A periodic table of aspects of humanity that lend themselves to social compartmentalization.
Lend themselves fortunately or unfortunately to compartmentalization &, I think, in most cases fortunately.

In the table below the same general tetrachotomy comprises the four headings in common of the columns & the rows. They are related by regard. For instance, “affairs of power” are (Row 1) decision-making with regard to (Column 1) decision-making. Deciding who gets to decide, & so on.

Tetrastic 4x4 classification of aspects of humanity
which lend themselves to social compartmentalization.

SECOND level (the ROWS), INTER-BEHAVIORS             About   FIRST level (the COLUMNS), SECTORS		Beginnings, leadings, power, decision-makings	Middles, means, abilities, resources, dealings	Ends, endings, teleioses, culmi­na­tions, satisfactions	Checks, ente­lechies, establi­shings, knowledge
		Subhead (sector) Appropriation, adoption, control:	Subhead (sector) Processing, production, adaptation:	Subhead (sector) Consumption, expression, conversion:	Subhead (sector) Digestion, rumination, assimilation:
Beginnings, leadings, power, decision- makings	Subhead (inter-behavior) Vyings (conflict, competition, rivalry, contention), arenas:	Affairs of power, freedom (politics, diplomacy, military / martial affairs, enforcement; also vis-à-vis nature, e.g., hunting, fire-fighting — such that control really is at stake) at stake: power.	Business, trade, finance, wealth (trade, commerce, finance, economic affairs) at stake: means, resources, wealth.	Show, games, sports, fashion, “wattage” at stake: “wattage”, glory, glamour, “action,” splendor, charisma.	Case-building, honor, standing (proving oneself, building a case, argumentation, debate, competitive investigation, spying) at stake: honor, valida­tion, standing, legitimacy.
Middles, means, abilities, resources, dealings	Subhead (inter-behavior) Practices, cooperations, tolerances, minding one's (own) business, occupational spheres & concourses:	Administration, management, compliance, adjustment.	Labor, work, collaboration.	Leisure, enjoyments, repasts, celebrations, observances, recreations, pastimes, hobbies.	Study, investigation, review, discussion, reporting.
Ends, endings, teleioses, culmi­nations, satisfac­tions	Subhead (inter-behavior) Valuings, distinctive unitings, communities:	Ruling / governing valuings (moral(ism)s, religion, ideological isms, patriotism, “family-ism”).	Care-how (“value-for-value,” perfectionism, “competence-ism,” work values / work pride / work ethic).	Tastes, gratificational valuings, valuings about feelings.	Valuings about cognition & legitimacy (love of knowledge &/or other kinds of cognition, curiosity, values regarding what's worth knowing or cognizing & standards of evidence & rigor).
Checks, entelechies, establish­ings, knowledge	Subhead (inter-behavior) Checks & balances, supports, disciplines:	Ruling / governing arts (community planning, architecture & design; arts of education of character; arts of governing & arts of being governed).	Know-how, productive arts/sciences.	Affective arts (dance, music, literature, theater, cinema, painting, sculpture, etc., etc., etc.).	Maths & sciences & fields intermediate between them.

First came the content of the Row 4 more or less as it stands now and, then, much of the overall structure of the periodic table represented here. The rest of the content was built from the cells up, with an eye to indefinite ideas that became later less indefinite in the common set of headings for both columns and rows. Some time later came the distinctive sets of headings for columns & rows. Last came the idea that the columns represent 1st-level distinctions & the rows represent 2nd-level distinctions, such that, for instance, affairs of power are briefly characterizable as decision-making with regard to decision-making, & business is briefly characterizable as decision-making with regard to means. Update March 14, 2009: I came up with the labels "inter-behavior" and "sector" some months ago. End of update.

Just as one might think, the tetrachotomy of beginnings-means-ends-checks was arrived at in part from Aristotle’s doctrine of the four causes. It was arrived at also through various other considerations, some quite modern, some simply abstract.

Philosophical tetrachotomies (or tetratomies) are the polychotomies (or polytomies) that interest me. Not every tetrachotomy that’s come down the pike of philosophy. Just some. No major philosopher of whom I know has been a tetrachotomist, unless one counts Aristotle for the 4 causes doctrine & the Scholastics who held with it. For Kant, Hegel, and Peirce, the favorite polychotomy (or polytomy) was the trichotomy. I’m not sure, but I think that it’s unusual among philosophers to take a persistent interest in polychotomical patterns of ideas. - posted by The Tetrast @ 7:25 PM [top of post] [top of page] Copyright © BenjaminðA.ðUde11.