclear, find out the meanings of all the words used, in which case, you may be surprised to find how many definitions you either did not know or misconstrued.

This writer has attempted to mitigate the ineluctable vocabulary barrier by providing a glossary for each chapter, but in order to prevent this book from becoming a vocabulary text, I have limited the glossaries arbitrarily, although the glossary for the introductory chapter is longer. You should read the glossary before the corresponding chapter, so that you know precisely which definition of the word is being used.

The glossaries are cumulative, i.e., no word appears in a glossary more than once in this book. Accordingly, it is advisable to read the book from beginning to end, without skipping sections, in order to ensure that when you come to an important word in the text, you will have already clarified it in the glossary. Since words do not repeat in the glossaries, some crucial words are defined in glossaries which appear earlier in the book than a chapter in which the word is used. The main concern in the glossaries was to define the terms used in the scales themselves.

There is an almost irresistible temptation when confronting a new subject to attempt to put it into the context of a familiar subject. Please make an effort to resist that temptation when studying this subject, as it is not a form of something else. It is, rather, a new way of viewing human activity. Were that not the case, this writer would not have had to coin the term Septemics. Having tried for some time to fit this work into some other framework, it was not my intention to invent a new subject when I began writing this book. However, Septemics is a new and separate set of data, notwithstanding the fact that many of its data fragments predate this work. If you attempt to understand Septemics as a version or aspect of another subject, you will fail to grasp it.

Having said that, this work is, in a limited sense, of the same general nature as the writings of Oswald Spengler, in that it comprises a precise and serious analysis of human activity. This similarity is much more true of the Group Scales than the Individual Scales, as Spengler’s work addresses collective human phenomena.

Viewed from a different perspective, this work might generally be compared, in some limited sense, to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychological Association, although there is no effort here to diagnose anyone, nor to present statistical data. Nor does this work purport to be a part of the psychology establishment, which has its own domain and standards, into which this work does not intend to intrude, even if it might do so inadvertently, in isolated places. What this work does have in common with the DSM is that both works provide specific, reliable data about human behavior, albeit in very different contexts and ways. Although the DSM is superior to this work in voluminousness and documentation, this work is superior to the DSM in that this work addresses both positive and negative human traits, while the DSM heavily emphasizes negative traits, which is appropriate in light of the fact that it is used primarily for diagnosing mental disorders. This work, in contrast, presents a spectrum for each axis (i.e., scale), which considers both positive and negative aspects, in the same way as a good psychological test, such as the MMPI.

In some sense, this work is to psychological philosophy what the Periodic Table is to chemistry: an alignment of valuable and disparate data into a useful and efficient format.

Be all of that as it may, if status is more important to you than knowledge, you might be better off studying some mainstream or conventional subject, so that your knowledge will be accredited. You can then place a formidable concatenation of letters after your name, which will be useful in getting much of populace to kowtow to you. On the other hand, if you actually want to understand human nature to the extent that you can do something about it, read on.

Again, when you study this subject, please make liberal use of a dictionary. If you do not, you may fail to fully comprehend this subject, as each level of the scale must be fully grasped in order for that scale to make sense. Since the scales are constructed of words, you had better take care to define those words as carefully as the author selected them. You cannot overuse a dictionary.

Inasmuch as these scales represent, in most cases, concepts which are new and/or different, the greatest challenge in writing this book was to convey an unknown subject with known words. In some cases, this necessitated a less-than-elegant, and somewhat unconventional, usage of language. Regrettably, grammar, style and diction must occasionally be sacrificed in favor of clear communication of the concepts.

Septemics may be thought of as a form of mathematics adapted to human behavior. In order to comprehend or apply it, you must think with the clarity of a mathematician, while demonstrating the verbal skills of a linguist. However, the intellectual mastery of human affairs made possible by this subject is well worth the investment in study.

Once you learn to think with both sides of your brain simultaneously, as it were, in approaching this work, you will find your powers of insight into people have increased markedly. The ideal Septemicist would be a cross between Einstein and Shakespeare. If you eschew either the Humanities or the Sciences, you will find Septemics difficult to master. It is, after all, an attempt to conceptually embrace most of human phenomena. A one-legged approach to this subject will not work.

This writer has always been somewhat perplexed and dismayed at the one-sidedness or narrow-mindedness of most persons. This issue was resolved at an early age by having different groups of friends, who were no more successfully mixed than oil and water. I would go to math and science lectures with one group, plays and museums with a second, sporting events with a third, and so forth. My avidity for the feminine subjects did not diminish my avidity for the masculine subjects, nor vice versa. The only problem was finding enough time to do it all. Polymathy is a rigorous way of life. There is no such thing as a lazy Renaissance Man.

Septemics transcends Eclecticism by reducing human phenomena to their lowest common denominators. This is not obvious in the subject. The author spent decades extrapolating, and/or interpolating, data to ever more fundamental data before finding the framework in which all the data aligned, namely, these hierarchies. This is not to suggest that all human data are aligned by these scales. However, it was possible to deduce these scales only after a great deal of refinement and alignment of data about human phenomena, always working in the direction of more fundamental, so as to be more embracive.

There is a natural preselection built into this subject. Less than ten per cent of the English-speaking population are potential Septemicists at this time. How many of those will actually master the subject: one in a hundred perhaps? So you would enjoy a huge advantage over ninety-nine percent of the population if you were to master this intellectual technology.

Some might criticize Septemics for being inegalitarian. With all due respect to the estimable Thomas Jefferson, all men are not created equal. I agree wholeheartedly that we should all enjoy equal civil and human rights, but if we were all created equal, we would all be able to sing like Linda Ronstadt, paint like Monet, and write like Shakespeare, when, in fact, no one else can perform like any of those luminaries. These scales are based on Natural Law, and Nature is definitely not egalitarian.

Actually, no two persons are created equal, as each person is unique. If that is not obvious to you, go out and carefully observe people. If you can find even two who are created equal, you will have made the discovery of the millennium. Even identical twins raised together have significant differences.

In actual practice, all people employ hierarchies of one kind or another. These scales comprise an especially useful hierarchical system because it empowers the user to better utilize his resources. Septemics is a deus ex machina, not only for the human development practitioner, or self-improvement enthusiast, but also for the entrepreneur, the go-getter, the person who wants to get ahead, and make one’s mark, and stand out from the crowd, and for someone who wants to be able to understand people better, so as to succeed more easily.

The only prerequisites to mastering this subject are the ability to read English well, and the desire to improve oneself and/or others. The bad news is: that eliminates most people, believe it or not, because, in the first place, comparatively few persons are genuinely interested in improving themselves or others, even though many will disingenuously assert they are. Many such individuals are fooling themselves, as well as attempting to fool others. However, if you are one of the growing number of self-help or human-potential enthusiasts in the developed societies, you are way ahead of the pack, and this subject is for you. Secondly, not many persons have enough desire and/or time to study this work, but the good news is: no one can cut you from this team but yourself.

You may find some of the points made in this book to be familiar to you. In fact, many of these data were known for many decades before this book was written. In that sense, this book is perhaps as much a codification and extension of knowledge as an explication of new material. The power of these scales lies in their potential to assist you in aligning large bodies of data into a usable form. This book represents an attempt to lift human society out of the quicksand in which it has been mired for at least 6000 years.

So welcome to Septemics. This is a new subject for you, but for the author, it is an old subject indeed, as I had been dealing with this material long before it had a name. I hope it will contribute to your success.

Glossary for Introduction to Septemics

Philosophy, noun:

Study of the truth or principles underlying all real knowledge.

Hierarchy, noun:

Organization of persons or things arranged one above another according to rank, class or grade.

Technology, noun:

The application of knowledge for practical ends, as in a particular field.

Phenomenon, noun:

An appearance or immediate object of awareness in experience.

Mathematics, noun:

The systematic treatment of magnitude, relationships between figures and forms, and relations between quantities expressed symbolically.

Human, adjective:

Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of mankind.

Analysis, noun:

The separating of any material or abstract entity into its constituent elements.

Sequence, noun:

The following of one thing after another; succession.

Science, noun:

A branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.

System, noun:

An ordered and comprehensive assemblage of facts, principles, methods, etc., in a particular field.

Behavior, noun:

Manner of behaving or acting.

Spiral, noun:

A plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it; a helix.

Specific, adjective:

Having a special application, bearing, or reference; specifying, explicit or definite.

Viewpoint, noun:

An attitude of mind, or the circumstances of an individual that conduce to such an attitude.

Scale, noun:

An arrangement of things in order of importance, rank, degree, etc.

Level, noun:

A position in a graded scale of values; status; rank.

Yin & Yang, nouns:

Two principles, one negative, dark, and feminine (yin), and one positive, bright, and masculine (yang), whose interaction influences the destinies of creatures and things.

Individual, adjective:

Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a particular person or thing.

Spiritual, adjective:

Of or pertaining to the spirit as the seat of the moral or religious nature.

Linear, adjective:

Extended or arranged in a line.

Quantum, noun:

A particular amount.

Spectrum, noun:

A broad range of varied but related ideas or objects that form a continuous series or sequence.

Strata, plural noun:

Portions or divisions likened to layers or levels.

Manifest, verb:

To make evident, obvious, apparent, or plain to the senses or understanding.

Literati, plural noun:

Persons of scholarly or literary attainments; intellectuals; intelligentsia.

Gradual, adjective:

Taking place, changing, moving, etc. by degrees or little by little.

Vis a vis, preposition:

In relation to; as compared with; literally, face to face.

General, adjective:

Dealing with all or the overall aspects of a subject without attempting to deal with specific aspects.

Introduction to Septemics

Important! Please read this entire chapter before you read any of the later chapters.

What is Septemics?

Septemics is a philosophic system based on the fact that many phenomena related to Human Beings occur in a sequence of seven levels. Literally, the word septemics means of, or pertaining to, seven. Septemics is based on a collection of scales or sequences, each of which breaks down many human phenomena into a hierarchy of seven steps. At this writing, there are thirty-five such scales, which span the spectrum of human experience.

Whether or not these sequences are communicated clearly, or explicated eloquently, the scales themselves are correct. In other words, the sequences described by these scales correspond exactly to nature. Opinion or belief has nothing to do with it. These strata manifest in nature exactly as stated, whether or not we take note of them. Septemics is not a theory; it is a statement and codification of empirical facts, written down so that you might be able to use them. Whether you learn them or not, these phenomena still exist, to the extent that the physical universe exists. Some aver that all is illusory, and I will not argue with that.

The Earth revolved around the Sun long before Copernicus made the observation, and will continue to do so even if Mankind falls back into Darkness, reverting to the Flat Earth theory of ancient times. Similarly, the phenomena described in this book were here all along. The author discovered them by spending more time than most persons closely observing human phenomena in an analytical and focused way, and by being able to articulate these phenomena. The author did not invent Septemics as much as discovered it, codified it, developed it, named it and described it. Nature made it. Nor can people destroy it; they can only ignore it, but do so at great cost and peril. Anyone who has read a periodical, history book or news website can see graphically what humankind has wrought in the absence of this work. Perhaps, in its presence, we might acquit ourselves less disgracefully than in the past.

Opinion has no place in Septemics. It is a descriptive science, like botany or astronomy, and will stand the scrutiny of any rational, unbiased reader who is able and willing to observe human traits and behaviors. Like all new subjects, it will likely be met with skepticism and suspicion by some, and derision and refutation by others, as it will threaten the belief systems and livelihoods of many. If Septemics is met with less opposition than the discoveries of Pasteur, Harvey and Copernicus, this writer would be pleasantly surprised. However, while the literati will recognize the three names referenced in the previous sentence, it is unlikely that anyone living today would recognize the names of the innumerable persons who opposed and derided them when their ideas were first presented.

Facts are sometimes inconvenient, even embarrassing. Persons who are insecure, cowardly or avaricious can be counted on to misrepresent, lie about, and/or ignore such facts. Septemics is based on observable, demonstrable human phenomena. This writer has made a determined effort to withhold opinions from this work, and present only facts. For this reason, the book is neither as long as it might have been, which may be a virtue, nor as entertaining as it might have been, which is an acceptable sacrifice under the circumstances.

This work makes it possible for one to analyze and, consequently, predict and manage the behaviors of groups and individuals. It brings order to a subject that has been the source of great confusion for most: human activity. The very concept that individuals and groups behave in predictable ways is inconceivable to most, which is why we can routinely send a shuttle into space, or replace a human organ, while divorce and crime statistics soar. Much of human behavior, however sublime or ridiculous, occurs in the patterns delineated in this book.

These scales provide a new way of looking at human interactions and functions, so as to better understand them. It is a key missing ingredient in the recipe for a sane society and a successful life. Once you know these scales, you will see that many successful groups and individuals understand some of these data, whatever names they may apply to them, and whether or not they are cognizant of being aware of them.

This book is unusual in that ninety-five percent of its value is embodied in the first dozen lines of each scale chapter. If you did nothing but carefully study the scales themselves, without even reading the corresponding text, you could perhaps learn this subject. The scales themselves are Septemics; the text is merely illustrative and explicative. If you are an industrious student, and a literate reader, you do not really need the chapter texts.

What is the background of Septemics?

As a child, this writer was intrigued by the importance of the number seven: the seven deadly sins, the seven days of the week, the seven colors of light, etc. Why seven? Why not eight or six? Surely one could enumerate more than seven deadly sins. The seven days of the week do not work out mathematically with the months or years. Crayola had sixty-four colors of crayons that could be arranged into a spectrum. Why was seven the lucky number? Why did the Creator rest on the seventh day?

These scales address these questions indirectly. The answer is: because many human phenomena resolve into seven strata. It is not necessary to know why this is so, because it is not necessary to know why in order to get a result; it is only necessary to know how. The how is called Technology. Septemics is a conceptual technology which facilitates the resolution of human issues.

The spectrum of visible radiation (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) especially puzzled me. Indigo? Why is there a color between blue and violet? Why not put tangerine between red and orange and say there are eight colors? Apparently, there is something about seven inherent to the human psyche.

This writer was always fascinated by human behavior, especially those aspects which were just behind the scene, inexplicable, mysterious, in The Twilight Zone, so to speak. However, I had the practical mind of an engineer, as aptitude tests confirmed. Engineers use known data to resolve specific problems in the real world. This is exactly what these scales do: they give you the formulae of human activities, so that you can engineer your success.

After matriculation into engineering school, this writer realized I wanted to treat neither electrons nor chemicals nor girders, but rather, the human psyche. While psychology has its place, my foray into psychology revealed nothing of particular appeal to the mind of an engineer. And so began the tortuous trek to Septemics.

Unbeknownst to me, I had been trying to write this book all my adult life, but it was only after processing oceans of data about human phenomena that these scales were discovered. The chakras were a key clue, as