this research project seeks the broadest meaningful descriptions of life

the most general axioms of experience that maintain explanatory power

such metaphysical typologies have concerned humanity for millennia — most often in the form of archetypal deities, here conceptualized as a meta-typal clustering of traits, qualities, and themes, often distilled into keywords.

despite the post-modern era’s rejection of grand theories of meaning, it seems worth re-evaluating their merit in light of a growing recognition of complexity, emergence, and purpose within contemporary sciences.

towards this end, this research hypothesizes a multiplicity of axioms found in all realms of meaning-making, evidenced through distinct theories on life that span its levels of organization.

this linking of theories is known as consilience, the unification of knowledge in terms of its underlying physics.

consilence conventionally emphasizes concrete, quantifiable forces; in contrast, this project conceptualizes abstract, qualitative principles.

this research is not scientific, as science is commonly understood. it is not concerned with artistotle’s material and efficient causes, the basis of objective observation and measurement, nor can its inquiry be made into standardized formulas with specific predictions.

instead, these axioms are defined by the participatory dynamics of the formal and final causes, appraised through subjective experience and values. these axioms emerge with infinite variation and cannot be understood in fixed terms.

in its pursuit of plurality, this research supposes a finite number of axioms, not an infinitely expansive relativism.

its pluralism is egalitarian; each axiom is interdependent with and compensating for the others, all of equal value with comparable trade-offs.

at the same time, these axioms may be arranged in nested hierarchies by different models and theories.

in the axioms’ simultaneous equal value and unequal relevance, they reflect the inherent paradox and indeterminacy of life.