Tuesday, July 2, 2002

Edward Haskell is one of the least known of the synergic scientists whose ideas and works are presented throughout the UnCommon Sense—Library . Haskell made several unique contributions to human knowing.

1) The discovery of the 9 Co-Actions.

Haskell explained that the two parties to a relationship would experience one of nine possible co-actions. A relationship can be effected in three ways. Your "X" can go up, remain unchanged, or go down. And, my "Y" can go up, remain unchanged, or go down.

Our relationship might be good for you, good for me; it might be good for you, neutral for me; it might be good for you, bad for me; it might be neutral for you, good for me; etc.; etc..

2) The discovery of three classes of relationships.

Prior to Haskell, Neutrality simply represented the boundary between Adversity and Synergy. Haskell recognized that the Neutral class of relationships, in and of itself, was of equal importance to both the Adversary class of relationships, and the Synergic class of relationships.

In effect, Haskell discovered Neutrality. If we are to build a synergic future, we will not only have to transcend the Adversary Way, we will have to transcend Neutrality as well. I think this is one of the major difficulties humans face today in understanding three-fold nature of relationships. Because Neutrality is invisible in our paradigm of human relationships, most individuals assume if they are not Adversaries they must be Synergic. The same old Either/Or scientific mistake.

3) The invention of the Co-Action Compass or PCS.

This at first appears abstract and mathematical, but once understood is a powerful reflection in one diagram of all three classes of relationship.

Haskell’s focus was on evaluating adversary, neutral, and synergic relationships between all stages of process. Much of his work was on relationships between particles, atoms, molecules, bactereria, plants, and animals. The PCS allowed him to plot the resultants of all three types of relationship on a single geometric grid.

The shape of the PCS was not invented by Haskell. The shape evolved and took form from the real data that was measured extensionally, and plotted from analyzing numerous relationships between particles, atoms, molecules, bacteria, plants, and animals. The term extensional here is borrowed from Korzybski to mean from the real world.

Haskell did not study or analyze human relationships, but he predicted that the PCS would be useful in anlyzing adversary, neutral, and synergic relationships between humans and groups of humans, and finally.

4) The Moral Law of the Unified Science  

Much more important than Haskell’s recognition of the importance of the spiritual truth “As you sow, so shall you reap,” was his restatement of this truth as a scientific law of Nature that applied in all seven stages of process—light, particle, atom, molecule, plant, animal and human. Haskell explained:

“The first formulation of the MORAL LAW for a non-human kingdom of Universe was Dimitri Mendeleev’s discovery of the Periodic Law in 1869. “The properties of the chemical elements are functions of their atomic weights.”

“What Mendeleev’s discovery states for Atoms is that “As ye sow, so shall ye reap,” where reaping is the properties of the chemical elements and sowing is the co-Action between the atom’s two components ­ its vast, light, electron cloud, and its tiny, massive nucleus.”

Haskell’s analysis of the Atomic elements showed that these two components ­ the electron cloud and the massive nucleus related in only three ways ­ positive, neutral, or negative. Haskell called this the Moral Law of Unified Science.

Edward Haskell presented his scientific generalization to the general public in 1972. You can view that presentation by clicking the following link:

Generalization of the Structure of Mendeleev's Periodic Table

Full Circle: The Moral Force of Unified Science  now online thanks to the hard work of Don Steehler

About Edward Haskell

Read more about Haskell's work in UnCommon Science  and   Understanding Order