WHY FUNCTION MATTERS?
Every good explanation starts with answering the question: "why?" It is important to start with the "why?" because without it there is no sense of purpose. Some might say a good explanation starts with good definitions and although definitions do play a crucial role, if they are not attached to any purpose, why care? Answering the question “why?” creates sense. Without sense there is no order and without order there is only chaos. And chaos though it has its role in the universe, it is not a lens that helps us understand our world. We need to understand how our world functions in order to move in it with intention. Otherwise we are adrift to the forces around us and at the whim of circumstances within us. Questions such as "Why does this matter? Why does it exist? Why should I care?" help us create order and understanding so that we may orient ourselves in the world and move within it.
The “why” of this proposed philosophy (or soma-tosophy, as we call it) is to better understand our bodies, mind, action, reactions, relationships and connection to the wider society.
This orientation around the question why is also called functionalism. functionalism is a perspective from which one looks at the world asking why does this exist? What is its purpose?
It is rooted in the theory that everything has purpose and when it functions to fulfill this purpose it is in balance. If it cannot fulfill its purpose it has been corrupted, distorted and therefore cannot result in its intended output. It does not function.
Mathematically a function is defined as a "relationship or expression involving one or more variables". A formula holds a set of spaces in which any number or value can be plugged in and the result of it will vary with it. It has a predictable result that varies depending on its input.
Similarly the model we are presenting observes the relationships and definitions of our physiology, so that when variables from our environment, our biology or our perception are plugged in, it results in certain emotional, behavioral and societal outputs.
Our intention is to provide not a step by step recipe for happiness or for how to be a human but rather a network of formulas that once understood and applied can help us function. That is to fully understand ourselves and deliberately decide what we do and where we are going.