Manifesto for Empirical Pattern Science
A Berkeley‑inspired framework for disciplined inquiry
“Truth is the coherence of experience in Mind;
description is a compass, never the coastline.”
0. First Principle: Reality is Mind‑Dependent, Truth is Mind‑Transcendent
All experience is given in mind, yet meaning points beyond any private perspective. A science that forgets this subtle distinction mistakes its maps for the terrain and multiplies metaphysical idols.
1. Observation is the Only Gate of Knowledge
Every lawful claim must trace a clear path back to perceptible events. Without a chain of possible observation, “existence” is a word without content.
2. Patterns, Not Things, Are What We Describe
What we call “laws of nature” are stable regularities in experience. They are linguistic handles for co‑occurring perceptions, not hidden clockwork lurking behind them.
3. Mathematics Serves Meaning — It Does Not Dictate It
Equations are precise shorthand for observed regularities. Their success licenses use, not ontological promotion. When a symbol ceases to track experience, drop the symbol.
4. Conflict is the Engine of Change
A pattern persists until it meets another incompatible pattern. The local resolution of such tensions — whether mechanical, biological, or conceptual — is the root of all evolution.
5. Probabilities Model Ignorance, Not Ontology
Statistical formalisms (e.g., the squared modulus of a wave‑function) capture frequencies in observations. They do not certify that reality itself is random or blurry; they only codify our limited access.
6. Machines Extend Perception, Not Authority
Artificial Intelligence can expose unnoticed correlations, but its outputs are hypotheses awaiting empirical audition. Confusing model confidence with truth is the newest idol.
7. No Ghosts in the Ledger
Entities posited only to salvage a theory (dark matter, hidden variables, many worlds, etc.) must earn standing through new, independent observations or retire to the metaphor shelf.
8. Parsimony Guides, Sufficiency Decides
Between equally predictive accounts, prefer the one that invokes fewer unverifiable commitments. Yet do not equate complexity with error — reality is obliged to be coherent, not simple.
9. Radical Openness, Disciplined Testing
Invite daring conjecture; demand sober verification. Progress is the alternating rhythm of imagination and measurement.
10. Humility is Methodological, not Skeptical
Because our models are provisional, we remain corrigible. Because absolute truth rests in a mind larger than our own, we remain hopeful.
Practical Commitments
- Traceability — Publish observational chains alongside equations.
- Model Austerity — Treat abstractions as expendable scaffolds, not granite pillars.
- Error Accounting — Quantify uncertainty; resist metaphysical inflation.
- Iterative Refutation — Seek decisive tests that could break your favorite model.
- Epistemic Ecology — Prune dead metaphors to keep the conceptual forest clear.
Closing Word
Empirical Pattern Science is a vow: to let experience speak first, to let logic serve meaning, and to keep every useful fiction on a short epistemic leash. Reality remains a dialogue — between our finite viewpoints and the transcendent mind that grants all viewpoints coherence.
