Systems

SYSTEMS

A system is a set of data, facts and assumptions that are logically cohesive and are supported by relevant inferences which lead to a logical conclusion. A system is how an individual forms his/her beliefs. Understanding an individual's system is very crucial in understanding the individual's life and beliefs. In the following paragraphs I will show how a system works and explore my own system and show how it affects my life.

Human beings are logical creatures that have a tendency to learn from their mistakes and form new ways of thinking based on their experiences. Most human beings follow a certain system which affects their actions. A system is made up of assumptions, which lead to inferences; from there we can make a logical conclusion based on what we gather from our inferences. An assumption is a statement that is assumed to be true based on our experiences. Inference is what follows as a result of that assumption; it is a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions. For example, an assumption may be that taking good notes will mean you will be a good student. Therefore, I take notes (the inference). The conclusion is that I did well on the test because of the fact that I took notes. The logical conclusion that is reached does not have to be true; it simply has to be logical. To truly understand what a system is and how it works, one needs to know more than mere definitions and understand how both logical and ideological constructs play a role.

Logical constructs make up systems and ensure that everything is set in a logical and coherent order. One example of a logical construct is the MSP method. The "m" stands for the middle term, the "s" stands for the minor term and the "p" stands for the major term. It is a construct used to tie ideas together. This method can link two different ideas together using a common term. For example, all women are inferior. The middle term would be women while the major term would be inferior. From there we move on to: all needy are women. The needy would be the minor term while women are once again the middle term. And finally, we end with: all needy are inferior. The needy are again the minor term and inferior is the major term. The term used to connect both ideas is the needy. The MSP method ensures that the ideas flow together smoothly. Logical constructs ensure that conclusions are sensible and that they flow smoothly from our inferences. The assumption, inferences, and conclusion must be cohesive and coherent with each other in order to make sure it will logically make sense. Logical systems can be absolute, relative or relative absolute. An absolute is an idea that is true for all people at all times. These include information that has been well established and proved, such as the existence of bacteria. Relatives have different meanings for different people. One such example of relatives would be a favorite color choice; everyone's color choice would be different because of the fact that people are different. Relative absolutes are beliefs held by people that they consider to be absolute. However, these beliefs are relative to them because other people may not believe in them. An example of a relative absolute would be the existence of God. Those who believe in religion fully do not doubt God's existence. To them, God exists; this is an absolute. But to other people, such as atheists, God does not exist. The existence of God is a relative absolute and varies from person to person. Though logical constructs play a key role in systems, ideological constructs are crucial as well.

Ideological constructs help explain why people believe in what they believe and why they perform the actions they do. People act the way they do due to the space and time they live in. I know for certain that I would be a completely different person if I was living back in India because the environment there is so much different than America. People are also affected by everything society puts on them, such as socio-economic background, environment, the friends they hang out with, religion, culture, and race. Changing one of these factors can result in a new system. An example of this would be an Orthodox Christian's decision to not eat meat during Passion Week. The same Orthodox Christian would most likely consume meat during Passion Week had he not been an Orthodox Christian. If the Orthodox Christian had been given another label, a different ideology would have been the result. Human beings are all affected by the time and space in which they live in. This results in who we are and explains why we follow certain systems. Both logical and ideological constructs play a major role in systems. For me personally, ideological constructs play an even more crucial role in my system than do logical constructs.

My system emerges from the fact that I am from a Syrian Orthodox Indian community and that I have been raised in California since the age of eight. The primary drive in my system is to succeed in life through education. I come from a community where almost all of the youth attend a University of California. The ones that do not attend