THE MOTHER OF WIN-WIN REVELATORS: THE FIGURE&GROUND PATTERN

I don't pretend to be John, The Revelator. But I can introduce you to The Mother of WIN-WIN Revelators, which can reveal all revelations fitten to be revelated. For, if it doesn't, then it does. That is, if it apparently fails, for case C, then that very failure reveals case C to be an unusual case, which may induce another revelation as to its unusualness. And that would reveal something not previously known to you.

Here's why the F&G strategy formulates WIN-WIN hypotheses. If the hypothesis is confirmed, you WIN. If not, its Figure-of-failure against its Ground-of-disagreement may reveal something you never knew or thought of investigating! So, you WIN, after all!

if two structures (systems) correspond, then, as figures or patterns, they MATCH: the "ground" obscures the "figure" in perpective -- mutually surrogation of each other. On the other hand, nomatching cases are REVELATORY! The "figure" clearly "stands out against the ground". If the FIGURE is a MODEL and the GROUND is REALITY, the difference between the two structures shows how much "theory" differs from "actuality".

CORRIGIBILITY, INCORRIGIBILITY AND FIGURE&GROUND

The Australian philosopher, Douglas Gasking (in an essay, "Mathematics and the World", included in The World of Mathematics (19xx), V. III, Ed. James R. Newman) tells us that mathematics and logic are incorrigible, whereas physics is corrigible.

A given declaration ("pattern"!) of logico-mathematics is incorrigibly what it's said to be. You don't change it for not applying or seeming useful. Rather, you leave it unchanged and replace it by another declaration ("pattern").

But, when a declaration ("pattern") of current physics fails, we change the pattern itself.

We can use incorrigible patterns as figures (Figure&Ground) to expose corrigible patterns as grounds.

And this F&G strategy induces WIN-WIN hypotheses. If the hypothesis is confirmed, you WIN. If not, its Figure-of-failure vs. its Ground-of-disagreement may expose something you'd never know or think of investigating! So, you WIN, after all!

The best example I know involves the familiar statement, "This is as true as '2 + 2 = 4'." But 2 + 2 = 4 is not a "truth about reality". I'll show how it can fail in reality, hence, teach us about REALITY.

2 + 2 = 4 is AN INCORRIGIBLE OF ARITHMETIC. In CHEMISTRY, it is CORRIGIBLE.

Mix two units of water with two units of water: the meixture will fill a four-unit container. Mix two units of alcohol with two units of alcohol: the mixture will also fill a four-unit container. BUT, mix two units of water with two units of alcohol: the mixture will not quite fill a four-unit container. Why?

Water and alcohol are composed of MOLECULES OF DIFFERENT SIZES. The smaller alcohol molecules pack in a little with the water molecules. You'd notice the same if you mixed units of tennis balls with units of marbles. The marbles would pack into the interstices between tennis balls.

The FIGURE here is the MATHEMATICAL INCORRIGIBLE: 2 + 2 = 4. It MODELS REALITY again and again in pencils, persons, coins, etc. But when it is exposed against the GROUND OF REALITY, as in this case, WE START ASKING QUESTIONS WE NEVER THOUGHT OF ASKING. This failure of the MODEL led to an understanding of MOLECULAR CHEMISTRY.

THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF MATHEMATICS: TO BE THE INCORRIGIBLE FIGURE AGAINST THE GROUND OF REALITY. Whatever happens, we WIN, as I show elsewhere in an F&G Table.

If you care about our country, our schools, our children, our economy, and your own welfare, you'll start thinking about how to use the FIGURE&GROUND STRATEGY to deal with daily problems. And extend my Table. (Meanwhile, read about COLIN and The S-Word.