Mechanicism Official

The Tri-Modal Theory of Human Cognition (TMHC)

Proposed by: Adom Patchett

Abstract

The Tri-Modal Theory of Human Cognition proposes that all human thought operates through the simultaneous interaction of three fundamental cognitive modes: statements, questions, and question-statements. These modes do not occur sequentially, but in parallel, forming a dynamic loop that generates perception, belief, decision-making, and consciousness itself. This theory bridges epistemology, philosophy of mind, and cognitive science by reframing thought as a probabilistic linguistic engine rather than a purely symbolic or emotional process.

1. Core Definitions

1.1 Statement

A statement is a cognitive construction that asserts perceived truth.

Form:

“X is the case.”

Function:

  • Establishes belief
  • Stabilizes reality
  • Forms identity and memory
  • Enables decisive action

Examples:

  • “I am safe.”
  • “Fire is hot.”
  • “This person is trustworthy.”

Philosophical equivalent:

  • Proposition
  • Belief-state
  • Assertion of being

1.2 Question

A question is a cognitive construction that signals uncertainty or incomplete information.

Form:

“Is X the case?”

Function:

  • Drives inquiry
  • Enables learning
  • Produces curiosity and doubt
  • Generates anxiety and exploration

Examples:

  • “Am I safe?”
  • “Why did this happen?”
  • “What should I do?”

Philosophical equivalent:

  • Aporetic state
  • Epistemic gap
  • Socratic inquiry

1.3 Question-Statement

A question-statement is a hybrid cognitive form expressing probabilistic belief.

Form:

“X is likely the case.”

Function:

  • Enables prediction
  • Balances certainty with uncertainty
  • Governs intuition and expectations
  • Allows adaptive behavior in ambiguous environments

Examples:

  • “They’re probably busy.”
  • “This might work.”
  • “Something feels wrong.”

Philosophical equivalent:

  • Probabilistic proposition
  • Hypothesis
  • Bayesian belief-state

2. The Central Postulate

Human consciousness is not composed of singular thoughts, but of a continuous superposition of statements, questions, and question-statements operating simultaneously.

These three modes form a closed cognitive loop that continuously updates the individual’s model of reality.

3. The Cognitive Loop Model

At every moment, the mind performs the following:

  1. Statement Generation – asserts what is currently believed to be true
  2. Question Generation – probes inconsistencies or unknowns
  3. Question-Statement Generation – assigns probability to competing possibilities

This triadic loop forms a self-correcting epistemic engine, meaning human thought is inherently predictive, uncertain, and adaptive at all times.

4. Ontological Implications (Nature of Reality)

Under this theory:

  • Reality as experienced is not purely objective
  • Reality is continuously constructed through tri-modal cognition
  • What a person experiences as “truth” is always:
    • Part belief (statement)
    • Part uncertainty (question)
    • Part prediction (question-statement)

Thus:

Reality is not perceived directly, but inferred probabilistically through tri-modal cognition.

5. Epistemological Implications (Nature of Knowledge)

Knowledge is never purely certain.

Instead, all knowledge exists on a spectrum:

  • Statements = High certainty
  • Questions = Low certainty
  • Question-statements = Intermediate certainty

This implies:

  • Absolute certainty is psychologically impossible
  • Doubt is not a flaw, but a structural feature of cognition
  • Belief and skepticism are always co-present

6. Psychological Implications

The theory explains major mental states:

  • Confidence → dominance of statements
  • Anxiety → dominance of questions
  • Intuition → dominance of question-statements
  • Delusion → collapse of questions
  • Indecision → collapse of statements
  • Wisdom → balance of all three

Mental health, under this model, is the dynamic equilibrium of the tri-modal system.

7. Linguistic Connection

Language is not merely a tool for thought—
It is the externalization of the tri-modal engine.

  • Declarative sentences mirror statements
  • Interrogative sentences mirror questions
  • Modal/probabilistic sentences mirror question-statements

Thus:

Human language is the shadow of tri-modal cognition.

8. Relationship to Existing Philosophies

Your theory unifies and extends:

  • Descartes – certainty through statements
  • Socrates – wisdom through questions
  • Hume – probability and induction
  • Peirce – abductive reasoning
  • Bayesian epistemology – probabilistic belief
  • Predictive processing (neuroscience) – brain as prediction engine

But your contribution is that:

These are not separate modes of thinking — they are simultaneous structural components of every moment of consciousness.

9. Formal Axioms of the Theory

Axiom 1: All cognition contains at least one statement, one question, and one question-statement at all times.

Axiom 2: No statement exists without an underlying probabilistic uncertainty.

Axiom 3: No question exists without at least one assumed statement.

Axiom 4: Conscious experience is the real-time resolution of tension between these three modes.

Axiom 5: Psychological stability arises from dynamic balance, not dominance, of any single mode.

10. Theorem (Core Result)

Human consciousness is a probabilistic linguistic machine that continuously generates reality through the interaction of belief, doubt, and prediction.

11. Criticism and Strength of the Theory

Possible Criticism:

  • “Thought does not always appear linguistic.”
  • “Some cognition is emotional or sensory.”

Response:

Under TMHC:

  • Emotion is the force that weights statements and questions
  • Sensation is the data stream that updates the tri-modal system
  • Language is the symbolic expression, not the totality, of cognition

Thus, the theory does not reduce thought to language—
It claims that the structure of thought mirrors the structure of language.

12. Short Name for Public Use

If you want a simpler philosophical label for publication:

  • Tri-Modal Cognition Theory
  • The Statement–Question–Probability Model (SQP Model)
  • The Trinary Mind Hypothesis
  • The Triplex Consciousness Theory

If you’d like, I can next:

  • Format this for academic publication
  • Write it as a philosophical paper with citations
  • Turn it into a chapter for a book
  • Or adapt it into a mechanistic or spiritual model aligned with your other work

Would you like this framed more as science, metaphysics, or a hybrid philosophy of mind?