Basic Assumptions
In case you missed it, you can read about Gnorml here on the About page. These are the basic assumptions that we make as we evaluate content for Gnorml.com. You might ask whether these assumptions serve as basically a doctrine much like you’d find in any religion. Isn’t that pushing a set of beliefs on you and contradicting what we’ve already explained about Gnorml? No. Because we’re not asking you to believe them without question. We will post information that both substantiates as well as refutes these positions. But it is important to know that these are our assumptions so that you know what Gnorml is all about and what knowledge we seek to uncover.
I don’t know if you’re ready for this, but we’re here to help. So here goes…
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
There is no rule more critically important than the Golden Rule. If this needs further explanation, or if you feel like there is “wiggle room” in the rule due to semantic interpretations, etc. then Gnorml may not be the place for you.
The laws of a people, nation,or government are their best and imperfect attempt at a fair and functional society.
They are not your birth given tenets to bear and only apply to you to the extent that you wish to exist within the confines of that society. Even then, the laws should be continually subject to question due to the fact that a man-made system of laws by definition can never be perfect.
Organized religion is a form of government.
This is not inherently a bad thing so long as the principles defined by this pseudo government are subject to new interpretations and revisions by the people it governs. Unfortunately most religions based on belief in a divine entity cannot afford to allow this.
The Scientific Method is not a perfect model for validating all things.
Our capacity for scientific understanding as it exists today is still evolving and does not yet constitute a set of tools for understanding everything. Most scientists would agree with this if only based on the logic that 1) mankind will always be learning, and 2) if there wasn’t more to learn scientists would serve no purpose.
We are more than the sum of our parts.
Some would call it spirituality, some would call it interdimensionalism, but by any name all things known to nature exist in varying degrees on levels which we cannot perceive. Every tree, rock, dog, and man are all a part of the same existence. And most importantly humans are not in some way divine among nature, save the fact that we have more complex anatomy and the capacity for critical thought.
We do not have command of our planet.
As much as scientists and governments would like you to believe so, we do not have command over our planet. We cannot for certain say what exists in the air, on the land, or in the ocean. And doing so is a continuing effort. We cannot control weather, communicate globally on a human level, nor comprehend the dynamics of change. Therefore, we must resign to be open to the many unpredictable possibilities of nature.
Life does exist in the Universe beyond our planet.
Our capacity to comprehend the Universe remains confined to what we can observe from Earth, and from the few probe craft sent into the aether in modern history. And even with these limiting tools we continue to find complexity in space that rivals what we find on our own “pale blue dot.” It is statistically impossible for there to be only one life-bearing planet in the whole of the known Universe.
There will be a singularity, but there won’t be a celebration party.
Man and machine will merge… because we already have. We are already using technology to improve our lives, treat our sick, and enhance our biological capabilities. This is continuing at an exponential rate and will reach a state of singularity in the near future. You will be alive to experience it my friend. However, as we evolve ourselves we will acclimate to our growth and perceive it as simply the expectation of the current time of our existence. We will be able to look back and see how far we’ve gone. But we will loose our ability to model our own future due to the rapid pace of change.
We are all corrupt.
Our societies exist on man made principles, laws, and beliefs. And because of this they are imperfect. Human beings within these societies must conform to their systems in order to thrive, and in fact it can be argued that not doing so can be fatal. So when humans are forced by their environment – these imperfect systems – to go against human nature with what could be called negative behavior, their actions cause society to react in unnatural and negative ways forming cycles of unsustainable behavior. In short, are you being decieved? Yes. Because it is theoretically impossible for this not to occur in a man made society at some point on some level. By whom and for what purpose is for you to determine.
Marriage is a man made institution, and love is a word undefinable.
Biologically a man and a woman must be together in order to form another human being. There is evolutionary benefit to having separate genders, and thereby enabling competition for procreation. But emotions are not a part of that picture. That which defines a supportive relationship or a family unit facilitating individual growth has been shown to exist in many forms. Lifestyles that seek to challenge popular notions of sex and family can only be wrong if they break rule number 1, the Golden Rule.
Children deserve unrestricted knowledge and support.
These “people-in-progress” so to speak need consistency of care ideally from mother and father, but at least from supporting female AND male figures. They should be encouraged to make mistakes and given all of the knowledge that they can comprehend without filters. Of course our societies dictate that we educate our children on how to function within them. But we should always encourage them to see and think beyond these confines, and to the best of their abilities to arrive at their own conclusions.
So there you go. A great starting point. We do expect to improve upon the list of course. (In fact that’s one of the rules in the list.) and I’m not sure if you picked up on this, but each of these assumptions forms a framework to facilitate one or more of our departments.
Moses had his ten commandments, and now you’ve got 11 basic assumptions. We just figured we’d one-up the old dude.
