A framework for recognizing the complexity of our worlds by looking at the world through the contextual field. By focusing on the context of our worlds, we can better navigate the choices we make in life and understand our place in the world.
Contextual Evolution
A New Approach to
Understanding Ourselves
A Complex Adaptive System
The Contextual Field
The Contextual Field is made up of the different forces of influence on an individual. These forces are categorized in three different orders based on the strength of the force.
The first order context is made up of the lifestyle forces, the second order context is made up of the culture forces and the third order context is made up of the science forces. Each context gets progressively weaker in its force strength.
Each individual has an ideal force equilibrium that they naturally prefer. How we navigate the contextual field as it evolves to find this equilibrium is referred to as contextual development.
Contextual Development
The Contextual Field Is Constantly Evolving
Life is about constantly adapting to the evolving contextual field. The contextual field at any given point in time is called the Contextual Fingerprint.
First Order Context
Lifestyle
Our lifestyle is where our behaviors come into play. This context focuses on our interactions with the outside world. It is considered a strong force.
Second Order Context
Culture
Our culture allows us to add perspective to our environment. It teaches far more than our immediate surroundings could. It is considered a weak force.
Third Order Context
Science
Science shows us what our surroundings is made up of. It gives us the inner workings of our world and what that means to us. It is considered a background force.
Lifestyle
First Order
Your lifestyle is complex. It needs to balance five different forces, while also being pulled by the culture and science forces.
Lifestyle is the most important of the three contexts as it is the only one that can be directly effected by your behaviors. The constraint we have on our lifestyle is that time and effort are limited, which means that the total amount of force in the context is fixed. This means as we strengthen the force of one element in the context, it redistributes the rest of the forces in the context. This leads to the context always being in a state of evolution.
The main elements of the lifestyle context are health, wealth, wisdom, affinity, and duty. These elements are forces that we act on and that act on us. They are effected by the behaviors that we have, which means we can effect the forces by changing our behaviors. Unfortunately due to the complexity of the forces, it’s not exactly clear what effects a behavior change will have. This is why you need to be constantly adapting to the contextual field.
The body is guided by nutrition and exercise. These two things make up the health element.
Our health is important. What we put into our body and how we move it influence how our body exists in the world. By making sure to fuel our body and using it in productive ways, our health can improve every aspect of our lives. The issue is there is threshold in which the force is detrimental as the returns on your time are greatly diminished.
The two categories our resources are organized into are cashflow and net worth. These will give you the best picture of the wealth element.
The wealth element has to do with resource management. While this element is generally a stronger force, it doesn’t have to be. Being wealthy has to do with how you manage your resources, not necessarily the absolute value of your resources. The impact of the wealth element can vary due to the fact that cashflow and net worth can diverge greatly.
The wisdom element consists of mindset and learning. These two things contribute to wisdom being a strong force.
The wisdom element contributes a lot to how we view the other forces. Of the lifestyle forces, the wisdom element will likely be the weakest due to it having a less direct force. It also has an effect on the other lifestyle forces as this element can greatly effect your behaviors.
The affinity element has to with our relationships with others. It consists of our platonic and romantic relationships.
Our relationships are an important part of our lifestyle and for some people a strong force. This covers the interpersonal relationships that we have and how much we nurture them. Both our platonic and romantic relationships can create forces that can have a wide range of variance.
Our lifestyle has a strong force that focuses on our duty. This element covers both the work we do and our responsibilities to ourself and others.
Our duty is an important force for centering us in our contextual field as it covers the use that we have in it. This is the most difficult force to find balance in as what we want from it can change over time. This force can also cause some problems due to the length that your commitment to your responsibilities can last.
Your lifestyle is complex. It needs to balance five different forces, while also being pulled by the culture and science forces.
Lifestyle is the most important of the three contexts as it is the only one that can be directly effected by your behaviors. The constraint we have on our lifestyle is that time and effort are limited, which means that the total amount of force in the context is fixed. This means as we strengthen the force of one element in the context, it redistributes the rest of the forces in the context. This leads to the context always being in a state of evolution.
The main elements of the lifestyle context are health, wealth, wisdom, affinity, and duty. These elements are forces that we act on and that act on us. They are effected by the behaviors that we have, which means we can effect the forces by changing our behaviors. Unfortunately due to the complexity of the forces, it’s not exactly clear what effects a behavior change will have. This is why you need to be constantly adapting to the contextual field.
The body is guided by nutrition and exercise. These two things make up the health element.
Our health is important. What we put into our body and how we move it influence how our body exists in the world. By making sure to fuel our body and using it in productive ways, our health can improve every aspect of our lives. The issue is there is threshold in which the force is detrimental as the returns on your time are greatly diminished.
The two categories our resources are organized into are cashflow and net worth. These will give you the best picture of the wealth element.
The wealth element has to do with resource management. While this element is generally a stronger force, it doesn’t have to be. Being wealthy has to do with how you manage your resources, not necessarily the absolute value of your resources. The impact of the wealth element can vary due to the fact that cashflow and net worth can diverge greatly.
The wisdom element consists of mindset and learning. These two things contribute to wisdom being a strong force.
The wisdom element contributes a lot to how we view the other forces. Of the lifestyle forces, the wisdom element will likely be the weakest due to it having a less direct force. It also has an effect on the other lifestyle forces as this element can greatly effect your behaviors.
The affinity element has to with our relationships with others. It consists of our platonic and romantic relationships.
Our relationships are an important part of our lifestyle and for some people a strong force. This covers the interpersonal relationships that we have and how much we nurture them. Both our platonic and romantic relationships can create forces that can have a wide range of variance.
Our lifestyle has a strong force that focuses on our duty. This element covers both the work we do and our responsibilities to ourself and others.
Our duty is an important force for centering us in our contextual field as it covers the use that we have in it. This is the most difficult force to find balance in as what we want from it can change over time. This force can also cause some problems due to the length that your commitment to your responsibilities can last.
Culture
Second Order
We must know how we got here to understand where we are at. Learning about our culture shows how thought and power has evolved and the transformation we have gone through.
We can learn so much from the present and past. The subject is often forgotten once you leave school and even then you barely scratch the surface. To understand the forces acting on us, we have to know where we came from. What worked and what didn’t work? Through the forces of culture, we can learn how our world became what it is today.
The wisdom you get from this allows you to see the world differently. The sacrifices made before you, the mistakes of the past and the influence of the present. To be able to see the world for what it is will allow you to make decisions that allow you to get closer equilibrium. To not learn from the past would mean never understanding why you are being pulled in different directions.
Thought is often the foundation of everything we do. The force can be split into religion and philosophy as we tend to build our thought from the two.
Thought can be tracked all the way back throughout our history. It has been a battle between religion and philosophy. Strong currents that have changed trajectories of entire continents. We hold on to them strongly even if we don’t know much about them. What we fail to realize are the two are not incompatible.
They are vague words that can encompass a lot. They both can cover origins and ethics. Philosophy can include what is now known as science and religion can include what has now become tradition. They can teach us far more if we don’t keep them diametrically opposed as they are simply forces that act on us.
The building and transferring of power can be done through economics and politics. Why our world operates the way it does is often the merging of these two.
Power is one of the least understood of the forces. These can become very complex and have a rich history. We tend to misunderstand how our political system works and the influence behind it and believe things about the world of economics simply based on personal experience. We fail to see that power comes from knowledge.
Understanding how power came to be divided and how it changes hands has a large impact on our life. Power influences us in everything we do. If we are ignorant to what influences us, we fail to understand them and let it control us. We can restore power to ourselves by understanding how the force acts on us.
Our culture has gone through radical change as both a civilization and as a country. Learning about these transformations can give us insights on how it influences us today.
Studying history could consume a lifetime. There has been so much transformation in our past and present. Focusing on the big picture throughout history can help us learn what shaped us on a civilization and country level. Many of us know so little about our history, so it can be hard to learn from it. We will be unable to understand the force our history has on us.
Learning about how civilization has changed will allow us to understand ourselves better. It will teach us why we do what we do. Learning about the past of our country will allow us to understand our environment better. Transformation shows us how our culture has changed.
We must know how we got here to understand where we are at. Learning about our culture shows how thought and power has evolved and the transformation we have gone through.
We can learn so much from the present and past. The subject is often forgotten once you leave school and even then you barely scratch the surface. To understand the forces acting on us, we have to know where we came from. What worked and what didn’t work? Through the forces of culture, we can learn how our world became what it is today.
The wisdom you get from this allows you to see the world differently. The sacrifices made before you, the mistakes of the past and the influence of the present. To be able to see the world for what it is will allow you to make decisions that allow you to get closer equilibrium. To not learn from the past would mean never understanding why you are being pulled in different directions.
Thought is often the foundation of everything we do. The force can be split into religion and philosophy as we tend to build our thought from the two.
Thought can be tracked all the way back throughout our history. It has been a battle between religion and philosophy. Strong currents that have changed trajectories of entire continents. We hold on to them strongly even if we don’t know much about them. What we fail to realize are the two are not incompatible.
They are vague words that can encompass a lot. They both can cover origins and ethics. Philosophy can include what is now known as science and religion can include what has now become tradition. They can teach us far more if we don’t keep them diametrically opposed as they are simply forces that act on us.
The building and transferring of power can be done through economics and politics. Why our world operates the way it does is often the merging of these two.
Power is one of the least understood of the forces. These can become very complex and have a rich history. We tend to misunderstand how our political system works and the influence behind it and believe things about the world of economics simply based on personal experience. We fail to see that power comes from knowledge.
Understanding how power came to be divided and how it changes hands has a large impact on our life. Power influences us in everything we do. If we are ignorant to what influences us, we fail to understand them and let it control us. We can restore power to ourselves by understanding how the force acts on us.
Our culture has gone through radical change as both a civilization and as a country. Learning about these transformations can give us insights on how it influences us today.
Studying history could consume a lifetime. There has been so much transformation in our past and present. Focusing on the big picture throughout history can help us learn what shaped us on a civilization and country level. Many of us know so little about our history, so it can be hard to learn from it. We will be unable to understand the force our history has on us.
Learning about how civilization has changed will allow us to understand ourselves better. It will teach us why we do what we do. Learning about the past of our country will allow us to understand our environment better. Transformation shows us how our culture has changed.
Science
Third Order
Understanding how the world is structured gives us a deep foundation of what is. We are a product of nature and its processes through matter, structure and logic.
Science is the exploration of our reality. It gives rise to everything we do in the modern world. It shows us the natural world around us. While we have a long way to go, we have learned a lot about the nature of our world. Science has taught us to question everything. It has also taught us that everything we know can change when we get new information.
Science isn’t just a domain for scientists to test theories. It is a place where we can gain true knowledge of how to live in this world. Science can unlock doors that no other subject can. It can allow us to do more than we ever thought possible. We can gain new insights by combining it with our lifestyle and culture. Science adds the final layer to give us an accurate view of the forces that act on us.
The physical world consists of physics and chemistry. Between the two we can understand why nature works the way it does.
Physics and chemistry are the underpinnings to everything around us. Physics helps us understand how our world behaves. It helps us understand why matter works the way it does. It helps show the laws that our lives are controlled by. It allows us to make predictions of how things will work. It can show us the rules of natrue.
Chemistry helps show us the building blocks of nature and how they interact. It helps us create new things and know what things are made out of. It can show us why the world changes the way it does. The combination of the two can teach us so much about our physical world and help us make better decisions.
Structure is the intermixing of biology and psychology. It allows us to understand why our bodies are the way they are.
The study of the structure of life is important to understand ourselves. Through biology and psychology we can understand why we work the way we do. We can learn how we biologically react to thing. We can learn why our minds react the way they do. Studying these two things will help us live better as we are able to understand our behaviors.
It is invaluable because it helps us become more self aware. We can live better because we can avoid the pitfalls that are programmed into us. By knowing how we think, we can help our culture by avoiding things we do that are toxic and promoting things that contribute to it. We will be able to better handle obstacles in life.
Logic is the structures we have built to understand details of the world. Through mathematics and computer science much of the modern world was built.
Mathematics and computer science are the backbones of the modern world. By using logic and computers, we can leverage what we know about the world. We have harnessed nature to allow us to do things that were once impossible. Learning these two things will then allow us to understand the modern world we live in.
It will allow us to leverage it in our own lives. It allows us to take our knowledge and expand it. Through making predictions and off loading work to computers. Learning and utilizing logic in our lives will allow us to multiply the output of what we do. It will help us stay organized in a messy world.
Understanding how the world is structured gives us a deep foundation of what is. We are a product of nature and its processes through matter, structure and logic.
Science is the exploration of our reality. It gives rise to everything we do in the modern world. It shows us the natural world around us. While we have a long way to go, we have learned a lot about the nature of our world. Science has taught us to question everything. It has also taught us that everything we know can change when we get new information.
Science isn’t just a domain for scientists to test theories. It is a place where we can gain true knowledge of how to live in this world. Science can unlock doors that no other subject can. It can allow us to do more than we ever thought possible. We can gain new insights by combining it with our lifestyle and culture. Science adds the final layer to give us an accurate view of the forces that act on us.
The physical world consists of physics and chemistry. Between the two we can understand why nature works the way it does.
Physics and chemistry are the underpinnings to everything around us. Physics helps us understand how our world behaves. It helps us understand why matter works the way it does. It helps show the laws that our lives are controlled by. It allows us to make predictions of how things will work. It can show us the rules of natrue.
Chemistry helps show us the building blocks of nature and how they interact. It helps us create new things and know what things are made out of. It can show us why the world changes the way it does. The combination of the two can teach us so much about our physical world and help us make better decisions.
Structure is the intermixing of biology and psychology. It allows us to understand why our bodies are the way they are.
The study of the structure of life is important to understand ourselves. Through biology and psychology we can understand why we work the way we do. We can learn how we biologically react to thing. We can learn why our minds react the way they do. Studying these two things will help us live better as we are able to understand our behaviors.
It is invaluable because it helps us become more self aware. We can live better because we can avoid the pitfalls that are programmed into us. By knowing how we think, we can help our culture by avoiding things we do that are toxic and promoting things that contribute to it. We will be able to better handle obstacles in life.
Logic is the structures we have built to understand details of the world. Through mathematics and computer science much of the modern world was built.
Mathematics and computer science are the backbones of the modern world. By using logic and computers, we can leverage what we know about the world. We have harnessed nature to allow us to do things that were once impossible. Learning these two things will then allow us to understand the modern world we live in.
It will allow us to leverage it in our own lives. It allows us to take our knowledge and expand it. Through making predictions and off loading work to computers. Learning and utilizing logic in our lives will allow us to multiply the output of what we do. It will help us stay organized in a messy world.
Contextual Identity
Your contextual identity at any given point is the approximate average of past contextual identities in relation to its contextual fingerprint.
Contextual Identities are not static and are constantly updated as the contextual field evolves. It captures your view of the contextual fingerprint at that specific time. Contextual Identities can suffer from refraction for weaker forces which means that they can appear distorted. This can allow us to unintentionally shape how we view the weaker forces.
Understand Your World
“The unexamined life is not worth living”
SocratesPhilosopher
Important Concepts
Contextual Evolution
A framework for looking at the world. It is built on the idea that context is fundamental to our lives. This means that we can’t isolate parts of our life because of its effects on everything else in our life.
Contextual Field
The Contextual Field is made up of the different forces of influence on an individual. It is the context of our life and consists of three orders of influence: lifestyle, culture and science.
Contextual Development
Each individual has an ideal force equilibrium that they naturally prefer. How we navigate the contextual field as it evolves to find this equilibrium is referred to as contextual development.
Contextual Fingerprint
A contextual fingerprint is a capture of the current state of the contextual field. It’s a representation of all of the variables of the contextual field.
Contextual Identity
A contextual identity is the approximate average of the individuals past views of the contextual fingerprint at any specific time.
Contextual Refraction
Contextual identities can suffer from refraction for weaker forces which means that they can appear distorted. This can allow us to unintentionally shape how we view the weaker forces.
Contextual Distortion
Contextual distortion is whenever our view of the contextual field is not exactly what is happening. A large contributor to distortion is from any trauma that we suffer from.
Evolance
The state of finding equilibrium in a constantly evolving contextual field. The lack of it is viewed as the difficulty of existing.
Praczone
A zone where the strength of any given force is the most effective. People will naturally have different praczones for each individual force.
Comparing Fingerprints
Contextual fingerprints can’t be compared due to the dependency on the context. The forces are all dependent on each other so if anything changed, it all would change.
Contextual Mindset vs. Growth Mindset
There is no concept of growth in the contextual field. Growth requires comparison and contextual fingerprints are not comparable. The contextual mindset is about focusing on evolving and how to best deal with the change.
Behaviors vs. Habits
Due to the complexity of the contextual field, the focus is on individual behaviors. The concept of habits doesn’t exist in the contextual field because it would require the consistency of behaviors over a large amount of contextual fingerprints to become easier.
Incompatible Goals
Goals tend to be incompatible with the contextual field due to the high rate of evolution. Behaviors are what drive change in the contextual field and are hard to map out over long time frames.
Not Prescriptive
Contextual evolution is not prescriptive, as it is a framework for looking at the world. It is actually anti-prescriptive as the point of contextual evolution is that context is fundamental to our lives. The only ones that have enough context in our lives to be prescriptive is ourselves.
Last Updated: May 26, 2024
The Framework Is Never Done
The framework is constantly evolving and will be updated here whenever it changes.