(This page is under reconstruction)

An important work in the systematic study of suffering consists in collecting facts, ideas, documents, and in classifying them methodically for convenient retrieval and handling. Lists as exhaustive as possible should be set up concerning kinds of suffering,  people or animals who suffer, causes of suffering, people and organizations who cause suffering, solutions or strategies relative to suffering, people and organizations who contribute to stop or prevent excessive suffering, documents interesting the systematic study of suffering, and many other topics.  All those inventories, most of them without precedent, are needed to give a wider and more precise mapping of the algonomic field. This should provide better information on what is occurring and what should be done. It should make navigation easier through the abundance, the vastitude and the complexity of the subject.  Each fact, each idea, each document has its importance.  The Cartesian method of exhaustive enumerations has proven to be very profitable in sciences that are now called "exact", and algonomy, in its turn, should dare to undertake inventories that could involve millions of elements.

classification according to "INTRODUCTION TO ALGONOMY"

(The following text is under reconstruction. A first version of it appeared on a previous website on 2000/04/16)

80/05- INTRODUCTION TO ALGONOMY

This introduction presents a continuously updated outline that could be used as a framework for creating a discipline or field of study which is tentatively called algonomy (from "algos", suffering or pain in Greek,  and "nomy", a Greek suffix denoting a body of knowledge). Algonomy deals with theoretical and practical scientific knowledge concerning suffering.

The algonomic field may be organized in five main parts, as follows.

20- FUNDAMENTAL ALGONOMY

40- ALGOGENIC ALGONOMY

60- ANTALGIC ALGONOMY

80- METHODOLOGICAL ALGONOMY

80/70/07- GENERAL CLASSIFICATION TABLE FOR ALGONOMY

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION TABLE FOR ALGONOMY

The following classification is an attempt at establishing a common frame for ordering potentially all factors that go against the production of suffering. Developing such a tool seems important for theoretical and practical purposes.

60/70/50/xx- Health care — Medicine : psychiatry, cardiology, cancerology, traumatology, algology, etc. Psychology : psychotherapy, sexology, suicidology, treatment of addictive behavior, bereavement counseling, etc. Pharmacology. Public health : sanitation, prevention of illnesses and accidents, administration of health services, etc. Alternative health care. Personal hygiene.

60/70/50/xx- Social services — Classified by groups of people for whom they are intended : poor people, old people, parents, children, sick persons, disabled people, drug addicts, homeless people, illiterates, refugees, prostitutes, offenders, ex-inmates, victims of crime, unemployed, too large populations… Classified by kinds of service : birth control, literacy programs, family budgeting, advocacy, support for living (subsistence, housing, clothing, transport, leisure, etc.), protection against child abuse…

60/70/50/xx- Economic security — Production and distribution of goods and services, more specifically of that part of them without which there would be more occurences of suffering (be it food, water, fuel, housing, clothing, industrial supplies, educational services, telecommunications, transportation, health services, political management, etc.). International and national programs against underdevelopment. Social security : old-age pensions, welfare, unemployment insurance, health insurance, child benefit, etc. Private insurance : life, health, fire, accident, theft, etc.

60/70/50/xx- Emergency services — Military and civil defense. Local or international disaster prevention and management. Emergency aid. Security of supplies. Fire departments.

60/70/50/xx- Protection by law — Police, courts, prisons, etc. Criminology, victimology, etc. Human rights. Legislation.

60/70/50/xx- Philanthropic help (humanitarianism, benevolence, charity) —

60/70/50/xx- Protection of animals —

60/70/50/xx- Protection of the environment —

60/70/50/04- Internal structural factors — Biological, anatomical, physiological, neural, hormonal, and other such factors.

60/70/50/05- External structural factors — Historical, physical, social, economical, cultural, and other such circumstances.

60/70/50/06- Solutions (remedies...) — Direct vs structural. Simple vs complex. Collection of quotes in the form of "THE first or most important solution to the problem of suffering is …".

60/70/50/07- Strategies (tactics…) —

60/70/50/08- Resources used in antalgic activities — Workforce, money, documents, material…

60/70/50/12- Doctrines — Political doctrines (socialism, Marxism, welfarism, activism…). Spiritual doctrines (salvation, charity, penance, Buddhism, fakirism…). Philosophical doctrines (utilitarianism, Stoicism, antidolorism, anti-suffering abolitionism…).

60/70/50/13- Persons — Famous antalgic agents…

60/70/50/14- Personal actions — Self-help or self-healing behaviors, interpersonal care and support, preventive behaviors, support for bereavement...

60/70/50/15- Professions —

60/70/50/17- Organizations — Governmental, nongovernmental, corporate, nonprofit, self-help …organizations.

60/70/50/18- Disciplines — Suffering-centered disciplines (algology or pain research and management, panetics, algonomy…).

60/70/50/90- Categories or factors not listed elsewhere —

60/70/50/90/09- Combined sets of factors — The set of all factors. Multicategorical sets.

60/70/50/90/10- Conceptual classes of factors — Activities, action, forces, factors, agency…

60/70/50/90/50- Globalist or world betterment initiatives — Ex. : World Game Institute, United Nations Millennium Assembly…

60/70/50/90/60- Anti-suffering abolitionist initiatives — Ex. : BLTC Research.

60/70/50/90/69- Annihilation of all sentient beings —

60/70/50/90/80- Inventory undertakings — Ex. : Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential.

60/70/50/90/90- Unintentional antalgic factors — Chance, serendipity, side-effects, antalgic effects caused by algogenic factors…

Note that items above are going to be expanded or rearranged in sub-categories, and that items belonging to more than one category may appear more than once. Note also that factors are listed without judging of their antalgic validity, provided that they are perceived as valid by any group of people. It must be understood that no entity or event is by itself an antalgic factor (for instance, someone being help with money may or may not feel relieved of a suffering, depending on other factors) : it is the causal relationship established by an observer between an entity or event and a suffering being stopped, relieved or prevented that turns the entity or event into an antalgic factor.

20/73/50- CLASSIFICATION TABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY SUFFERING

(The following text is under construction)

sufferer, poor, desperate, afflicted, unhappy, needful, wretched, distressed, victim, sick, hungry, bereaved, tortured, refugee,

according to space (geography), time (history), events, social groups, age, sex, race, class or power status,

according to physical, mental, social… pain

actual vs potential, certain vs dubious,

animal (lab, farm, LD50, )

PHYSICAL

physically handicapped, crippled, amputee, accident victim, car accident victim, sick, arthritic, cancerous, aborted, poor, indigent, hunger, cold, thirst, malnutrition (in middle class, higher class, lower class), discomfort,

PHYSICO-PSYCHOLOGICAL

toxicomania, alcoholism, inmates, prisoners, tortured, punished,

PSYCHOLOGICAL

sinners, vice, faults, egoism, laziness…, mentally handicaped, psychologically ill, schizophren, depressive, traumatic incident, victim of crime, bereaved, suicidal, parent of a dead child, orphan, mourners,

SOCIAL

Prostitute, slave, child slave, sexual slave,

Prisoner, mistreated prisoner, tortured,

Siu 1998, vol.III, inflictees

addict, alien, apostate, bastard, beggar, bohemian, bootlicker, braggart, castaway, complainer, coward, criminal, defeatist, dependant, deviant, dissenter, elderly, enemy, extremist, failure, fool, gambler, handicapped, homeless, hostage, imposter, adultress, lackey, laughingstock, leper, liar, libertine, loafer, loser, martyr, mediocre person, minority, misanthrope, miser, mob, neurotic, nihilist, nobody, nonconformist, odd person, prostitute, subordinate,

(The following text is under construction)

Voir EWP...

 1- SECTORS

20/70/50/xx- Health problems — Classification of illnesses, of psychological problems… Sexual problems, love problems, suicide, addiction (drug, tobacco, alcohol), euthanasia, bereavement, accidents, chronic pain, AIDS… Lack of health services, of pharmacological drugs, of personal hygiene… Malnutrition, faulty diets…

20/70/50/xx- Social problems — Poverty, unemployment, illness, disability, toxicomania or addiction, homelessness, housing, illiteracy, prostitution, criminality, abortion, disempowerment, acculturation, family planning, budgeting, child abuse, battered women, old age, overpopulation, displacement of refugees, dicrimination (race, âge, sexe, orientation sexuelle, religion, statut social, handicap, maladie...), street gangs, school drop-out, mortalité infantile…

20/70/50/xx- Economic problems — Lack of production or distribution of goods and services, more specifically of that part of them without which there would be more suffering (be it food, water, fuel, housing, clothing, industrial supplies, educational services, telecommunications, transportation, health services, political management, etc.). Abusive appropriations, abusive exploitation, profiteering, slavery… Underdevelopment. Lack of social security, of private insurance… Hunger, water-related problems,

20/70/50/xx- Armed conflict — Army, military, civil war, war

20/70/50/xx- Crimes and human rights violation

20/70/50/xx- Disasters, accidents, fire, apocalypse or end of the world,

20/70/50/xx- Animal suffering —

20/70/50/xx- Environmental problems —

20/70/50/xx- Death-related problems (fear of death, suicide, bereavement, euthanasia, homicide…)

20/70/50/xx- Spiritual problems. Sin. Fear of damnation. Aspiration to salvation.

20/70/50/90/09- Combined sets of suffering — The set of all sufferings. Multicategorical sets.

growing sufferings, diminishing, structural, ponctuels, simple vs complex, worst (en n. de viks, en algogénie, en gravité de s…), collection of quotes in the form of "THE most widespread suffering is …".

(from EWP h945 metapathology) alienation, anomie, anhedonia, loss of zest in life, meaninglessness, inability to enjoy, indifference, boredom, ennui, worthlessness of life, existential vacuum, noogenic neurosis, philosophical crisis, apathy, resignation, fatalism, valuelessness, desacralization of life, spiritual illnesses and crises, axiological depression, death wishes, sense of being useless or unwanted, hopelessness, despair, anguish, cynicism, and aimlessness.

sexual frustration, sexual problems, old age problems, burn-out, ugliness, déchéance, inertia, tiredness, spleen, ignorance, illetteracy, loneliness,  religious dependency, superstition, fear of crime, of illness, of suffering, of pain, of death, of powerlessness, of painful death, of horrible death, of premature death, fear of tomorow, of old age want, fear of boss, of government, of proprietary, unrest, anguish, insecurity, shyness, lack of self-confidence, lack of confidence in others, social tension, psychological tension, ostracism, fanatics, lack of independence, of autonomy, (from old age, from illness, from a chronic condition, from handicap...), dependency to comfort, emotional dependence to a closed group (family, gang, sect, work place…), coward, irresponsible, omission to help, lack of courage, civil disobedience, justified infraction, lack of comfort, lack of longevity, lack of superiority, of success, of dominance, of aggression, of competence, lack of social approbation, of acknowledgement, of good reputation, of higher social rank, of others' esteem, of respect, of love, lack of posterity lack of pleasure, of happiness, of joy, of riches, of gratification, lack of peak experience, of sublime, of spiritual realization, lack of belonging, lack of roots, lack of self-realization, of amelioration, of going upward, of getting, better off, lack of contributing to society, to family, etc., lack of action, of exercise, of doing, unrooting, rejection, being not desired, being cheated, conditioned, exploited, manipulated, culpability, remorse, shame, love peine, heartbreak, separation, loss of affection, treason…, loss of work, status, money, disarray, sadness, discontent, lack of love for others, abrutissement, avilissement,

(see Siu 1998, vol III, suffering )

1. Santé. Hygiène. Médecine. Psychiatrie. Psychothérapie. Cardiologie, cancérologie, traumatologie, toxicologie (drogues, tabac, alcool), etc.
2. Recherche sur la douleur. Traitement de la douleur.
3. Bienfaisance, philanthropie, humanitarisme.
4. Tiers-monde. Sous-développement. Aide internationale. Faim. Ressources en eau. Surpopulation.
5. Pacifisme, polémologie, guerre, militarisme.
6. Problèmes sociaux. Droits de la personne, discrimination (race, âge, sexe, orientation sexuelle, religion, statut social, handicap, maladie...). Torture. Réfugiés.
7. Problèmes économiques. Pauvreté. Chômage. Maldistribution de la richesse. Exploitation des travailleurs.
8. Criminologie. Pénologie.
9. Problèmes spirituels. Péché. Aspirations au salut.
10. Problèmes relatifs à la mort. Deuil. Suicidologie.
11. Le problème de la fin du monde.
12. Secours d'urgence en cas de catastrophe. Protection civile.
13. Problèmes sexologiques.
14. Protection des animaux.
15. Problèmes écologiques, pollution.

maux, douleur, souffrance, mal, malheur, problème, besoin, etc.

souffrance excessive, extrême, hautement aversive,

souffrance utile, inutile, noble, ignoble,

registre des cas de souf. excess.

40/70/50- CLASSIFICATION TABLE FOR ALGOGENIC FACTORS

(The following text is under construction)

1- ..........SECTORS.............

2- CATEGORIES

40/70/50/04- Internal structural factors — Biological, anatomical, physiological, neural, hormonal, and other such factors.

40/70/50/05- External structural factors — Historical, physical, social, economical, cultural, and other such circumstances.

40/70/50/06- Causes of suffering — Direct vs structural. Simple vs complex. Collection of quotes in the form of "THE first or most important cause of suffering is …". Sufferings as causes of suffering. Good things as causes of suffering. growing factors, diminishing, structural, ponctuels, worst (en n. de viks, en algogénie, en gravité de s…), premiers algogènes, algogènes structurels

40/70/50/07- Strategies, tactics, ways for producing suffering —

40/70/50/08- Resources used in algogenic activities — Workforce, money, documents, material…

40/70/50/12- Doctrines — Political doctrines (nazism, fascism, …). Spiritual doctrines (damnation, fakirism, ascetism, penitentism…). Philosophical doctrines (dolorism, prodolorism…).

40/70/50/13- Persons — Famous algogenic agents. Classes of persons (see inflictors)

40/70/50/14- Personal actions —

40/70/50/15- Professions — bourreau, torturers, slave-trader, soldier, army, school of torture, CIA, prison-warden,

40/70/50/17- Organizations — Governmental, nongovernmental, corporate, nonprofit… organizations.

40/70/50/18- Disciplines — Schools of torture.

40/70/50/90- Categories or factors not listed elsewhere —

40/70/50/90/09- Combined sets of factors — The set of all factors. Multicategorical sets.

40/70/50/90/10- Conceptual classes of factors — Activities, action, forces, factors, agency…

40/70/50/90/90- Unintentional algogenic factors — Chance, counterproductivity, side-effects, algogenic effects caused by antalgic factors (by physicians, politicians, policemen, judges, etc.)…

40/70/50/xx- Pro-dolorist activities —

40/70/50/xx- Harming animals —

40/70/50/xx- Harming the environment —

INFLICTORS

wrong-doers, evil-doers, sadistics, satanists, nazi, fascist, racists, criminals, mafia,

child molestors, abusive exploiters, corporation strategists, anti-eff, structural syanlgic actors, individuals, organizations

Suffering caused by antalgic factors

necessary-useful-unavoidable suffering, unnecessary-useless-avoidable suffering, perverse antalgic agents,

Suffering caused by the pursuit of a truely positive good

Suffering caused by the pursuit of a falsely positive good

From an International Society for Panetics' document :

SECTION 1: The DATA TEAM will gather selected relevant indicators from numerous sources that attempt to measure, on a comparative basis, INFLICTIONS of human suffering among the nations of the world. The indicators will be portrayed in tabular and map formats. GENERAL categories (there will be many sub-categories) of INFLICTION for initial data collection include (but are not limited to):

a. "Natural" (i.e. non-human) inflictions in the year 2000 (i.e. natural disasters, etc.).

b. Business inflictions.

c. Criminal inflictions.

d. Economic inflictions (poverty, unemployment, displacements, etc.)

e. Educational inflictions.

f. Environmental inflictions.

g. Ethnic, racial and gender-based inflictions.

h. Ethical and value conflicts that inflict.

I. Family inflictions (spousal abuse, child abuse,etc.)

i. Governmental and political inflictions (including terrorism).

j. Legal, judicial, police and correctional inflictions.

k. Media (including public relations and advertising) inflictions.

l. Medical and health-related inflictions. m. Military inflictions (war, etc.)

n. Political inflictions.

o. Religious inflictions.

p. Science-related inflictions.

q. Technology-related inflictions.