Operational Philosophy
Copyright © 2000
Robert Howard Kroepel
Lakeside Studios
20 South Shore Road
New Durham, New Hampshire, USA 03655-2107
Contents
Operational Philosophy
Operational Philosophy
The Greek Definition of the
Term Philosophy
Philosophy = Greek: "philo": "love" + "sophy": "knowledge" =
"Love of Knowledge."
The
Operational Philosophy Definition of the Term Philosophy
Operational Philosophy, OpPhil, is a system of
philosophy, a philosophical theory, a theory of philosophy, which
requires and therefore includes operational definitions of important
terms used in the field of philosophy (1) for the purpose of conceptualizing reality and (2) for the purpose of solving problems.
Operational definitions, opdefs, are defined and explained in the
following section, Operational
Definitions.
Briefly, operational definitions define and thereby specify terms and
phrases by presenting descriptions of the observations and/or
measurements of the people, objects and events related to, and
therefore relevant to, the term/phrase being defined.
The concepts and related principles of people, objects and events are
explained in the section, People,
Objects and Events.
One fundamental operational question inre: operational definitions,
is this: What do people/objects/events do when they _____
[term/phrase being defined operationally]?
Operational definitions function as operational answers to operational
questions.
Inre: Philosophy, the fundamental operational question is this: What do
people do when they do philosophy?
Inre: Philosophy, the fundamental operational answer to the fundamental
operational question is this: When people do philosophy they create concepts and principles which describe people/objects/events and techniques for applying the concepts and principles (1) for the purpose of conceptualizing reality and (2) for the purpose of solving problems.
Concepts, principles and techniques are defined and explained in the
section, Concepts,
Principles and Techniques.
Philosophy is a term used for (1) a field of study, (2) a process of
developing a philosophy, and (3) a personal or organizational set of
concepts, principles and techniques.
The field of study called philosophy is the organized study of the
process, including standards and guidelines for thought, by which
people develop
the concepts, principles and techniques they use (1) for observing,
analyzing,
understanding, evaluating, organizing, and dealing with themselves and
the
people, objects and events who and/or which comprise reality and (2) for solving problems.
The process of philosophy is the specification of the operational
definitions and the standards and guidelines for the logic to be used
(A) for the field of study which is called philosophy and (B) for the
development of an individual's personal set of
concepts/principles/techniques, which is called a personal
philosophy, or for an organization's set of
concepts/principles/techniques, which is called an organizational
philosophy.
A personal philosophy is an individual’s set of
concepts/principles/techniques; an organizational philosophy is
an organization's set of concepts/principles/techniques, the set of
concepts/principles/techniques the individuals within an organization
develop for the organization.
The concept and relevant principles of a personal philosophy are
defined, specified and explained in the section, Personal Philosophy.
The concept and relevant principles of an organizational philosophy are
defined, specified and explained in the section, Organizational Philosophy.
Philosophy is the field of study of the process, including
standards and guidelines for thought and for logic, by which people
develop concepts and principles which describe people, objects and
events, and techniques for using the concepts and principles (1) for the
purpose of observing, analyzing, understanding, evaluating, organizing,
and dealing with themselves and other people, objects, and events
who/which comprise reality and (2) for the purpose of solving problems.
Operational Definitions
Operational definitions are descriptions of the observations and
measurements of the objects/events relevant to the term being defined.
One fundamental question inre: operational definitions, is this: What
do people/objects/events do when they _____ [term/phrase being
defined operationally]
Operational definitions function as operational answers to
operational questions.
Examples:
Operational Question: What do people do when they do philosophy?
Operational Answer: When people do philosophy they create
concepts and principles which describe people, objects and events and
they develop techniques for using the concepts and principles (1) for conceptualizing reality and (2) for solving problems.
Operational Question: What do people do when they love?
Operational Answer: When people do love they say they like each other
and they do nice, good objects for and with each other.
Operational definitions can be created using structured sentences
such as the following:
_____ [Term being defined operationally] IS _____
[Description
of the objects/events relevant to the term being defined].
Example: The mind [Term being defined operationally]
IS
an individual’s personal system of desires/fears/priorities as
evidenced
by his observable actions and reactions, in particular, as evidenced by
his
approach behavior to people/objects/events he desires and his
avoidance
behavior from people/objects/events he fears [Descriptions of
the
observable/measurable people/objects/events--in this case the events of
approach/avoidance--relevant to the term being defined].
_____ [Term being defined operationally] IS WHEN _____
[Description of the objects/events relevant to the term being defined].
Example: Love [Term being defined operationally] IS
WHEN someone says they like you and they do nice things for
you and with you [Description of the objects/events relevant to
the term being defined].
IF _____ [Description of the objects/events relevant to the
term being defined],
THEN _____ [Term being defined operationally].
Example: IF someone says he likes you and does nice
things for you and with you [Description of the objects/events
relevant to the term being defined],
THEN that is love [Term being defined
operationally].
WHEN _____ [Description of the objects/events relevant to the
term being defined],
THEN _____ [Term being defined operationally].
Example: WHEN someone says he likes you and does nice
things for you and with you [Description of the objects/events
relevant to the term being defined],
THEN that is love [Term being defined
operationally].
Most Famous Humorous Example of an Operational Definition: Happiness
is a warm puppy. [Charles Shulz, Peanuts.]
By operational definitions, abstract concepts/principles can be
defined by the descriptions of real-world objects/events/techniques;
thus, by
operational definitions, abstract concepts/principles/techniques can be
made concrete/made into concrete concepts/principles/techniques.
If a person cannot provide a description by means of the
observation(s)/measurement(s) of the people/objects/events related to a
term he wishes to define/use in a discussion, then there is an
excellent chance that (A) the people/objects/events he is trying to
define/discuss do not exist or (B) he does not know what he is talking
about.
Operational definitions are required for The Code of Science.
The Code of Science is defined, specified and explained in the
section, The Code of Science.
The reason operational definitions are required for The Code of
Science is to ensure that scientists can communicate effectively with
each other and with nonscientists.
Likewise, operational definitions are required for any field of study
to ensure that people can communicate effectively with each other
within the field and with other people not in the field.
Personal Philosophy
A person is operationally defined to be an individual,
a unique, specific, human being, comprised of matter and energy, and
having a mind and a body.
An individual's personal philosophy is his
set/system/collection of concepts/principles/techniques for
analyzing/evaluating/judging the
causality [causal relationships/cause-and-effect relationships
between/among
people/objects/events] of the people/objects/events of reality,
who/which
are the natural phenomena of reality; an individual creates a personal
philosophy from his experiences in determining which
people/objects/events
in reality and which concepts/principles/techniques
[ideas/thoughts/thinking]
in his mind realize/achieve positively/negatively his
desires/fears/priorities.
Organizational
Philosophy
An organization is group of individuals, unique human beings,
who have agreed to work together to develop and to achieve common
desires.
An organizational philosophy is the set of
concepts/principles/techniques individuals within the organization have
chosen for analyzing/evaluating/judging the causality [causal
relationships/cause-and-effect relationships between/among
people/objects/events] of the people/objects/events of reality,
who/which are the natural phenomena of reality; the individuals within
an organization create an organizational philosophy from their
experiences in determining which people/objects/events in reality and
which concepts/principles/techniques [ideas/thoughts/thinking]
realize/achieve positively/negatively their individual and
organizational desires/fears/priorities.
Reality [Natural
Phenomena]
All reality consists of people, objects and events. [All
natural phenomena consist of people, objects and events.]
People, Objects and Events
A person is a human being, the physiology
of biology, physics and chemistry which is the person's body and which
produces the psychology of desires, fears, priorities, and
feelings which
comprise a person's mind, but a person is first and foremost an object.
People
generally do not like to be considered objects, however, therefore the
subcategory of people (a subcategory of objects) is created to
appease those who insist on such a subcategory.
An object is a thing comprised of
matter/energy which retains its identity over a longer period of time
than an event.
A woman named Jane, a man named Dick and a ball are all objects. Jane
will be Jane, Dick will be Dick, and the ball will be a ball for a
longer
time than an event in which Jane throws the ball to Dick.
An event is a relationship between or among
objects and which occurs over a much shorter period of time than the
identities of objects.
If the objects known as Jane, Dick and the ball have a relationship
in which Jane throws the ball to Dick, then that relationship qualifies
as an event.
The distinction between/among objects and events is
arbitrary and relative to an individual's need to speak of
objects/objects vs. events/relationships among objects.
The earth is an object, and so is the sun, and the relationship of the
earth circling about the sun in its natural orbit is an event that
lasts much longer than the typical lifetime of a person, and of other
objects upon
the earth, such as trees, mountains, etc.
When we want to cut down the time dimension, we
can speak sensibly and reasonably of a person being an object and an
event
being a short period of time in which a relationship between/among
objects
occurs.
Jane, Dick and the ball all may have shorter identities than the event
of the orbit of the earth about the sun, but the singular event of
Jane's throwing the ball to Dick occurs at a specific point in time and
over a limited period of time much shorter than the existence of Jane,
Dick or the
ball, therefore, at our choice, we can choose to label Jane, Dick and
the
ball to be objects and the relationship of Jane's throwing the ball to
Dick
to be an event.
Truth and Falsity
Truth is the accurate mental representation
(idea) of a person/object/event. A true idea.
Falsity is an inaccurate mental
representation (idea) of a person/object/event. A false idea.
Concepts,
Principles and Techniques
A concept is a mental representation [idea]
of an object.
A true concept is an accurate mental
representation of an object.
A false concept is an inaccurate mental
representation of an object.
A principle is a mental representation
[idea] of an event.
A true principle is an accurate mental
representation of an event.
A false principle is an inaccurate mental
representation of an event.
A technique is a practical application of [method of
using] a principle.
For example, the principle that using muscles increases muscle
strength, size and speed can be applied by the technique of lifting
weights and other muscle-developing exercises.
A true technique is a practical application
of a principle.
A false technique is an impractical
application of a principle.
Causality
Causality is the principle that describes the events in which
people/objects/events who/which are causes cause/create
people/objects/events who/which are effects.
Causes precede effects.
Causes cause effects.
Effects are caused by causes.
Effects follow causes.
Causality is the cause-and-effect relationships among objects and
events.
Causality is people/objects/events who/which are causes causing
people/objects/events who/which are effects.
The Source of Causality
The source of causality is matter and energy. All events which
are actions and reactions which are relationships among people/objects
which are matter require energy. The concept of energy requires the
principle that no person or object is moved or changed nor any event
caused without energy. Gods and goddesses, and demons and demonnesses,
if they exist,
must use energy to cause effects as movement and change among
people/objects/events.
First Law of Thermodynamics: Matter
and energy cannot be destroyed, only changed in form (results of
thermodynamic—heat—experiments
by Sadi Carnot and chemical experiments by Antoine LeVoissier). Matter
and
energy were never created: they have always existed, exist now, and
always
will exist. [1]
Matter can be converted into energy
and energy can be converted into matter. described by Dr.
Albert Einstein's E = mc2 [originally m = E/c2]
where E
= energy, m = mass, and c2 = the speed of light
[186,000 miles per second] squared [c x c = 186,000 mps. x 186,000
mps.]. [2]
Causality consists of chains of causes-and-effects
leading back to the source of causality.
The source of causality was not caused but has
always existed in the past, exists now in the present, and is expected
to exist in the future. To ask what caused the source of causality only
indicates
that the person asking the question does not understand the concept of
the
source of causality and the related principle that the source of
causality
causes causality but is not caused and is therefore not an effect.
Whereas
chains of causes-and-effects lead back to the source of causality, the
source
of causality is the beginning and the end of all chains of causality.
To
think that all people/objects/events including the source of causality
have
causes would require asking the question of what caused the source of
causality. This question is irrational because the source of causality
cannot be caused—it is what causes all causes that cause effects. This
assertion is not an
opinion but is an awareness of the fact which is the principle that the
source of causality is the beginning and end of all causal
sequences.
Therefore, the substance of causality—matter/energy—is not caused but
instead causes people/objects/events which are forms of matter/energy.
Question: How can an object/event cause other
objects/events without itself being caused?
Answer: The nature of matter/energy causes
causality: matter/energy can cause effects, has caused
effects, and
will cause effects.
Matter/energy consists of elementary particles
and their related energy, which cause subatomic particles
(electrons, protons, neutrons, etc.), which cause atoms,
which cause molecules, which cause inorganic and organic
objects/events. Elementary particles whizzing around and crashing into
other elementary particles
can cause subatomic particles which can whiz around and cause atoms
which
can combine to cause molecules which can combine to cause other objects
and events. The fact that all this happens is not a mystery: how
it happens is the subject of science, and those explanations of how it
happens
which are mysterious now may not be mysterious in the future.
Matter/energy is real—it is the source of causality.
Knowledge and Belief
Knowledge is the set of verified/true
concepts, principles and techniques for using the concepts and
principles which
is the current understanding of the causality of natural phenomena—the
people, objects and events who/which are reality and who/which cause
other
people/objects/events. Knowledge is the accurate mental representation
of causality. Knowledge, however, is subject to continuous improvement
as people discover the causality among people/objects/events.
Belief is the set of unverified concepts,
principles and techniques for using the concepts and principles which
is
a current expectation of the causality of natural phenomena.
Beliefs are usually based upon reasons, which, in
turn, are usually based upon facts which serve, at least, as temporary
and
partial (incomplete) proof of the causality asserted in the beliefs.
Beliefs
are generally held because of reasons, defined as descriptions of the
causality expected to be among people/objects/events [causality being
the people/objects/events {as causes} who/which cause other
people/objects/events {as effects}],
but those reasons are subject to challenge and reinterpretation in
terms
of the requirement for proof of the causality among
people/objects/events.
Verification and
Falsification
Verification is proving true/confirming a proposition, an
assertion, a claim of fact, or an hypothesis.
To verify is to prove true. To confirm
is to prove true. To verify is to prove true [confirm] a
concept, principle or technique. To prove (to prove true is to
verify a
concept, principle or technique.
Falsification is proving false/denying/disconfirming a
proposition, an assertion, a claim of fact, or an hypothesis.
To deny/falsify is to prove not true, to
prove false. To disconfirm is to prove false. To
deny/falsify is to prove false [disconfirm] a concept, principle
or technique.
Verification and falsification are achieved by the use of proof,
evidence, support for a claim of fact, a confirmation or denial of an
hypothesis, or a justification for an opinion, a belief.
Proof
Proof is (1) the physical evidence--the people/objects/events
comprised of matter and energy, or (2) the eyewitness reports, and/or
(3) the logical arguments which verify or falsify a proposition, an
assertion, a claim of fact, or an hypothesis.
Proof consists of —
- Physical evidence consisting of people/objects/events
who/which can be, have been and will be observed/measured by people who
have used their normal five perceptual senses of
sight/hearing/touch/smell/taste [and using, if necessary, devices such
as telescopes, microscopes, and audio amplifiers, etc., to aid and
augment their five perceptual senses].
- Eyewitness reports of observed/measured
people/objects/events who/which are physical evidence from credible
witnesses. Credible shall mean the witness is verified by the
observations of other people to be truthful, competent, mentally
stable, and not likely to be making eyewitness reports for personal
gain but, instead, to provide information which can be used
by all people as knowledge to be used for making decisions and for
solving
problems. Eyewitness reports must be corroborated by credible
corroborating reports from credible corroborators.
- Logical arguments consisting of verifiable and verified
premises leading to a valid conclusion which has to be true if the
premises are true. The people/objects/events of the concepts,
principles and techniques who/which are the premises of a logical
argument must be verifiable and
falsifiable, therefore they must be real, as contrasted with ideas
about
people/objects/events which are speculations which cannot be verified
nor
falsified. The verification of the premises must be beyond a doubt;
otherwise
the unverified premises shall not serve as proof that the conclusion is
necessarily true.
All scientists must follow The Code of Science .
The Code of Science
I. Science is the organized study of the people/objects/events
who/which are the natural phenomena of reality for the purpose of
determining the causality among the people/objects/events of reality.
Causality is the cause-and-effect
relationships among the people/objects/events. Causality describes
which people/objects/events cause other people/objects/events.
II. Scientists must create operational definitions of the
terms they wish to use so they can communicate effectively with
themselves,
with other scientists, and with nonscientists. [3]
Operational definitions are definitions which
present the observations and/or measurements [descriptions] of the
people/objects/events who/which are natural phenomena; operational
definitions can be used to define complex and abstract concepts,
principles and techniques. For example, children often use sentence
structures of "_____ [concept/principle being defined] is when _____
[observation/measurement/description of the actions/reactions of
people/objects/events being operationally defined]." A child may create
an operational definition of love in the following way: "Love
is when someone says they like you and they do nice things for you
and with you." The child's observation/measurement/description of
the
actions/reactions of someone who loves provides an operational
definition
of the term love.
III. Scientists must follow the scientific method in
determining the causality of people/objects/events.
The Scientific Method
- Specify the unit of study [the people/objects/events to be
studied].
- Observe and/or measure the units of study to gather data.
- Create a causal hypothesis which describes and predicts the
causes of effects among the people/objects/events who/which are the
units of study.
- Observe/measure more people/objects/events who/which are units
of study to gather additional data which can be used to confirm
[verify] or deny the causal hypothesis].
- Determine if or not the additional data confirm/verify or deny
the causal hypothesis.
If the data confirm the causal hypothesis, then let other people know
of the hypothesis and the scientific method that lead to the creation
and confirmation of the hypothesis, and declare the verified/confirmed
hypothesis to be a scientific law/law of nature; but if the data do not
confirm the
causal hypothesis, then either revise the hypothesis to fit the data,
or
else create a new hypothesis and follow the Scientific Method Steps
4-6.
Thus, the scientific method requires observation of
the people/objects/events of reality and does not allow speculation or
religious dogma to be passed off as facts/truth.
IV. Scientists must list the scientific principles they have
determined to be verified laws of nature, so other people can know what
scientists claim to be knowledge. Moreover, scientists must
publish/present the observations and measurements of natural phenomena
(units of study) by which they created and by which they
confirmed/verified their causal hypotheses in order
that other scientists may replicate/duplicate their observations and
measurements to confirm/deny their causal hypotheses and claims of
scientific principles.
Bibliography
[1] The First Law of Thermodynamics [the study of heat]: Matter
and energy are the “stuff” of which all objects and events of reality
are
comprised. Matter and energy cannot be destroyed but only changed in
form
(results from thermodynamic—heat—experiments by Sadi Carnot and
chemical
experiments by Antoine LeVoissier). Matter can be changed into energy
and
energy can be changed into matter. Matter and energy are therefore
eternal—without
beginning nor end.
The convertibility of matter and energy was
described
by Dr. Albert Einstein by E = mc2 [E = Energy; m = mass; c =
the
speed of light; c2 = the speed of light squared] and m = E/c2
[Einstein’s original equation], which state that matter can be
converted
into energy (the process of fission: atomic bombs, nuclear energy), and
energy
can be converted into matter (the process of fusion: hydrogen bombs).
On the First Law of Thermodynamics:
Alan Isaacs, John Daintith and Elizabeth Martin, eds.
Concise Science Dictionary
Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, New York, NY U.S.A.
p. 691.
Siegfried Mandel, ed.
Dictionary of Science
Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY
10017, 1975.
p. 333.
[2] On Dr. Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity, and E = mc2:
Albert Einstein, translated by Robert W. Lawson
Relativity: The Special and General Theory
Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, 1961.
pp. 45-48.
Charles Proteus Steinmetz
Four Lectures on Relativity and Space
Dover Publications, inc., 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014,
originally published by the McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1923.
pp. 8, 44.
Jeremy Bernstein
Einstein
Penguin Books, 625 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, U.S.A, 1976.
pp. 97-98.
[3] Stanovich, Keith
How To Think Straight About Psychology
Scott, Foresman and Company, Glenview, IL, 1989
“... In short, the explanation of phenomena, not the analysis of
language, is the goal of the scientist. The key to progress in all the
sciences has been to abandon essentialism and to adopt operationalism
... . [p. 39.]
Where ... does the meaning of concepts in science come from if not from
discussions about language? What are the criteria for the appropriate
usage
of a scientific concept? To answer these questions, we must discuss
operationism,
an idea that is crucial for the construction of theory in science, and
one
that is especially important for evaluating theoretical claims in
psychology.”
[p. 39.]
“Although there are different forms of operationism, it is most useful
... to think of it in the most general way. Operationism is simply the
idea
the concepts in scientific theories must in some way be grounded in, or
linked to, observable events that can be measured. Linking the concept
to
an observable event is the operational definition of a concept and
makes
the concept public. The operational definition removes the concept from
the feelings and intuitions of a particular individual and allows it to
be tested by anyone who can carry out the measurable operations.” [p.
39.]
“The link between concepts and observable operations can vary greatly
in [the] degree of directness or indirectness. Some scientific concepts
are
defined almost entirely by observable operations in the real world.
[Other]
concepts [are] defined only partially by these direct links. ...[The]
use
of some concepts is determined by both a set of operations and the
particular
concept’s relationship to other theoretical constructs. [There] are
concepts
that are not directly defined by observable operations but are linked
to
other concepts that are. These have only an indirect operational
definition,
one that comes from other concepts that are defined more directly by
observable
operations.” [p. 40.]
“Thus, although theoretical concepts differ in how closely they are
linked to observations, all concepts acquire their meaning partially
through their link to such observations, a point emphasized by noted
Harvard philosopher W. V. Quine: ‘The sentences of science, no matter
how theoretical, acquire what meaning they have through a network of
sentence-to-sentence links whose starting point is sensory stimulation.
All evidence for the truth of a scientific theory, moreover, is drawn
from sensory observation through the same network.’
(1985, p. 32.) In short, operationism, not debate about language,
determines the meaning of concepts in science.” [p. 40.]