Human Systems and Reality: Needs, Language, and Perception

Human Needs and Abilities

• Humans develop abilities because of their needs and the opportunities to fulfill them.
• The need to experience is central to human existence and is never fully satisfied.

The Systematic Nature of Existence

• Everything in the human body is considered a system.
• Humans interact with both physical and conceptual realities from the moment they are created.

Defining Human Systems

• A system is a group of elements working together to create a complex whole.
• Examples of human systems include hand and face development, language, and the shift from orality to writing.

Layers of Systematic Reality

The Natural Layer: Biological & Psychological

• This layer includes biological and psychological aspects that can be verified scientifically.

The Philosophical Layer: Memory & Imagination

• This layer involves memory and imagination, often making it harder to stay grounded in reality.

Perceiving Reality: Tangible and Beyond

• Humans perceive both a tangible, physical reality and a deeper, indescribable one.
• Infinite questions exist, but their answers are never absolute or fully true.

Human Experience as an Integrated System

• The drive to experience is central to human growth.
• The desire to learn and understand is deeply ingrained in human nature.

Interaction, Inquiry, and Infinite Questions

• Interacting with physical and conceptual realities leads humans to question constantly.
• Questions are infinite, and their answers are never final or absolute.

The Pivotal Role of Language

• Language is a key system enabled by human biological evolution.
• As Wittgenstein said: “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”

Imagination's Power and Reality's Depths

• Imagination is a powerful force but can disconnect humans from tangible reality.
• There is a deeper reality beyond what we can fully articulate with language.

The Bridge Between Mind and Physical Reality

• There is a connection (a “bridge”) between the human mind and physical reality.
• This bridge represents realities that exist between what is tangible and what the mind can imagine.

Supporting Systems of the Human Experience

• The systems of the body (e.g., hands, face) and thought (e.g., language) build the overarching “human system.”
• Without these smaller systems, humans could not comprehend or engage with broader realities.

The Duality of Known and Unknown Realities

• Humans can only know what they can name and describe in words.
• The unknown remains a mystery and is a core part of the human experience.