Elements of Society (A Post About Patterns)

Written 9/14/2010


In preparation for reading Lord of the Flies (although by the time you read this, we'll have already started), we had to answer a bunch of questions including "What are the elements of society?" "Is government necessary?" "How should the work/fun ratio be determined?" and "What is the best way to hold people accountable for their actions?"


Meanwhile, in Chemistry, we're discussing atoms and their components (more specifically electron clouds, but since I've already made comparisons with that, I'll leave it alone here).


What do these things have to do with each other?
Quite a lot, actually.
My Chemistry teacher mentioned something about "two atoms coming together to form a compound." Atoms are people. A compound is a family. Since I'm combing science with English with social studies, let's add math. (Yes, this is over-simplified.)


Atom(s) + Atom(s) = Compound
Person(s) + Person(s) = Family
Atom = person
Therefore Compound = Family


An atom/person is a bit useless on its own, as I've mentioned. Even a person who prefers to be alone, has a solitary job, etc. interacts with people in some way, be it directly or indirectly.


Compound(s) + Compound(s) = More Complex Molecule (or just something incredibly useful like a star. Yay for gravity.)
Family(s) + Family(s) = Town
Cell(s) + Cell(s) = Tissue


Complex molecules can do stuff.  (DNA, anyone?)
A town can do stuff.
A tissue can do stuff.
They only function in and of themselves and don't matter much to anything outside when they're alone, but they have worth to others (because you need two people for one of them to be valued by the other.)


Complex Molecules + Complex Molecules = Interactions That Do Stuff (I'm SO SPECIFIC and EDUCATED, aren't I?)
Town(s) + Town(s) = Region/County
Tissue(s) + Tissue(s) = Organ


See what's happening? The bigger the hierarchy, the more powerful/useful it is.


I'll drop the bits with the molecules here, since at this point they can hold so many functions there's no point. Just keep in mind that a similar pattern continues.


Region/County + Region/County = Fief/State
Organ(s) + Organ(s) = Organ System


Fief/State(s) + Fief/State(s) = Kingdom/Country
Organ System(s) + Organ System(s) = PERSON. (that's where we started.)


Kingdom/Country(ies) + Kingdom/Country(ies) = Global population


And then we start at the beginning of that line.


I guess this post is just me pointing out some things I've noticed to you.


We know that math is the basis of science. The universe itself can be described by equations, even though they're not by any means simple. Now I have just shown that science is the basis of society (in a very scientific "duh" sort of way) and we know, of course, that society is the basis of literature.


And look at the patterns. I love patterns. Stuff is building to form other stuff. Electrons in the Bohr model mimic a solar system (and even though the Bohr model turned out to be incorrect, it's still cool, and it was pretty accurate but for the whole quantum thing). Microcosms and macrocosms. I love it.