Tree of Knowledge
In one way, the Tree of Knowledge (ToK) System reflects a fairly common hierarchy of nature and of the sciences that has been represented in one way or another since the time of Auguste Comte, who in the 17th century used a hierarchical conception of nature to argue for the existence of sociology. Despite its surface agreement with a standard conception, the ToK System offers a set of ideas that have added implications for both ontology and epistemology. The ontological claim made by the ToK, (and depicted pictorially above), is that cosmic evolution consists of four separable dimensions of complexity, namely Matter, Life, Mind, and Culture. The dimension of complexity argument is arguably one of the most complicated aspects of the system. Many have argued nature is hierarchically leveled; for example, a list of such levels might be subatomic particles, atoms, molecules, cells, organ structures, multi-celled organisms, consciousness, and society is common. The ToK System embraces a view of nature as levels, but adds the notion that there are also dimensions of complexity. The difference can be seen pictorially. A view of nature as solely consisting of levels would have a single "cone" of complexity, whereas the ToK depicts four "cones". The ToK posits that a separate dimension of complexity emerges when a process of selection operates on a unit of information. Thus, according to the ToK, natural selection operating on genetic combinations gives rise to the dimension of Life; behavioral selection operating on neuronal combinations gives rise to the dimension of Mind; and justification operating on symbolic combinations gives rise to Culture.
The ToK System also offers a new epistemology that Henriques believes will move toward what E.O. Wilson termed consilience. Consilience is the interlocking of fact and theory into a coherent, holistic view of knowledge. The ToK offers alternative perspectives on how knowledge is obtained because it depicts science itself as both emerging out of culture and as a unique type of "justification system" that is based on the values of accuracy and objectivity. A "justification system", according to Henriques, refers to any belief system that emerges that coordinates the behaviors of individual humans to human populations. The four dimensions of complexity correspond to four broad classes of science: the physical, biological, psychological and social sciences.
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