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8.0.1 Structure, Substance and Style Version 1.3 December 2016                                        Previous Version Aren’t these beliefs dogmatic in structure, style, content and phrasing? How can we be so certain? This reasonable way is not just a set of outcomes – of conclusions and behavioural guidelines. The process by which we end up with these beliefs and values is as much part of this way as the conclusions themselves: Parts 1 to 7 all begin with conclusions on how best to discover the truth. All our conclusions are corrigible: i.e. subject to being improved or refined as we learn more and gain new insights, as individuals, followers of this Way, and as a species. None of the conclusions in these pages are dogmatic statements, to be believed “on faith” alone. They are all conclusions based on reason and the available evidence, or, at the lowest level, reports of observations and inferences. The core choices we make, that reflect our values, are based on these conclusions about the nature of reality, involving a minimal degree of faith. That is what we said in the introduction (on Beliefs). Hence, as we receive new comments and contributions these global beliefs and values will need to be updated.  This is why: · we ask each reader to provide feedback on where we have got it wrong; · we accept there will be an ongoing differences and debate about these issues; · we include version numbers and dates – as we update the contents. Although we accept the uncertainty, value diversity, debate the merits of the approach, and revise our conclusions as we learn more, we can, we must, rely on these global beliefs, and the values we adopt based on them, because they are the most reasonable beliefs and values we are aware of. In order to go about our daily living as well as to make critical life choices, we must act on some basis, some understanding of reality and some guidelines on how we should make choices, otherwise life would be random, meaningless, and without direction. This takes some courage, and a degree of faith in our analysis and value choices.  We are inevitably taking action when there is a degree of uncertainty as to its justification.  We have to learn to be comfortable with the knowledge that we can never know everything, and we can only do the best we can with the knowledge we currently have. 8.0.1 Debating the Structure and Phrasing The conclusions we currently support, and the value choices we make based on these conclusions are subject to change. There is nothing special about the way these conclusions have been set out in a hierarchical structure, the substance of the conclusions or how they have been stated and presented. Similarly, there is nothing fixed about our value categories, and we can debate which values are in which category And why.  They aren’t fixed, but are in a continual state of flux. This is a living document, constantly being revised. The whole enterprise is open to debate. Hence we support ongoing analysis and discussion, and seek feedback and debate on: ●       the selection criteria for subject areas to consider, which are action based; ●       the actual selection of subjects (in Parts 1 to 7) that may affect our action choices; ●       the notion that our choices reflect our values, as concluded in Chapter 6.1; ●       the hierarchical structure of these beliefs and their related subject areas; ●       the conclusions in each subject area, based on reason and the evidence; ●       the phrasing used to cover each aspect of the various conclusions; ●       the format of the presentation, in writing, video or other media; ●       the reasonableness of the choices we make that reflect our values;
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