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THE WORLD PATTERN OF PROCESS by Rasunah Marsden B.A., Simon Fraser University, 1975 M.A.Ed., The University of British Columbia, 2014 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Curriculum Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2019 © Rasunah Marsden, 2019 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: The World Pattern of Process submitted by Rasunah Marsden in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies Examining Committee: Cynthia Nicol, Curriculum Studies Supervisor Samson M. Nashon, Curriculum Studies Supervisory Committee Member Karen Meyer, Curriculum Studies Supervisory Committee Member Samuel David Rocha, Educational Studies University Examiner Michael Marker, Educational Studies University Examiner Gregory Cajete, Native American Studies, Arts and Sciences, The University of New Mexico External University Examiner ii Abstract The World Pattern of Process, a holistic 'theory of everything' is based on four elements of existence (material, vegetal, animal and human — MVAH) and four stages of process (Zat, Sifat, Asma, Af’al — ZSAA) or Idea-Condition-Action-Result. The four stages modeled by the World Pattern are: Zat: power, pure potential, essence, existence, force, energy, concept, seed Sifat: condition, attributes or qualities, nature, being, form, container Asma: work, deed, action, course or step taken. Af'al: evidence, proof, reality, truth, result, outcome The process components, underscored in the framework above, can be used to gain new insights into the work of the Humanities and the Sciences. I have elaborated The World Pattern of Process, also a cosmology, in two parts. Part One outlines the World Pattern and explains how basic structures posited in the sciences and humanities are connected to a four-fold, cosmological World Pattern of Process. Part 2 discusses how correlations between disciplines and the World Pattern can be shown to support a Grand Pattern when applied to Indigenous world views, to the Great Chain of Being and to Theories of Everything. The methods of investigation are through conceptual analysis and intuitive inquiry, which follows a cycle of interpretation: 1) general engagement with the theory is described in relation to the work of Pope (2007), Whitehead (1978), Jantsch (1980), Bohm (1981), Pirsig (1991), and Schooler, Hunt & Schooler (2011); 2) emerging patterns are identified through elaboration of the World Pattern; 3) descriptive analyses of data associated with the World Pattern of Process (theories of everything, Indigenous world views, and the Great Chain of Being) are presented; and 4) the analysis of selected texts is summarized in Conclusions and Implications. In sum, the constituents of the World Pattern of Process hypothesize a new critical approach and perspective on possibilities for the analysis and integration of various disciplines and applications, cosmologies, theories of everything, and Indigenous world views. Based on energy, the motion of energy, and key patterns inherent in a four-fold process, the World Pattern of Process offers a holistic approach to knowledge systems and re-invigorates dialectics on human be-ing. iii Lay Summary The World Pattern of Process introduces the concepts Zat, Sifat, Asma, Af’al (ZSAA) and material, vegetal, animal and human energies and then discusses correlations in the sciences and humanities which are supported by these concepts. A focus on energy and processes over and above objects or matter is emphasized in the dissertation. Part 1 (Chapters 1-4) articulates the process central to World Pattern in the ‘ZSAA’ format. Part 2 (Chapters 5-7) shows the application of the concepts when viewing Indigenous world views, the Great Chain of Being, and Theories of Everything. These applications were chosen as examples of alternate, past and contemporary world views, respectively, which can be associated with the World Pattern. As a pattern of analysis, the World Pattern of Process offers a holistic approach to knowledge systems and re-invigorates dialectics on human be-ing which can enrich deliberations on existence and process in the field of education and beyond. iv Preface This dissertation is an original, independent, intellectual product of the author, Rasunah Marsden. All Figures are used with permission from applicable sources. No versions of any contents of this material have been published elsewhere. v Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary ............................................................................................................................... iv Preface .............................................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................x List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... xi List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. xii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... xiii Dedication ................................................................................................................................... xiv Part 1: The Process ........................................................................................................................1 Retrospective ..................................................................................................................................2 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................5 Invitation to the Reader.................................................................................................................8 Chapter 1: Zat: How Did We Get Here? .................................................................................. 11 1.1 Alternative world views, Wholes, and Universal Soup ....................................................... 15 1.2 States of Existence, Processes and Fours ............................................................................. 20 1.3 Sketching an Outline of the World Pattern with Whitehead, Pope and Wilson .................. 25 vi 1.4 Recapping the Outline.......................................................................................................... 33 Chapter 2: Sifat: What do we have here? ................................................................................. 36 2.1 Spirals of Process, Phases of Evolution and the Development of Social Structures ........... 38 2.2 Describing Cycles of Process and Stages of the Grand Pattern ........................................... 45 2.3 Stages of Existence and Exemplars in the World Pattern, Abbreviated .............................. 53 2.4 E. O. Wilson’s Work on Consilience and the Skeleton of the World Pattern ..................... 58 Chapter 3: Asma: What is the Work? ...................................................................................... 61 3.2 Energies Within the Human Constitution ............................................................................ 66 3.2.1 Material Energies .............................................................................................. 67 3.2.2 Vegetal Energies ............................................................................................... 68 3.2.3 Animal Energies................................................................................................ 74 3.2.4 Human Energies ................................................................................................ 79 3.3 The Greater Framework — Ontogeny and Phylogeny ........................................................ 89 3.4 Human Values and Virtues ................................................................................................ 100 Chapter 4: Af’al: What are the results? ................................................................................. 108 4.1 Back to the Number Four ................................................................................................... 113 4.2 What is Education? ............................................................................................................ 117 4.3 Where are we? (and) Where do we go from here? ............................................................ 126 Part 2: Correlations and Connections......................................................................................130 vii Chapter 5: Indigenous World Views & the World Pattern of Process ................................ 131 5.1 Fours ................................................................................................................................. 133 5.2