Examples of Universals
Regulatory
These universals establish order, set boundaries, and coordinate social behavior.
Rules
Explicit, formalized directives that prescribe specific actions or constraints in particular contexts.
Related Terms: Regulations, Guidelines
Example: Traffic rules specify exactly when to stop at intersections and how to navigate roadways.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, low flexibility
Laws
Codified systems of rules recognized by a community or authority, typically enforced through formal institutions.
Related Terms: Statutes, Legislation, Codes
Example: Criminal codes that define offenses and their penalties.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, group scope, system-level abstraction
Standards
Established measures or criteria against which quality, performance, or acceptability can be judged.
Related Terms: Benchmarks, Criteria
Example: ISO standards for manufacturing processes.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, medium flexibility
Precedents
Prior decisions or actions that establish patterns for addressing similar situations.
Related Terms: Case Law, Examples, Antecedents
Example: Court rulings that guide future judicial decisions on similar cases.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, external origin, past temporal orientation
Norms
Implicit or explicit expectations for appropriate behavior within social groups.
Related Terms: Customs, Mores, Etiquette, Conventions
Example: Norms around appropriate attire for different social occasions.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, external origin, group scope, medium flexibility
Cognition
These universals structure thought, organize information, and facilitate understanding.
Cognitive Heuristics
Mental shortcuts that facilitate rapid decision-making by simplifying complex problems.
Related Terms: Mental Shortcuts, Rules of Thumb
Example: The availability heuristic, where we judge probability based on how easily examples come to mind.
Key Characteristics: Low formalization, internal origin, high flexibility, implicit awareness
Schemas
Cognitive frameworks that organize knowledge and guide information processing.
Related Terms: Mental Models, Frames
Example: Our mental model of "restaurant" includes expectations about menus, service, and payment.
Key Characteristics: Low formalization, internal origin, individual scope, implicit awareness
Archetypes/Prototypes/Gestalts
Universal patterns or ideal examples that structure understanding and categorization.
Related Terms: Stereotypes, Exemplars Example: The "hero's journey" as a narrative archetype found across cultures.
Key Characteristics: Low formalization, internal origin, universal scope, pattern-level abstraction
Metaphors
Cognitive devices that structure understanding by mapping one domain onto another.
Related Terms: Analogies, Similes, Allegories
Example: Understanding time as a resource ("spending time," "wasting time").
Key Characteristics: Low formalization, internal origin, high flexibility, semi-conscious awareness
Paradigms
Exemplary models or patterns that provide frameworks for understanding problems.
Related Terms: Worldviews, Frameworks
Example: The shift from Newtonian to Einsteinian physics as a paradigm change.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, external origin, group/universal scope, meta-level abstraction
Affordances
Perceived action possibilities that objects or environments offer to agents.
Related Terms: Action Possibilities, Opportunities
Example: A doorknob "affords" turning and pulling to open a door.
Key Characteristics: Low formalization, external origin, universal scope, high flexibility
Meaning-Making
These universals create shared understanding, transmit values, and establish significance.
Narratives
Story structures and patterns that organize experience into coherent sequences.
Related Terms: Stories, Plots, Accounts
Example: The "overcoming adversity" narrative that shapes how we interpret personal challenges.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, internal/external origin, high flexibility
Rituals
Prescribed sequences of symbolic actions with cultural or spiritual significance.
Related Terms: Ceremonies, Rites, Protocols
Example: Wedding ceremonies that mark transitions in social status.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, external origin, group scope, low flexibility
Doctrines
Formalized sets of beliefs or instructions that provide comprehensive guidance.
Related Terms: Dogmas, Creeds, Teachings
Example: Religious doctrines that establish core beliefs and practices.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, group scope, low flexibility
Memes
Self-replicating units of cultural information that spread through imitation.
Related Terms: Cultural Units, Viral Ideas
Example: Internet memes that convey complex ideas through simple, adaptable formats.
Key Characteristics: Low formalization, external origin, high flexibility, present temporal orientation
Phrasal Heuristics
Common expressions or sayings that encapsulate shared wisdom.
Related Terms: Proverbs, Adages, Sayings
Example: "A stitch in time saves nine" as guidance for preventative action.
Key Characteristics: Low formalization, external origin, group scope, high flexibility
Topoi
Common rhetorical situations or argumentative patterns.
Related Terms: Rhetorical Patterns, Commonplaces
Example: The "slippery slope" argument as a recurring rhetorical pattern.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, external origin, group scope, medium flexibility
Evaluatives
These universals establish standards, guide assessment, and determine value.
Principles
Fundamental truths or propositions that serve as foundations for systems of belief or behavior.
Related Terms: Tenets, Axioms, Postulates
Example: The principle of autonomy in medical ethics.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, internal/external origin, universal scope, system-level abstraction
Values
Core beliefs about what is important, desirable, or worthwhile that guide decision-making.
Related Terms: Virtues, Priorities
Example: Valuing honesty as a personal and cultural virtue.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, internal origin, individual/group scope, semi-conscious awareness
Morals
Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong conduct.
Related Terms: Ethics, Virtues
Example: Moral prohibitions against harming innocent people.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, internal/external origin, universal scope, system-level abstraction
Ideals
Perfect conceptions that serve as universal standards against which instances are measured.
Related Terms: Utopias, Perfections, Exemplars
Example: Ideals of justice, beauty, or truth that guide aspirations.
Key Characteristics: Low formalization, internal origin, universal scope, future temporal orientation
Maxims
Concise expressions of general truths or principles of conduct.
Related Terms: Aphorisms, Adages, Proverbs
Example: "Treat others as you would like to be treated" as a maxim for interpersonal conduct.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, external origin, universal scope, medium flexibility
Procedurals
These universals guide processes, establish methods, and structure operations.
Algorithms
Formalized, step-by-step procedures for solving problems or making decisions.
Related Terms: Procedures, Formulas, Methods
Example: Search algorithms that determine how information is retrieved.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, universal scope, low flexibility
Formulas
Standardized expressions or procedures that provide universal methods for solving problems.
Related Terms: Equations, Recipes, Templates
Example: Mathematical formulas like the Pythagorean theorem.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, universal scope, low flexibility
Game Mechanics
Structured interactions with rules and goals.
Related Terms: Play Patterns, Incentive Structures
Example: The mechanics of chess that determine possible moves and victory conditions.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, group scope, system-level abstraction
Feedback Loops
Circular causal processes where outputs affect inputs.
Related Terms: Cycles, Recursion, Iteration
Example: Thermostat systems that maintain temperature through feedback.
Key Characteristics: Medium formalization, external origin, universal scope, pattern-level abstraction
Fractals
Self-similar patterns that repeat at different scales.
Related Terms: Self-similarity, Recursive Patterns
Example: Branching patterns in trees, river systems, and blood vessels.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, universal scope, low flexibility
Symmetries
Invariances under transformation that reveal underlying structure.
Related Terms: Balance, Proportions, Harmonies
Example: Bilateral symmetry in animal body plans.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, universal scope, low flexibility
Meta-Level Universals
These frameworks organize other frameworks, establish relationships between systems, and facilitate higher-order understanding.
Ontologies
Formal specifications of conceptualizations that define entities and relationships.
Related Terms: Taxonomies, Classification Systems
Example: Biological taxonomies that classify living organisms.
Key Characteristics: High formalization, external origin, group/universal scope, meta-level abstraction