Modern
Chiropractic Principles
•
Twenty five
years of dialogue with chiropractic students and chiropractic colleagues in the
process of teaching the Thirty Three Principles, as they are laid down in
Stephenson’s Chiropractic Textbook, has revealed many logical
inconsistencies, conceptual deficiencies and anachronisms in the 1927
syllogism. Consequently, I am in the process of developing and publishing an
updated version of chiropractic’s basic metaphysical model.
•
Modern
Chiropractic Principles
•
The main areas
of concern addressed by this update include the issues of:
– The personalization of the concept of UI
– The issue of a supernatural vs. a natural
interpretation of “intelligence” (substance vs. property dualism
– The role of “information” as the immaterial component
of any and all forces, and
– The conceptualization of the body’s innate
intelligence as the “consciousness of the whole”
•
Modern
Chiropractic Principles
•
With these
issues addressed and integrated into the syllogism, we are able to streamline
the logical argument and produce a more focused, less redundant set of
conceptual steps starting with the same basic assumption (the Major Premise)
and still arriving at the final logical conclusion that vertebral subluxation
has the potential to disrupt the coordination and/or adaptability, and thus the
health of any living vertebrate
•
Modern
Chiropractic Principles
•
One possible
iteration of this logical syllogism follows, and will serve as our outline and
springboard for discussion of the basic chiropractic paradigm of the expression
of intelligence through matter as organizational integrity, via the interface
function of energy-mediated communication.
•
The Universal
Principles
• The first 11principles outline the concept of a
self-conscious universe, define and characterize its ability to self-organize,
and establish the relationship between its organizing consciousness and the
matter of which the universe is composed. These are called the universal
principles.
•
Universal
Principles
Self-organizational Consciousness
Self-organizational Consciousness
•
1. The universe exists as a single,
dynamic interconnected structure of matter and energy, which has an inherent
ability to self-organize. …
•
Universal
Principles
Self-organizational Consciousness
Self-organizational Consciousness
•
1. …This implies that the universe
possesses a non-physical “consciousness” of itself as a self- organizing
system, …
•
Universal
Principles
Self-organizational Consciousness
Self-organizational Consciousness
•
1. (cont.) …as well as the means
necessary to express this consciousness through the continuous creation and
recreation of its own organization.
• Symbol of Unity through Duality
•
The
fundamental duality is between immaterial consciousness and
physical substance
•
The sinusoidal
inter-face
emphasizes their interaction, rather than their separation
•
The contrasting
dot in each field indicates their interdependence – each
is necessary for the other to exist
•
Universal
Principles
Self-organizational Consciousness
Self-organizational Consciousness
•
1. (cont.) Traditionally, this self-organizational
consciousness has been called the universe’s universal intelligence.
(Principle 1)
•
Principle 1 –
There is a universal intelligence in all matter, continuously giving to it all
its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence and giving this
intelligence its expression.
•
The
“Naturalness” of a Universal Consciousness
•
The
Epistemological Problem of
•
Material
Science,
•
Natural
Philosophy and
•
Meta-Natural Faith
•
Principle 1
The
universe exists as a single, dynamic interconnected structure of matter and
energy, which has an inherent ability to self-organize. This implies
that the universe possesses a non-physical “consciousness” of itself
as a self- organizing system, …
•
The Context of
Principle 1
§
Presupposes the existence of the “natural universe”
§
Establishes an
immaterial/material duality within the unity of existence
§
Establishes a mutual
interdependence between consciousness and “substance”
§
Doesn’t
address the question of the
origin of existence (the “natural vs. spiritual” duality)
•
Natural vs.
“Not Natural”
•
Three
different meanings of the term “natural”
•
Cultural:
natural vs. artificial
– Natural –
unaltered by human manipulation
– Artificial – a product of human manipulation
•
Scientific:
natural vs. supernatural
– Natural – explainable within the current scientific
paradigm
– Supernatural – inexplicable in the current scientific
paradigm
•
Philosophic:
natural vs. meta-natural (spiritual)
– Natural – part of the universe per se (as it
exists in and of itself)
– Meta-natural (spiritual) = apart from the universe per
se, existing beyond its confines, limitations, natural laws
•
The Problem:
Is universal intelligence natural?
Is universal intelligence natural?
•
Assumption of
a universal consciousness often mis-interpreted as a meta-natural
(spiritual) assumption
– Immaterial – can’t be measured/assessed/validated scientifically
–
Organizing
principle/consciousness – assumed to be
the same thing as the creator of the universe (God)
– “Infinite, perfect intelligence” – assumed to be beyond the capacity of the natural world
– These assumptions reinforced by DD’s, BJ’s and
Stephenson’s lack of philosophic clarity
•
Stephenson’s
Confusion
• Stephenson’s problematic definition of universal
intelligence
“The Infinite
Intelligence pervading all space and matter, which creates and governs all
things, both material and immaterial.”
Chiropractic
Text Book, Article 49, p.17
•
Two
difficulties in this definition
– Uses “the Infinite Intelligence” to define
intelligence
– If it “…creates… all things, both material and
immaterial,” it creates itself!
•
Stephenson’s
Confusion
•
Stephenson
goes on to deduce that “Universal Intelligence” is God:
– “It occupies all space and distance. It has existed
always. It is older, wiser, greater, stronger and better than anything in the
universe. It created everything and must have been first and infinitely
superior in order to do it. It must have
been and is very intelligent to do it. Having these virtues it
must never have made a mistake and therefore is always right. Being always
right is always good. Being infinitely good is God.”
Chiropractic
Textbook, Article 49, p.17
•
Stephenson’s
Contradiction
•
But Stephenson
contradicts his own argument:
– “Chiropractic is a philosophy, science and art of things
natural…” Chiropractic Textbook, Article 2, p. xiii
•
And does
so again:
–
“The student
should not make the mistake of believing that Chiropractic Philosophy is a sort
of psychology, telepathy, occultism, or the classic philosophy of Socrates and
Plato. It is not theology.” Chiropractic Textbook, Article 21, p. xxvi
•
A Comparison
•
If
chiropractic philosophy posits the existence of a universal conscious,
and religion is founded on faith in the existence of God, doesn’t
this make them the same thing?
– Not a simple “yes/no” question
– Can only be answered in terms of what you believe
“God” is and what chiropractic philosophy suggests/assumes “universal
consciousness” is
– A “compare and contrast” exercise may help
•
God /
Universal Consciousness
•
What is “God”
– An eternal,
spiritual “being”
– Pre-existing creator of the (created) universe
– Epistemology: religious belief based on faith
• What is a “universal consciousness”
– The necessary assumed cause of all organization
– A feature of the universe, whether it was “created” (theism) or has simply always existed
(atheism)
– Epistemology: a priori philosophic assumption
•
God is meta-natural
•
“God” exists beyond
the natural universe
• If God created the universe, God:
– Must have existed before it was created
– Will still exist after it no longer
exists
– Exists simultaneously within and beyond
the universe
– Is not “subject to natural law”
– Is not bound by “cause and effect” or
“time”
•
“And God
created man
in His own image”
in His own image”
•
Divine
Intervention
•
Divine intervention
in natural law
– Basic
definition of “miracles”
• Faith healing
– Based on spiritual faith, not natural law
– Healing is accomplished based on the patient’s faith,
not the healer’s
– Defies a natural or a scientific explanation
•
The
Naturalness of Consciousness
• A universal consciousness is natural
– Exists as an immaterial aspect of the universe
•
Natural
existence has two basic elements
–
Consciousness
(that which can shape substance) simply exists
–
Substance (that which can be shaped by
consciousness) simply exists
•
Includes both
matter and energy (E=mc2)
–
If the
universe “ceases to exist,” both its substance and its conscious cease to exist
•
God /
Universal Consciousness
• God is considered a “being”
•
He or She may be considered to have:
– Gender
– Personality
– Motives
• The “consciousness of the universe” is
an aspect of being, not a “being” per se
–
It is considered to have no gender, no
personality, no motives
•
God /
Universal Consciousness
•
God expects/demands
a personal relationship
–
Praise
–
Worship
–
Obedience
–
Acknowledgement
•
Consciousness expects/demands
nothing
–
Seeks only
expression in the ¥ variety of form
– Matter may or may not express the forces consciousness
creates
•
How might
“God” and a “universal consciousness” be related?
•
There are many
possible answers; perhaps:
– The universe’s consciousness is a
part of God
– God created consciousness and
matter/energy
– God/universal consciousness are
just two different ways we think about the infinite
– God/universal consciousness are
two different things
– A universal consciousness exists even if
God doesn’t
•
Which one
might be correct for you depends on your faith/beliefs, as well as your
understanding of chiropractic philosophy
•
What
chiropractic philosophy says about this question
• Chiropractic philosophy actually doesn’t address this question at all!
•
Its major
premise:
– Concerns the natural universe of matter/energy
– Doesn’t explore where the universe “comes from”
– Doesn’t say whether it was created or not
•
Chiropractic’s
core “health principle” is natural health from within according to natural law
– Health is not a miracle, it is a natural birthright
•
Some Necessary
Conclusions
•
When the
question of the existence of a universal consciousness is considered in
light of a person’s belief in God, religion and chiropractic philosophy may
overlap each other, without corresponding, yet without necessarily
contradicting each other, either.
•
Some Necessary
Conclusions
•
In basing
chiropractic on a philosophic model of the interaction between the physical and
the immaterial, we must avoid the temptation to confuse it with our own
personal theology, or to see it as a competitive theology
•
Some Necessary
Conclusions
•
While our own
personal belief in chiropractic may be based on faith, our philosophical
conclusions should be based exclusively on what we can logically deduce from
our stated assumptions
• Thus, we must necessarily posit the concept of
the natural character of a universal consciousness, expressed within and
through its own natural laws
•
Consider this…
“There is nothing unnatural in this universe, only large gaps in our
knowledge of how nature herself works.”
Edwin
Mitchell, American astronaut
•
Principle 1
(cont.)
This implies that the
universe possesses a non-physical “consciousness” of itself as a
self- organizing system, as well as the means necessary to express this
consciousness through the continuous creation and recreation of its own
organization.
•
A definition
of consciousness
•
The ability of
an organized thing to be aware of itself, and to respond to its own awareness.
•
Consciousness
is assumed to create the specific relationships within an organized system
and/or to cause the organized actions of that system in response to its
environment.
•
Characteristics
of a
universal consciousness
universal consciousness
•
All
consciousness is:
– Internal
• A feature of a specific organized entity
– Immaterial
•
Neither the
matter nor the energy of the system
–
Expressed as self-sustaining organization
•
To be
expressed, consciousness must continuously overcome matter’s intrinsic inertia
– Recognized by its expression
•
If
consciousness is the necessary cause of organization, organization is
the necessary effect of conscious action
• Characteristics of a
universal consciousness
universal consciousness
§ Consciousness is:
§ Creative
§ It creates organization
§ The active principle of the universe
§ Matter is passive (inertial)
§ Infinite
§ If we assume an
infinite universe
§ The causes all properties/actions
§ The properties/actions of an organized system are the
expressions (motions) of its organization (form)
•
Universal
Principles
The Uniformity of Consciousness
The Uniformity of Consciousness
•
2. This self-organizational
consciousness is continuously active throughout the whole universe, and
equally active in any and all parts of the universe. (Principle 5)
•
Principle 5 –
Force is manifested as organization in matter; all matter has organization,
therefore there is universal intelligence expressed in all matter.
•
Universal
Principles
The Sufficiency of Consciousness
The Sufficiency of Consciousness
•
3. This self-organizational
consciousness is always sufficient to create whatever organization is
expressed. (Principle 8)
•
Principle 8 –
The amount of intelligence for any given amount of matter is 100%, and is
always proportional to its requirements.
•
Sufficiency
• “Sufficient cause” for all organization that has,
does, or will exist
– Immaterial potential only, until expressed
• All possible forms that the universe, or any
part of it, might ever assume, already exist as possibilities in consciousness
– The possibility of consciousness is the consciousness
of possibility
• Unlimited
• Unchanging
• Non-anthropomorphic
•
Universal
Principles
Cause and Effect, and Time
Cause and Effect, and Time
•
4. This self-organizational
consciousness is expressed as physical organization in substance
(matter/energy) through cause and effect relationships (Principle 2) that
unfold over time. (Principle 3)
•
Principle 2 –
Every effect has causes and every cause has effects.
•
Principle 3 –
All processes require time.
•
Cause and
Effect, and Time
•
Also primary
assumptions concerning the basic nature of the universe
•
Apply to the
entire universe, including its immaterial aspect
– Universal consciousness, the cause of
organization, expresses itself over time as matter’s organization,
which is the effect of consciousness
•
Confirms the naturalness
of the universe
•
Organization
•
Organization =
specific parts (structures) moving in specific relationships with each other.
•
Consciousness
assembles the specific parts and creates the specific relationships between
them.
• Organization: Specific Parts
•
Parts:
• 2 Hydrogen atoms/1 Oxygen atom
• 2 Hydrogen atoms/1 Sulfur atom
•
Relationships:
–
The
relationships among the
parts are nearly identical
•
Organization:
• H2O (water)
• H2S (rotten egg gas)
•
Which “parts”
does make a difference
• Organization: Specific Relationships
•
Parts: 0.4g carbon atoms
•
Relationships:
• Uniform tetrahedral lattice
• Sheets of hexagonal lattice
•
Organization:
• 2 Carat Diamond (~$8,000)
• 0.9mm Pencil Lead (~4¢)
•
“Relationships”
do make a difference
•
Organization
•
Examples exist
at every level of inorganic and organic activity.
–
An atom – p+,
n0, e- in specific patterns of movement
–
A molecule –
atoms moving in specific relationships
–
A cell –
innumerable different molecules interacting
–
A tissue –
similar cells interact to form a unified structure
–
An organ –
specific tissues functioning in unison
–
A system –
specific organs acting in coordination
–
The body – all
organ systems interacting as one
– The ecosphere – living organisms interacting with each
other and their environment to create a self-sustaining organized system
•
Universal
Principles
Energetic Interactionalism
Energetic Interactionalism
•
5. These cause and effect relationships
are created in substance by way of energy-mediated interactions*
between material structures. (Principle 4)
*Energy-mediated
interactions: one material structure affecting the motion of another by the
exchange of forces between them
•
Principle 4 –
Matter can have no organization without the application of force by
intelligence.
•
Force – the
Interactive Interface
•
To serve as
the connection between consciousness and matter, force must have both physical
and non-physical components.
•
In our symbol
of unity through duality, is the sinusoidal interface black or white? (Actually, it must be both!)
•
Force –
the “Interactive Interface”
the “Interactive Interface”
•
Force must
have a physical component to cause matter to have/change motion.
•
Matter itself
is inertial
–
Inertia:
matter at rest will remain at rest (i.e. unrelated to other matter), or if in
motion, will remain in motion at a constant velocity (i.e. unrelated to other
matter) unless acted on by an outside force
–
For a living
thing, inertia = death
•
Force’s
Physical Component
Energy
Energy
•
The physical
aspect of any force is energy.
– Energy is physical substance (E = mc2).
• Gravity
• Electromagnetism
• Strong and weak nuclear forces
• Mechanical, chemical energy
•
Energy can
move freely through the vacuum of space, can move through matter, and can be
stored in matter
•
Energy
Force’s Physical Component
Force’s Physical Component
•
Consciousness
doesn’t create energy
– All the energy and all the matter of the universe
already exist
•
Consciousness uses
the physical energy of the universe to organize the matter of the
universe
–
It is the organization
of the universe, not its matter/ energy, which is continuously unfolding
(physical evolution)
•
Consciousness continuously
organizes matter by continuously creating the forces that continuously
change matter’s motion
====================================================================
End Midterm Material - my vary by class
====================================================================
Universal
Principles
Information and Form
• 6. All
energy-mediated interactions between material structures transmit information*
and create relationships in matter. (Principle 9)
*Information: the
potential to form a specific relationship between interactive parts; potential
form
•
Principle 9 –
The function of force is to unite intelligence and matter.
•
Force’s
Immaterial Component
•
To serve as
the connection between immaterial intelligence and physical matter, force must
have both physical and non-physical components.
– Force must have an immaterial component to carry the
organizational “intent” (form) of consciousness to matter.
•
Information
•
The immaterial
(non-physical) aspect of any force is information
– Information is the message carried by any force, which
“tells” the matter it affects “what to do”
– The information in any force is expressed by matter in
the specific way it responds to that force, which gives matter its form
•
Information
can be stored/carried in matter, but can only be transferred from matter to
matter to create organization by way of energy
•
Universal
Principles
Information and Form
Information and Form
•
6. …These relationships among material
parts constitute the form* of the matter at any moment in time. (Principle 13)
* Form: the specific
character of the interaction between material parts which determines the
properties of the organization created by the interaction
•
Principle 13 –
The function of matter is to express force.
•
Form
•
Form: the
specific character of the interaction between material parts which determines
the properties of the organization created by the interaction
– Form is the actual shape and actions of matter
– Form is given to matter by the forces that
shape its motions
–
Form is the
physical expression of the immaterial potential (information)
contained in force(s)
•
Universal
Principles
Form and Consciousness
Form and Consciousness
•
7. The universe’s self-organizational
consciousness is the source of the information in any and all
energy-mediated interactions. (Principle 7)
•
Principle 7 –
The function of intelligence is to create force.
•
Universal
Principles
The Problem of Interference
The Problem of Interference
•
8. During the transmission of information
inherent in any energy-mediated interaction, interference* can and
may occur. (Principle 12)
*Interference:
alteration to the information being transmitted by the energy involved in an
energy-mediated interaction
•
Principle 12 –
There can be interference with the transmission of universal forces.
•
The Creation
of a Force
•
The creation
of a force:
–
A new “force”
is created wherever and whenever matter emits energy and/or energy is
transformed
–
At that “point
of creation” consciousness embeds new information in the energy –
creating a specific new force
–
The
information represents the organization which that specific force may
cause (potential)
•
The Transmission
of a Force
•
The transmission
of a force:
– The movement of a force (energy/ information) from
where it is created to where it is expressed
–
Transmission
is a physical process (energy transfer) with an immaterial aspect (the
information carried)
–
The process
of transmission is limited by the limits of matter and time
•
The Expression
of a Force
•
The expression
of a force:
– Every force causes specific motions in the
matter it ultimately reaches and interacts with
–
Expression is
a physical process (energy affecting matter’s motion) with an immaterial
aspect (the consciousness of the matter “interprets” the information in the
force to determine how the matter will react)
–
The process
of expression is limited by the limits of matter and time
• Interference
•
The immaterial
information (message from universal intelligence) is carried in the physical
energy of the force
•
Distortion, alteration, deflection, or absorption of the
physical energy of a force during its transmission may
also change the information it carries
•
The potential distortion
of the information depends on where and how the Information
is embedded in the energy
• Interference
•
Where is the interference? Why?
– Message: Insert tab “a” into slot “b”
• Insert tab a into slot “b”
• Insert tab a into slot b
• Insert tab a into slot “B”
• Insert tab a into slot “bh
• Insert tab a into slot “B”
• Insert tab a into slot “d”
• Interference
•
Any change in
the information (message) in a force during its transmission
has the potential to interfere with (change/alter) the organizational
relationship that force will ultimately create between its material “point of
creation” and its material “point of expression”
•
If the
distortion of the message does distort the organizational relationship, the
distortion of the message is an interference.
•
The Expression
of an Interference
•
Matter is
physically inertial, but possesses consciousness
•
Therefore,
whenever it receives a force, its consciousness expresses whatever
information is present in that force
•
Whether a distortion
of information is an interference or not depends on whether
the intelligence of the matter receiving it can interpret it to cause the
organizational relationship it was created to cause.
•
The Expression
of an Interference
If the distorted
information cannot be interpreted to create normal organization, the
distortion of that information is an interference, and the expression of that interference is dis-organization
•
Universal
Principles
Universal Laws
Universal Laws
•
9. At the inorganic level of
organization, energy-mediated interactions are deterministic and
unindividualized. Such interactions are commonly characterized as universal
laws. (Principle 11)
•
Principle 11 –
The forces the universe’s intelligence
creates throughout the universe are manifested as physical laws; they are
unswerving and unadapted, and have no solicitude for the structures in which
they work.
•
Universal
Forces
•
Consciousness
creates the information in universal forces.
•
Matter
expresses the information in universal forces as “universal laws.”
•
Universal
forces/laws are “unswerving and unadapted, and have no solicitude for the
structures in which they work” (Principle 11)
whether those structures are
living things or not. (Principle 14)
•
Universal
Principles
Unital Consciousness
Unital Consciousness
•
10. The self-organizational consciousness
inherent to and active in the whole universe is necessarily also inherent to
and active in any specific, self-organizing entity (unit) of the universe (unital
consciousness) (Principle 14)
•
Principle 14 –
Universal intelligence gives force to both organic and inorganic matter.
•
Unital
Consciousness
•
Any/every
“thing” (atom, molecule, cell, organism, stellar system) has a consciousness
of itself, continually creating the forces within it that
cause/maintain its own organization
– Unital
self-creation/self-maintenance
– Aware of itself and its “not-self ” (environment)
– Demonstrates “organizational integrity”
• Internal harmony = coordination = ease = health
– Responds to external forces in terms of its own
wholeness
•
Universal
Principles
The Perfect Expression of Form
The Perfect Expression of Form
•
11. For any specific structure to express its unital
consciousness to its fullest, all the matter necessary to create it must be
present, …
•
Universal
Principles
The Perfect Expression of Form
The Perfect Expression of Form
•
11. … and all the energy-mediated interactions
necessary to give it its specific form must occur without interference. (Principles
6, 10)
•
Principle 6 –
Any organized structure is a triunity having three necessary factors; namely,
intelligence, matter and the force which united them.
•
Principle 10 –
The amount of force created by intelligence is always 100%.
• “Perfect” Organization
•
Organization =
parts + relationships
• “Perfect” organization = organizational integrity
–
Appropriate parts in coordinated relationships
•
Parts fit
together smoothly
•
Relationships
have harmonic resonance (ease)
•
Organizational
integrity = “wholeness”
–
The next
(higher) level of expression is created
•
“The whole is
greater than the sum of its parts”
•
Same
consciousness that created the parts and the relationships is expressed by the
whole
•
The Biological
Principles
•
The next 7
principles explore the topic of “life,”
identifying the self-organizing potential of a living thing as its
innate intelligence and describing the unique, constructive forces created
within living things to maintain their organization. These are the biological
principles.
•
Biological
Principles
Innate Intelligence
Innate Intelligence
•
12. Each and every living organism has the self-organizational
consciousness of the universe inherent to and active within it, which is
its unital consciousness. (Principle 15.)
•
Principle 15 –
The material of the body of a “living thing” is organized matter.
•
Biological
Principles
Innate Intelligence
Innate Intelligence
•
12. …Traditionally, this has been referred to as
the organism’s innate intelligence. (Principles 16, 22)
•
Principle 16 –
A living thing has the intelligence of the universe inborn within it, referred
to as its innate intelligence.
•
Principle 22 –
There is 100% of innate intelligence in every living thing, the requisite
amount, proportional to its requirements.
• Innate intelligence
•
“A living
thing has the intelligence (consciousness) of the universe inborn within it,
referred to as its innate intelligence.” – Stephenson’s Principles
–
“Innate
intelligence” is the name we give to consciousness being expressed through the
organizational integrity of a living thing
–
In a
uni-cellular organism, its cellular (unital) consciousness = its
“innate intelligence”
–
In a
multi-cellular organism, its “organismic self-” consciousness = its “innate
intelligence”
• Innate “intelligence”
• Why “intelligence?”
– From the Latin verb intelligere: to perceive,
understand
– Definitions:
•
“Perception;
discernment”
•
“The ability
to respond quickly and successfully to a new situation”
• Innate “intelligence”
• Two levels of “perception” in a living thing:
– What is happening inside me = internal needs
– What is going on around me = external challenges
• Two levels of “response” in a living thing
– How I meet my own needs = coordination
–
How I respond
to the environment = adaptation
•
Biological
Principles
Innate Intelligence Expressed
Innate Intelligence Expressed
•
13. Life exists through the expression of this innate
intelligence, (Principle 18) and each and every individual life
derives its meaningfulness from the expression of this innate intelligence.
(Principle 17)
•
Principle 18 –
Life is necessarily the union of this intelligence and the matter of a living
thing, brought about by the creation of specific internal biological forces..
•
Principle 17 –
The expression of this intelligence through matter is the chiropractic meaning
of “life.”
•
Biological
Principles
The Signs of Life
The Signs of Life
•
14. A living organism’s innate intelligence
is expressed by the higher order interactive processes that characterize life
itself, …
•
That
Characterize Life Itself…
• Life is self-created,
self-directed motion
• Life exists “far from equilibrium”
• Life demonstrates enthalpy
• Death allows equilibrium to return
•
Death “closes the system,” creating entropy
•
Biological
Principles
The Signs of Life
The Signs of Life
•
14. …including
self-assembly, self-maintenance, self-transformation, species-perpetuation and
self-directed matter/energy exchanges with the environment.
•
Biological
Principles
The Signs of Life
The Signs of Life
•
14. …Traditionally, these have been referred to
as the signs of life. (Principle 19)
•
Principle 19 –
The signs of life (the ability to assimilate, eliminate, grow, reproduce and
adapt) are evidence of the intelligence of life.
•
The Signs of
Life
• The signs of life (assimilation, elimination, growth,
reproduction, adaptability) are evidence of the innate intelligence of life (Principle
No. 19)
– Assimilation/Elimination
•
(Self-directed
matter/energy exchange w/ the
environment)
– Growth (Self-assembly, self-transformation)
– Reproduction (Species-perpetuation)
– Adaptability (Self-maintenance)
•
Assimilation
(Matter/Energy Exchange)
(Matter/Energy Exchange)
• “…the ability of an organism to take into its body
food materials selectively and make them a part of itself according to a system
or intelligent plan” Chiropractic Text Book, Article 65, p. 35
–
Food, water,
oxygen, information are all actively assimilated from the environment into the organism
–
Assimilation
is self-directed – determined by the needs of the organism
•
Assimilation
(Matter/Energy Exchange)
(Matter/Energy Exchange)
•
Environmental
“assimilants” must be adapted (purposefully altered) to be utilized
–
All matter
must be reorganized into the forms adapted to the organism’s needs
–
The information
in any force must be converted from destructive to constructive
–
Information must be translated into meaningful form
(understanding)
•
Elimination
(Matter/Energy Exchange)
(Matter/Energy Exchange)
•
“…the ability
of an organism to give off waste matters selectively, which an intelligence
deems are no longer of use in that structure” Chiropractic Text Book, Article 66, p. 35
–
The waste
products of metabolism are selectively and actively expelled back into the
environment
–
Elimination is
self-directed – determined by the needs of the organism
•
Elimination
(Matter/Energy Exchange)
(Matter/Energy Exchange)
•
Matter/energy
eliminated by the body:
–
Metabolic
waste matter (CO2, H2O, NH3)
–
Excess energy
–
Unassimilated
dietary elements
–
Autotoxins
(breakdown products)
–
Immune system
effluvia
–
Surface
epidermal layer
•
Common origin
of the perception of sickness – nausea, diarrhea, fever, etc.
•
Growth
(Self-assembly/self-transformation)
(Self-assembly/self-transformation)
• “…the ability to expand according to an intelligent
plan to mature size”
Chiropractic
Text Book, Article 68, p. 37
–
The body’s
innate intelligence uses assimilated energy to assemble assimilated matter into
the structures and functions of life
–
Growth is
self-directed – influenced by the genetic potentials and environmental
“assimilants” but determined by the expression of innate intelligence
•
Growth
(Self-assembly/self-transformation)
(Self-assembly/self-transformation)
•
Embryology: Rapid self-assembly
–
Assimilation
vastly exceeds elimination
•
Maturation: Developmental growth
–
Assimilation
exceeds elimination
•
Education: Informational growth
– Continuous assimilation/integration of new experiences
•
Dynamic
equilibrium:
Self-maintenance
–
Assimilation
approximately equals elimination
•
Reproduction
(Meta-unital (Life-) Perpetuation)
(Meta-unital (Life-) Perpetuation)
• …the ability of the unit to reproduce something of like kind; the power to
perpetuate its own kind
Chiropractic
Text Book, Article 69,
p. 38
– Reproduction is “meta-unital” (beyond the needs of the
organism itself)
•
Cellular
reproduction - directed by the organism’s needs
•
Organismic
reproduction is directed by the species’ needs
•
Reproduction
•
Molecular
replication
–
May be the earliest, simplest “sign” of life
•
Asexual
reproduction
–
Fission,
cloning, budding
–
All are types
of the “duplication of form”
•
Sexual
(gametal) reproduction
–
Also produces
a “duplication of form”
– Produces variation of form through which the
“consciousness of life” can express itself fully
•
Adaptability
•
The ability a
living organism has to respond to all forces that impinge on it, both internal
and external, so as to survive as itself.
–
The ability
to adapt comes from the innate intelligence of the organism
–
The expression
of that ability comes from the material organization
(structure/function) of the organism
–
Often
considered the primary sign of life
•
Adaptability
• …the intellectual ability that an organism possesses
of responding to all forces which come to it, whether Innate or Universal
Chiropractic
Text Book, Article 67,
p. 36
–
Expressed at
all levels of living function
–
Adaptability is a potential (the ability to respond) that must be
expressed moment by moment as actual responses
(adaptations)
–
Adaptability
is intellectual, whereas adaptations are physical
•
Expressions of
Adaptability
§
Enthalpy – The ability a living organism has to maintain itself
in active organization against the effects of entropy.
§
Homeostasis – The ability a living organism has to maintain
constant, optimum internal conditions in the face of constantly changing
external conditions.
§ Healing – The ability a living
organism has to repair and/or replace and/or compensate for damage to its
physical structure.
•
Adaptability
vs. adaptation
• Adaptability denotes the full range of possible survival responses an individual or
species could make (Adaptive Range)
•
Adaptation denotes the actual response a specific individual or
species makes in response to a specific survival challenge.
•
Biological
Principles
The Limits of Expression
The Limits of Expression
•
15. A living organism’s innate intelligence
is expressed through the medium of, and therefore within the limitations of,
the atomic and molecular organization of the matter of which it is composed. (Principle
25)
•
Principle 25 –
A living thing’s innate intelligence adapts forces and matter for use in its
body as long as it can do so without breaking a universal law, in other words,
its expression is limited by the limitations of matter and time.
•
Limits of
Adaptability
•
Any organism’s
adaptability (its
potential adaptive range) is limited by the form of the organism and the
time adaptive processes require.
•
Adaptive range is limited by the general form of the organism and is
variable throughout the life of an individual (or a species) depending on its
age, form, vigor, etc. It can expand or decrease over time.
•
Limits of
Adaptation
§ Any particular adaptation is limited by the
individual’s genetics, history, diet, neurological integrity
§ Subluxation would be considered a limiting factor in the expression of any
specific adaptive response
•
Biological
Principles
Normal Structure and Function
Normal Structure and Function
•
16. A living organism’s innate intelligence
is the source of the information in any and all of the energy-mediated
interactions that create intra- and inter-cellular organization within that
organism,… (Principle 20)
•
Principle 20 –
The mission of a living thing’s innate intelligence is to maintain the material
of its body in active organization.
•
Biological
Principles
Normal Structure and Function
Normal Structure and Function
•
16. …thus
defining what is normal structure and function for that organism. (Principles
26, 27)
•
Principle 26 –
A living thing’s innate intelligence is always normal, and its function is
always normal.
•
Principle 27 –
The forces a living thing’s innate intelligence creates are never intended to
injure or destroy the living thing itself.
•
Internal
Biological (Innate) Forces
– As a living organism creates, transmits and expresses
its own innate forces, it can result in two possible outcomes:
•
“Total Health”
•
“Relative
Health”
•
The Expression
of Innate Forces
– Total Health:
The innate forces of the body are created,
transmitted and expressed perfectly through perfect matter, creating perfect
health
• An “idealized” concept
– Relative health:
The innate forces of the body are created,
transmitted and expressed as completely as they can be (no interference)
through the less than perfect matter of the body, creating the optimum
health possible
• Chiropractic’s actual clinical objective
•
Biological
Principles
Normal Adaptation
Normal Adaptation
•
17. A living organism’s innate intelligence
is the source of the information necessary to reorganize the matter and
energy it assimilates from its environment into patterns of structural
relationships (forms) …
• Matter Re-organized (Adapted)
•
Every DNA
molecule in your body is a re-arrangement of assimilated DNA
–
Broken down
into base pairs and deoxyribose
–
Reassembled
into your unique pattern of DNA
–
If not needed
for DNA, can be used for other functions (e.g. ATP – adenosine triphosphate)
•
Every protein
in your body is a re-arrangement of assimilated proteins
– Broken down into amino acids and re-synthesized into
the proteins you need
•
Biological
Principles
Normal Adaptation
Normal Adaptation
•
17. …and energetic interactions (internal
biological forces) that maintain the identity of the organism (Principle
23) and thus are constructive to the organism. (Principle 28)
•
Principle 23 –
The function of a living thing’s innate intelligence is to adapt environmental
forces and matter for use in its body, so that all parts of its body will have
coordinated action for mutual benefit
•
Principle 28 –
In order to carry on the universal cycle of life, environmental forces are
destructive to a specific living thing, unless it can adapt them, whereas
internal biological forces are constructive to the specific living thing that
creates them, unless they suffer interference.
• Energy Reorganized (Adapted)
–
Every
self-created internal biological force is a transformation of a
potentially destructive environmental force.
–
Consider the
chemical energy of O2:
•
Atmospheric O2
= destructive reagent
•
HGl-bound O2
= useful biological reagent
–
Consider raw
electromagnetic energy:
•
Sunlight on
skin = potentially harmful UV
•
Retinal-pigment-captured
sunlight = an environmentally meaningful nerve impulse
•
The
Intelligence of Adaptation – Responding to External (Unadapted) Forces
“The student’s attention
is called, here, to the word responding, which indicates sensibility.” *
“Organisms…show the
presence of intelligence by the manifestations of that intelligence, in judging
every circumstance of environment which may, even remotely, have something to
do with the organism.”*
“Man has the most
powerful organ of Intellectual Adaptation, the educated brain, hence a
greater adaptability.” *
*Stephenson’s Chiropractic
Text Book, Article 67, p. 36-37
•
The Four Steps
of Adaptation
§
Environmental
challenge
§
May arise from
internal or external environment
§ May be enthalpic, homeostatic, traumatic
§
Innate
awareness
§ Innate intelligence “judges every circumstance of environment which may, even remotely,
have something to do with the organism.”
•
The Four Steps
of Adaptation
§ Intellectual adaptation
§
“The plans of
Innate to meet circumstances.”*
§
“It differs
from adaptation in that intellectual adaptation is a mental (immaterial)
process.”*
*Stephenson’s Chiropractic
Text Book, Article 99, p. 60
§ Physical personification (Adaptation)
§
The immaterial
expressed in material
§
“Innate’s
plans coming true.”**
** Stephenson’s Chiropractic
Text Book, Article 79, p. 46
•
The Fate of an
Environmental Force
– A living organism adapts the environmental forces
acting upon it into internal biological forces if it can, but
because of the limits of matter/time, it may be only partially able to do so,
or it may fail completely
– Thus, an environmental force interacting with a
living organism can result in three possible outcomes to the organism, or possible fates of
the environmental force itself:
– Conversion
– Resistance
– Trauma
(Stephenson called these “The Fates of Force”)
•
The Fates of a
Universal Force
– Conversion:
Innate intelligence
changes the character (information content) of the force (adapts it),
transforming it into a constructive internal biological force.
•
The Fates of a
Universal Force
Resistance:
Innate intelligence, utilizing the internal resistive
forces present in the body, dissipates some or all of the environmental
force without benefit or harm.
•
The Fates of a
Universal Force
– Trauma:
The environmental force is greater than the
internal resistive forces of the body, overcomes them and is expressed as
physical harm or damage to the body.
•
Biological
Principles
Health
Health
•
18. When the information an organism’s innate
intelligence creates is expressed without interference, it produces
the organized relationships between the constituent parts of the organism (coordination),
… (Principle 24)
•
Principle 24 –
Coordination is the principle of harmonious interaction among all the parts of
an organism, in fulfilling their functions and purposes.
•
Biological
Principles
Health
Health
•
18. … and an
organized relationship between the organism and its environment (adaptation).
(Principle 23) These normal relationships constitute the life and
health of the organism. (Principle 21)
•
Principle 23 –
The function of a living thing’s innate intelligence is to adapt environmental
forces and matter for use in its body, so that all parts of its body will have
coordinated action for mutual benefit.
•
Principle 21 –
In order to have 100% life, there must be 100% intelligence, 100% force, and
100% matter.
•
The
Chiropractic Principles
•
The last four
principles relate the preceding metaphysical biological model to its primary
expression in humans (and other vertebrates). They posit the significance of
the nerve system in self-awareness and self-regulation, and the significance of
potential malfunction in the intimate anatomical/ physiological/bio-mechanical
relationship between the spinal column and the nerve system.
•
The
Chiropractic Principles
•
They are
referred to as the “chiropractic principles” because they are the only part of
this syllogism that specifically underlies chiropractic practice. The universal
and biological principles, on the other hand, are applicable to developing an
appropriate, vitalistic perspective on human existence in any and all areas of
human functioning and interpersonal relationships.
•
Chiropractic
Principles
The Role of the Nerve System
The Role of the Nerve System
•
19. The innate
intelligence of a living organism with a nerve system utilizes the
energetic interactions mediated over the nerve system (afferent and efferent
nerve impulses)... (Principle 31)
•
Principle 31 –
In animals, some of the forces a living thing’s innate intelligence creates
operate through or over its nerve system.
•
Chiropractic
Principles
The Role of the Nerve System
The Role of the Nerve System
•
19. …to create
organism-wide self-awareness of its own internal and external environments (self-perception),
and to create organism-wide coordination internally and adaptation externally (self-regulation).
(Principle 32)
•
Principle 32 –
The Law of Demand and Supply operates and is expressed in animal bodies through
the functioning of the nerve system; wherein the brain acts as a CPU for the
living thing’s innate intelligence, and wherein the nerves transmit messages
from the body to the brain, concerning its needs (demands) and from the brain
to the body to meet (supply) those needs.
•
Chiropractic
Principles
Neurological Interference
Neurological Interference
•
20. During the transmission of afferent and/or
efferent nerve impulses, neurological interference* can and may occur. (Principle
29)
*Neurological
interference: distortion of the information being transmitted by afferent
and/or efferent nerve impulses
•
Principle 29 –
There can be interference with the transmission of internal biological forces.
•
Neurological
Interference
–
The immaterial
adaptive information (message from innate intelligence) is carried in the
physical energy of the innate force (the nerve impulse).
–
Distortion of
a nerve impulse during its transmission may also distort the information
it carries, just as distortion of a sound (energy) during its transmission may
distort the words (information) it carries.
•
Neurological
Interference
– If adaptive information in nerve impulses
causes adaptive function (normal physiology), then distorted
information from interference will cause distorted function (dis-ease).
– Dis-ease:
The innate forces of the body suffer interference
during transmission, and are expressed as physiological incoordination (disorganization)
of function.
•
Chiropractic
Principles
Diminished Expression
Diminished Expression
•
21. Neurological interference will tend to
distort an organism’s self-perception (afferently) and/or an organism’s
self-regulation (efferently), diminishing the expression of its own innate
intelligence. (Principle 30)
•
Principle 30 –
Interference with the transmission of internal biological forces causes
incoordination, or dis-ease.
•
Chiropractic
Principles
Vertebral Subluxation
Vertebral Subluxation
•
22. Vertebral
subluxations, to the extent that they interfere with neurologically transmitted
information, will cause afferent incoordination (misperceptions
of the organism’s external environment, and/or its own internal environment),…
•
Chiropractic
Principles
Vertebral Subluxation
Vertebral Subluxation
•
…and/or efferent
incoordination (malfunction internally and/or mal-adaptation
externally). (Principle 33) Traditionally,
efferent incoordination has been referred to as dis-ease. (Principle
30)
•
Principle 33 –
In vertebrates, interference with the transmission of nerve forces in the body
is often directly or indirectly due to subluxations in the spinal column.
•
Principle 30 –
Interference with the transmission of internal biological forces causes
incoordination, or dis-ease.
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