Plato’s «arithmoi eIDEtikoi» Dialectics in Unexpected Places. Part 03: Everyday Practical & Engineering Dialectics Series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 03:

 

Everyday Practical & Engineering Dialectics Series.

 

                 Platon’s

«Arithmoi

Eidetikoi»

Dialectics

and the

Harmonized

Tariff

Schedule

[HTS].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

 

 

It is my pleasure, and my honor, as an elected member of the Foundation Encyclopedia Dialectica [F.E.D.] General Council, and as a voting member of F.E.D., to share, with you, from time to time, as they are approved for public release by the F.E.D. General Council, Foundation discourses on key technological and managerial  cases of Seldonian Dialectic.

 

The 3rd text in this series is posted below [Some E.D. standard edits have been applied, in the version presented below, by the editors of the F.E.D. Special Council for the Encyclopedia, to the direct transcript of our co-founder’s discourse].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seldon –

 

“Platon’s ancient, «arithmoi eidetikoi» version of dialectics keeps “popping up” – albeit usually in ‘trans-Platonian’, ‘de-idealized’, more concrete and practical forms – in the modern world, including where Platonian-leaning, idealist philosophers might least expect”.

 

“The, currently-in-vast-use, U.S. HTS codes – or Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes – have a particular ‘finitary qualo-fractal content-structure’, that categorizes commodities in international trade.”

 

 

 

“Content-Structure Overview.

 

• Digits: HTS codes are typically 10 digits in character-length, where:

 

• The first 6 digits are standardized internationally, as part of the Harmonized System (HS).

 

• The next 4 digits are specific to the U.S. and provide further, deeper, more detailed categorization.

 

 

 

‘Qualo-Fractal’ Classification/Categorization.

 

• «Genos» to Species, on to Sub-Species: The ‘content-structure’ is organized from broad, general categories to more specific ones, forming an «arithmoi eidetikoi»-like multi-level, multi-scale, self-similarity recurrence “tree” [‘finitary, dialectical qualo-fractal’] of «aufheben», “vertical” ‘meta-unit-izations’, or ‘meta-category-izations’, with rightward rising ‘determinateness’, or ‘determinations-richness’.

 

• For example:

 

• “Chapter”: The first, left-most two digits represent the “chapter”, or most ‘gene-ral’ category [«genos», or ‘hyper-species’ category] of commodities (e.g., 01 for live animals).

 

• “Heading”: The next two [‘‘‘species’’’] digits specify the heading within that “chapter” (e.g., 0102 for bovine live animals).

 

• “Subheading”: The following two digits provide a more detailed, still-more-determinate [‘hypo-species’] sub-categorization, via adjoining further determinations (e.g., 0102.90 for other bovine live animals). …”

 

 

“Such a nested tree of commodity Kinds categories is needed, in large part because even ‘sub-sub-category, or ‘sub²-category’ distinctions’ can trigger differences in tariff charges.”

 

“Platon is no doubt “spinning in his grave” over the mundane applications to which the class-ificational technology rooted in his ancient, “transcendental” insights is being put!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information regarding these Seldonian insights, and to read and/or download, free of charge, PDFs and/or JPGs of Foundation books, other texts, and images, please see:

www.dialectics.info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For partially pictographical, ‘poster-ized’ visualizations of many of these Seldonian insights – specimens of ‘dialectical art’ – as well as dialectically-illustrated books published by the F.E.D. Press, see:

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DialecticsMATH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¡ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regards,

 

 

 

Miguel Detonacciones,

 

Voting Member, Foundation Encyclopedia Dialectica [F.E.D.];

Elected Member, F.E.D. General Council;

Participant, F.E.D. Special Council for Public Liaison;

Officer, F.E.D. Office of Public Liaison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU are invited to post your comments on this blog-entry below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 02: Everyday Practical & Engineering Dialectics Series. The Dialectical Synthesis of the Propellor vs. Rudder Categories in Naval Architecture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 02:

 

Everyday Practical & Engineering Dialectics Series.

 

 

The

Dialectical

Synthesis

of the

Propellor

versus

Rudder

Categories

in Naval

Architecture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

 

 

It is my pleasure, and my honor, as an elected member of the Foundation Encyclopedia Dialectica [F.E.D.] General Council, and as a voting member of F.E.D., to share, with you, from time to time, as they are approved for public release by the F.E.D. General Council, Foundation discourses on key technological cases of Seldonian Dialectic.

 

The 2nd text in this series is posted below [Some E.D. standard edits have been applied, in the version presented below, by the editors of the F.E.D. Special Council for the Encyclopedia, to the direct transcript of our co-founder’s discourse].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seldon –

“A recent innovation in Naval Architecture engineering has replaced the time-honored navigational interplay of ship propellor and/with ship rudder with a new, unified apparatus, called an “Azimuth Thruster”.

 

“An “Azimuth Thruster” is a “complex unity” or ‘unifying complex’ with respect to the older, separated units of propellor and rudder.  It is a  more complex unit, involving a propellor which is rotatable by up to 360 degrees, so that the same unit controls both ship propulsion and ship direction.

 

 

“The advantages of these new units, a prominent brand-name for which is “Azipod”, show, once again, the, typical, power of ‘uni-categories’; the often transcending benefits of internally-unified dialectical synthesis units over the external combinations of their earlier, separated kinds of units.”

 

“But this case is not a matter of “one size – or of one synthesis – fits all”.  This is another ‘‘‘evolute’’’ case, not a ‘‘‘convolute’’’ case.  The “Azipod” unification-solution does not work better than the propellor/rudder antithesis for all kinds of ships.”

 

“More details, via an [edited] AI response, follow below.”

 

 

The azimuth thruster, with its most famous electric-drive variation, was patented and trademarked by tech giant ABB, under the name Azipod®. 

By combining propulsion and steering into a single, 360-degree rotating unit beneath the ship, this design eliminates the traditional rudder, long drive shafts, and stern tunnel thrusters.

 

 

This Innovation in Historical Context 

For centuries, ship design followed a rigid, linear layout: an internal engine turned a long, rigid horizontal shaft, which spun a fixed propeller to create forward thrust.

 

Separately, a vertical rudder was placed behind the propeller to catch the rushing water and deflect it, slowly forcing the ship’s stern to change direction.

 

This traditional system had several historical deficiencies:

• The Steering Lag: A rudder only works effectively when the ship is already moving fast enough to pass water over its blade.

At low speeds, or in tight harbors, a traditional ship has very little maneuverability.

 

• Hull Constraint & Vibration: Placing massive engines inside the ship required strict alignment with the propeller shaft, taking up premium internal space and sending heavy vibrations through the hull.

 

The Azimuth Paradigm Shift:

Introduced in the late 20th century, the azimuth thruster turned naval architecture on its head. Instead of deflecting water with a blade, the entire propeller itself rotates 360 degrees on a vertical axis.

 

In modern electric “podded” versions (like the Azipod), the electric motor is actually taken out of the ship’s hull entirely, and sealed inside a hydrodynamic pod submerged directly in the ocean.  Electricity is fed down into the pod via slip rings, allowing it to spin indefinitely in any direction.

 

The propeller essentially acts like an underwater airplane engine, pulling or pushing the ship with instantaneous, directional force.

 

Advantages Over Traditional Systems

• Unrivaled Maneuverability: Ships can spin 360 degrees in place, move sideways, and dock smoothly in tight harbors without requiring expensive tugboat assistance.
• Fuel Efficiency: Because the thrust is always aligned perfectly with the direction of travel (unlike a dragging rudder), these units reduce hydrodynamic drag, cutting fuel consumption and emissions by up to 20%.
• Design Flexibility: Moving the propulsion motor outside the hull frees up massive amounts of internal space for cargo, passenger cabins, or fuel storage. 
• Icebreaking Superiority: In freezing waters, rotating pods can turn around and use the propeller to literally "chew" through ice ridges, allowing ships to clear paths without conventional icebreaker escorts.

 

Adoption and Market Percentage

Azimuth thrusters have not completely replaced traditional propellers across all commercial shipping, but they have captured near-total dominance in specific sectors.

• Cruise Ships and Ferries: Approximately 80% to 90% of all newly built cruise ships and a rapidly growing number of passenger ferries utilize podded azimuth propulsion. For these vessels, harbor maneuverability and passenger comfort (lack of vibration) are paramount.
• Specialized Vessels: Close to 100% of modern tugboats, and offshore drilling rigs use azimuth thrusters.  They rely heavily on “Dynamic Positioning” systems to stay perfectly still in rough open seas.

 

• Global Commercial Fleet (Overall): Across all new commercial maritime deliveries—which includes thousands of massive container ships, bulk ore carriers, and supertankers—the adoption rate sits significantly lower, estimated at roughly 10% to 15%.

 

Why hasn’t the entire shipping industry switched?

Mainstream container ships and bulk carriers primarily travel in straight lines across open oceans for weeks at a time, making specialized harbor maneuverability less of a priority. Furthermore, azimuth units carry a much higher upfront capital cost, require specialized maintenance, and cannot handle the extreme, single-shaft power requirements (often exceeding 80–100 Megawatts) needed to move the world’s largest cargo vessels.

But for the high-value, high-maneuverability segments of shipping, this swiveling propeller solution has permanently redefined modern naval architecture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information regarding these Seldonian insights, and to read and/or download, free of charge, PDFs and/or JPGs of Foundation books, other texts, and images, please see:

www.dialectics.info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For partially pictographical, ‘poster-ized’ visualizations of many of these Seldonian insights – specimens of ‘dialectical art’ – as well as dialectically-illustrated books published by the F.E.D. Press, see:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DialecticsMATH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¡ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regards,

 

 

 

Miguel Detonacciones,

Voting Member, Foundation Encyclopedia Dialectica [F.E.D.];

Elected Member, F.E.D. General Council;

Participant, F.E.D. Special Council for Public Liaison;

Officer, F.E.D. Office of Public Liaison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU are invited to post your comments on this blog-entry below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 9. of the Series on the ‘Regenerist Hypothesis’. The Foundational ‘‘‘Energizing Principle’’’ of 'The Total-Dialectic of Nature'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Foundational

‘‘‘Energizing

Principle’’’

of ‘The

Total-Dialectic

of

Nature’.

 

Part 9. of the

Series on the

‘Regenerist

Hypothesis’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

This blog-entry is for the purpose of offering, for your consideration, the following quote from our co-founder, Karl Seldon.

 

 

 

Seldon –

“Per our ‘Regenerist Hypothesis’, it is ‘Physical Space Itself’ – but not Lucretius’s, “empty”, “vacuum”, or abstract nothingness – rather, on the contrary, it is the ‘spandetron plenum’, that constitutes ‘The Engine of our Cosmos’, ‘The Foundational ‘‘‘Energizing Principle’’’ of Cosmological Meta-Evolution’; of continuing ‘Ontological Revolution’; of ‘The ‘Gene-ration’ of Universal Time Itself’, as ‘The Motor of Cosmological Universal History’; of ‘The [singular] Total-Dialectic of Nature’.”

 

“More specifically, it is ‘The Dialectical Opposition Between ‘The First Born’, “Dark Energy”, ‘The “Energy” of “empty” Space’, vis-à-vis ‘The Second Born’, “Dark Matter”, that constitutes ‘The Driver of ‘The Total-Dialectic’ of Universal Natural History’.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information regarding these Seldonian insights, and to read and/or download, free of charge, PDFs and/or JPGs of Foundation books, other texts, and images, please see:

 

www.dialectics.info

and

https://independent.academia.edu/KarlSeldon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For partially pictographical, ‘poster-ized’ visualizations of many of these Seldonian insights -- specimens of ‘dialectical art’ – as well as dialectically-illustrated books published by the F.E.D. Press, see –

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DialecticsMATH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¡ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regards,

 

 

 

Miguel Detonacciones,

 

Voting Member, Foundation Encyclopedia Dialectica [F.E.D.];

Elected Member, F.E.D. General Council;

Participant, F.E.D. Special Council for Public Liaison;

Officer, F.E.D. Office of Public Liaison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU are invited to post your comments on this blog-entry below!