(3) Level Multiplicity of Scale & Layer

(3) Level Multiplicity of Scale & Layer

a. Multi-layer Structure of Social Phenomena

 

By combining the triplicity of choice situation and the Three-Level Scale of political phenomena^[Tab.2.8], we can establish a multi-layer structure framework for a comprehensive understanding of political phenomena. The three-level multi- layer structure of all human activities, including political activities, is like the following.

 

         [Ch.2.20] For all human activities, ① the prerequisite is condition for the ② actual activity, which strives to achieve and ③ its goal.

 

Societal phenomena are the sum of human activities, thus the multi-layer structure of human activities becomes the multi-layer structure of societal phenomena. The necessity of limiting the level multiplicity of understanding societal phenomena to three layers is not necessary, but I believe that three layers provide an optimized explanation. The three-layer multi-layer structure, consisting of ① prerequisite, ② actual activity, and ③ activity goal, has the following implications.

 

Taking the example of a musician composing music, the focus of understanding begins with the second element, the "actual activity." The musician composes music as a profession, and this is the "actual activity." This means that the musician earns enough money to maintain their livelihood through composing music. However, this does not fully explain the activity causally. All human activities are dependent on the ①"prerequisite." To compose music, more pressing prerequisites, such as protection from robbery or physical safety, must be resolved before the activity can take place.

 

On the other hand, the "actual activity" of composing music has a long-term goal. This is the ③"activity goal." The musician consciously composes music to be recognized as a "superior artist." The goal refers to the objective content directly reflected in the intention or consciousness of the subject of the activity. (If one considers an unconscious ultimate goal of activity, then the goal of all political actors would be their survival, and discussing this here would be unnecessary.)

 

The prerequisites of composition activity in this multi-layer structure correspond to the first stage in the triplicity of choice situations, "the flame on the neck." The composition activity itself is the second stage, "the next," and the self-realization as an artist pursued through composition activity corresponds to the third stage, "the far future." Extinguishing the flame on the neck is a prerequisite for the actual activity in the next stage. The prerequisites are limited to the micro level, the actual activity is applied at the middle level, and the third stage is in the macro level. What is required to compose is not a safe world, but a safe environment. On the other hand, the activity goal of being recognized as an excellent artist is not a result within one's family, but a result nationwide or worldwide. In other words, macro-level phenomena correspond to the goal of activity.

 

A common misunderstanding about this multi-layer structure is to fix the prerequisites as safety issues, the actual activity as economic issues, and the activity goal as value (ideology) issues. However, the framework of the multi-layer structure can be repeatedly utilized more flexibly. If we shift the focus to "actual activity," we can find its prerequisites again. The prerequisites of the actual activity of "evacuating for safety" are like the will to live.

 

In the framework of the three-layer structure of social phenomena, we can analyze latent differences in seemingly similar human activities or political phenomena. These latent differences are important in that they have an causational impact on the activities or phenomena in question. As seen in the case of Che Guevara, even if the actual activities are the same in Cuba, Congo, and Bolivia, the outcome can be completely different if the prerequisite conditions and the activity goals are different.

 

The prerequisite condition for Che Guevara's revolutionary war was the conditions for revolution, and the activity goal was the revolutionary spirit of the people against imperialism. In Congo, the activity goal was not met. The Congolese people considered inter-tribal competition more important than the revolution. On the other hand, the prerequisite conditions were different in Bolivia. The indigenous people of Bolivia did not cooperate with Che Guevara because they were afraid of foreigners, and the mountainous and grassland areas of Bolivia were scarce, making the guerrilla struggle the worst. The residents of Bolivia did not understand the meaning of armed struggle and often surrendered to the government and received rewards from the government.

 

 

Relation of Three Analytical Frameworks

 

To repeat, the triplicity of choice situation is a framework for analyzing human choices temporally, while the Three-Level Scale of political phenomena analyzes human choices spatially. On the other hand, the multi-layer structure of social phenomena, which aims to be composed by combining the two, conceptualizes the mechanisms of human choice as an "inherent structure," disregarding time and space. I believe that this inherent multi-layer structure exists in the intention and mind of humans making such choices. This multi-layer structure of political activities (phenomena) is formed by compressing the spatial framework, and when it functions, it unfolds as temporal and spatial phenomena.

 

         [Ch.2.21] The three-layer structure of political activity, consisting of ① prerequisite conditions, ② actual activity, and ③ activity goal, determines the temporal and spatial structure of political phenomena.

 

Therefore, it is possible to summarize the above content by organizing it around the multi-layer structure of social phenomena. If this is visualized in a table, it will be intuitively natural to place the prerequisites at the bottom and the activity goal at the top (so far, the micro-level items (prerequisites) have been placed at the top of the table). If this method is used to visualize the composition of activities, it will be as follows.

 

[Tab.2.11] Three-layer Scale of an Individual's Economic Activity

Activity Layer	Choice Order	Required Scale	Concrete Activity	Samjae Capacities
㉠ activity goal	3rd stage	Macro- Level	Artistic Pursuit: Music Composition	Ideological Capacity
㉡ Actual Activity	2nd stage	Middle- Level	Economic Activity: Maintenance of Livelihood	Economic Capacity
㉢ prerequisite	1st stage	Micro- Level	Security Activity: Institutional Protection (or Self-defense)	Armed capacity

 

The required scale refers to the area in which the activities of each layer must yield results for the upper layer. The prerequisites are required in the micro-level while the goal of the activity is required in the macro-level. For example, even if the world is chaotic, as long as one's immediate surroundings are safe, composition can be performed, and the goal of composition will be achieved when more people (the world) enjoy music.

 

Since political phenomena are the sum of political activities of political constituents, the same multi-layer structure analysis can also be applied to political activities.

 

 

The Iteration of Multi-Layer Structure

 

In this book, we will primarily use the three-layer multi-layer structure as a framework for analysis, but theoretically, the multi-layer structure can be developed into more layers. This is because the orderliness of choice or the scale of phenomena can be analyzed in a multi-layered and repetitive manner. This means that, as shown in [Diag.2.C.3], the three-stage choice operates in each of the macro-level, middle-level, and micro-level phenomena and forms a three-layer structure.

 

Individuals first choose the "physical safety" such as protection from the threat of crime, and then choose "material abundance" like finding food for tomorrow, and finally choose "ideological value" like freedom. This is the sequential overcoming of three survival threats. This is one three-layer multi-layer structure.

 

[Diag.2.C.3] The Iteration of Multi-Layer Structure

 

However, this entire Three-Level Scale structure corresponds to the basic "prerequisite Condition" of a company (an organization of individuals) at a larger scale. The employees of the company must be protected and have basic consciousness, and must be mentally free for the company (the organization of individuals) to perform its basic "Actual Activity" (i.e., company work) well. Then, the company (organization) generates sufficient profits (economy) and increases its brand value or aims to grow as a global enterprise (value) through this actual activity in the long term.

 

When viewed in this manner, the multi-layer structure of personal safety, economics, and establishment of basic values, which is a three-layer structure, is only one layer at the company's perspective (at the middle-level scale). This middle-layer structure of social phenomena can be repeatedly applied. In summary, it can be said as follows:

 

         [Ch.2.22] A layer of a three-layer multi-layer structure of a phenomenal layer can further be analyzed as a three-layer multi-layer structure at a more micro-level.

 

One layer of the three-layer multi-layer structure can be further analyzed as a three-layer multi-layer structure, thus the middle-layer structure of political activities or phenomena can be analyzed as a multi-layer structure with more than three layers. Specific analysis cases for this situation will be discussed later.

 

However, when the orderliness of choice acts in a middle-layer manner, the benefits at each stage sometimes collide, and social injustice arises. For example, if an American soldier who has been employed by a military contractor, they would not oppose the expansion of a war that is against the interests of the US, as it would be greatly beneficial to them. If any war occurs, soldiers can retire and enter the defense industry, selling all kinds of military equipment to their colleagues, and consulting contracts from Pentagon. The corruption of the tax official who abused the authority of the industrial spy and real estate speculation investigation in 2015, and the corruption of a tax official who took bribes from the general public by exploiting their authority over real estate speculation investigations is also an example of such injustice.