An organizing principle is a core assumption from which everything else by proximity can derive a classification or a value. It is like a central reference point that allows all other objects to be located. Having an organizing principle might help one simplify and get a handle on a particularly complicated domain. On the other hand, it might create a deceptive prism that colors one's judgment.
Famous quotes containing the words organizing and/or principle:
“Abolitionists were men of sharp angles. Organizing them was like binding crooked sticks in a bundle.”
—Jane Grey Swisshelm (1815–1884)
“He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)