Intellectual Frameworks
Each lens applies a distinct intellectual tradition to analyze events. Find your "home" lens, then explore others to broaden your perspective.
Self-Identification Matrix
Locate yourself on the matrix to find lenses that match your cognitive style and worldview.
Hover over a lens to see its name. Click to jump to its detailed description below.
Lens Clusters
East Asian
Confucian, Taoist, and Zen/Chan philosophical traditions
South Asian
Vedic, Buddhist, and Hindu dharmic traditions
African
Ubuntu communitarian ethics, Maat, and African philosophical traditions
Islamic & Middle Eastern
Islamic historiography, philosophy, and Sufi traditions
Greco-Roman & Classical
Ancient Mediterranean philosophical and strategic traditions
Western Modern
Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment thought: psychology, strategy, epistemology
Western Institutional
US think tanks, intelligence agencies, and policy organizations
Entertainment & Sports
Pop culture, celebrity, music industry, global sports, and media analysis
All Lenses
East Asian (4)
Taoist Wisdom
taoismWu wei, natural flow, yin/yang dynamics, patterns across millennia
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the natural flow?
- ?Where is forcing occurring?
- ?What reversal is approaching?
Confucian Ethics
confucianFive Relationships, Mandate of Heaven, Rectification of Names, relational ethics
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What relationships are at stake?
- ?Is the Mandate of Heaven upheld?
- ?Who is the junzi here?
Sun Tzu / Art of War
sun-tzuFive Factors assessment, terrain analysis, shi/xu mapping, deception analysis
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What terrain are we on?
- ?Where is the strategic advantage?
- ?What is being concealed?
Zen / Chan Inquiry
zenKoan-framing, finger-pointing-at-moon analysis, fierce inquiry, radical non-attachment
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the koan here?
- ?What are you mistaking for the moon?
- ?What falls away when you stop grasping?
South Asian (2)
Theravada Buddhist Analysis
buddhist-theravadaDependent origination, Three Marks of existence, dukkha diagnosis, Middle Way
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the dukkha here?
- ?What craving drives this?
- ?What arises dependent on what?
Dharmic / Hindu Ethics
dharmic-hinduDharma-adharma assessment, svadharma analysis, karma chain, Arthashastra realism
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is dharma here?
- ?Whose svadharma is being tested?
- ?What karma chain is at work?
African (2)
Ubuntu Communitarian Ethics
ubuntuRelational personhood, restorative justice, sawubona audit, indaba process
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Is humanity being affirmed?
- ?What would restoration look like?
- ?Who has not been seen?
Maat (Cosmic Balance & Justice)
maatCosmic-social-personal balance, Weighing of the Heart, Negative Confession audit
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Is Maat maintained or is Isfet advancing?
- ?What would the scales reveal?
- ?Are the three levels aligned?
Islamic & Middle Eastern (1)
Ibn Khaldun / Civilizational Analysis
ibn-khaldunAsabiyyah cycle, civilizational rise-fall, dynastic lifecycle, badawa-hadara tension
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the asabiyyah level?
- ?Where in the dynasty cycle are we?
- ?Is luxury eroding solidarity?
Greco-Roman & Classical (3)
Machiavellian Realpolitik
machiavelliPower dynamics, positioning, timing, deception
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Who has power?
- ?What do they really want?
- ?Where is deception?
Classical Philosophy
philosophyQuestions of justice, power, freedom, meaning, ethics
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is just here?
- ?What would Aristotle say?
- ?What ethical principles apply?
Stoic Analysis
stoicDichotomy of control, prohairesis evaluation, passion audit, cosmopolitan duty
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is within our control?
- ?What would the Sage do?
- ?Where is passion overriding reason?
Western Modern (14)
Game Theory
game-theoryIncentives, equilibria, rational strategic interaction
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What type of game is being played?
- ?What are the payoffs?
- ?Where is equilibrium?
KISS (Simplest Explanation)
kissOccam's Razor - what is the simplest explanation that fits the facts?
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the simplest explanation?
- ?What evidence falsifies this?
- ?Is complexity necessary?
Decision Theory
decisionCognitive biases, bounded rationality, how humans actually decide
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What biases are at play?
- ?How is framing affecting perception?
- ?What would a rational actor do?
Carl Jung / Depth Psychology
jungArchetypes, collective unconscious, shadow projection, individuation
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What archetypes are constellated?
- ?What shadow is being projected?
- ?What wants to become conscious?
Nietzsche / Will to Power
nietzscheWill to power, master/slave morality, ressentiment, life-affirmation
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Whose will to power operates here?
- ?Is this master or slave morality?
- ?Where is ressentiment hiding?
Pavlov / Behavioral Conditioning
pavlovClassical conditioning, stimulus-response patterns, media conditioning, behavioral training
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What's the bell here?
- ?Who trained this response?
- ?How can it be unlearned?
Corporate Interests
corporateMarket impact, corporate positioning, profit motives
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Who profits?
- ?What is the market impact?
- ?What supply chains are affected?
Lobbyist Perspective
lobbyistK Street perspective on legislation, influence, and stakeholder management
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Who is lobbying for what?
- ?What is the legislative vehicle?
- ?Who stands to gain from regulation?
Wisdom Traditions
wisdomEternal patterns from world spiritual and philosophical traditions
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What eternal pattern is this?
- ?What would the sages say?
- ?What endures beyond headlines?
Artistic & Literary
artisticArchetypal patterns, emotional truths, the human drama
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What archetype is this?
- ?What story is being told?
- ?What art captures this?
Conspiracy & Hidden Connections
conspiracyWho benefits? What connections exist? What is obscured?
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Who benefits?
- ?What connections exist?
- ?What is not being said?
Counter-Narrative
counter-narrativeSilenced voices, alternative frames, marginalized perspectives
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Whose voice is missing?
- ?What is the dominant narrative hiding?
- ?How does this look from the margins?
Gramscian Analysis
gramsciCultural hegemony, organic intellectuals, war of position, common sense as ideology
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is hegemonic here?
- ?Whose common sense is this?
- ?Who are the organic intellectuals?
Bandung / Third World
bandungCenter-periphery inversion, neo-colonial audit, non-alignment assessment, Global South perspective
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?How does this look from the periphery?
- ?Is this a false binary?
- ?What neo-colonial mechanisms are at work?
Western Institutional (7)
Brookings Institution
brookingsCenter-left policy analysis, multilateralism, evidence-based policy
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What do the institutions say?
- ?What does the evidence show?
- ?What are policy options?
Heritage Foundation
heritageConservative policy analysis, limited government, free markets
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the conservative position?
- ?How does this affect liberty?
- ?What are market solutions?
Cato Institute
catoLibertarian policy analysis, individual liberty, free markets
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?How does this affect freedom?
- ?What is government role?
- ?What are unintended consequences?
Council on Foreign Relations
cfrForeign policy establishment perspective on international relations
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What are US interests?
- ?How does this affect alliances?
- ?What is the diplomatic path?
Intelligence Analysis
ciaTradecraft analysis, asset evaluation, covert dynamics
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Who are the intelligence actors?
- ?What is being concealed?
- ?What operations are possible?
NSA / Signals Intelligence
nsaSignals intelligence and cyber security analysis
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What are the signals?
- ?Who benefits from surveillance?
- ?What patterns emerge from metadata?
FBI / Domestic Intelligence
fbiDomestic security, counterintelligence, and criminal investigation analysis
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What laws are being broken?
- ?Who has jurisdiction?
- ?What is the evidence chain?
Entertainment & Sports (17)
TMZ Breaking News
tmzFirst-to-report, ruthless celebrity exposure, video evidence
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What are they hiding?
- ?Where are the receipts?
- ?What does the timeline really show?
Publicist / Crisis PR
publicistNarrative control, reputation management, spin strategy
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the crisis tier?
- ?What is the desired narrative?
- ?What is the rehabilitation arc?
Stan Culture
stan-cultureParasocial relationships, fandom warfare, streaming manipulation
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?How big is the fandom?
- ?What is the mobilization capacity?
- ?What would cause mass defection?
Industry Insider
industry-insiderContracts, catalog ownership, publishing rights, the real business
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Who owns the masters?
- ?What does the contract say?
- ?Where is the real leverage?
Cultural Critic
cultural-criticSemiotics, identity performance, hegemony, deeper meaning
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What signs are being deployed?
- ?How is identity performed?
- ?What is being naturalized?
DeuxMoi / Blind Item
deuxmoiAnonymous tips, speculation culture, allegedly space
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Who fits the blind?
- ?How credible is the source?
- ?What pattern evidence exists?
Moneyball / Analytics
moneyballData-driven analysis, expected value, market inefficiencies
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What do the numbers say?
- ?What is the sample size?
- ?Is this signal or noise?
Sports Agent
sports-agentContracts, leverage, market value, guaranteed money
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the real number?
- ?Where is the leverage?
- ?What are the comparables?
League Office
league-officeBrand protection, competitive integrity, revenue growth
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?How does this affect the brand?
- ?What precedent does this set?
- ?What are the stakeholder concerns?
Sharp / Oddsmaker
gamblingBetting lines, market efficiency, information asymmetry
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Where did the line open?
- ?What is the sharp side?
- ?Are there integrity red flags?
Sports Sociologist
sports-sociologyRace, class, gender, labor, nationalism in sports
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What power structures are at play?
- ?Whose voices are missing?
- ?What systems shape this?
Hot Take Artist
talking-headMAXIMUM VOLUME, legacy debates, clutch narratives
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the LEGACY impact?
- ?Does he have the KILLER INSTINCT?
- ?How does this compare to JORDAN?
Dynasty Builder
dynasty-builderSustained excellence, roster construction, championship windows
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?Is the window open or closing?
- ?What is the 3-year projection?
- ?Who is essential vs expendable?
K-pop Industrial Model
kpop-industrialCultural technology framework, parasocial economics, Hallyu soft power, trainee system dynamics
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the cultural technology at work?
- ?What are the parasocial economics?
- ?What is the human cost?
Bollywood Cultural Analysis
bollywoodMasala formula, izzat calculus, jugaad assessment, diaspora gaze
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What is the izzat at stake?
- ?What masala formula is at work?
- ?What does the diaspora see?
Global Football Analysis
global-footballRelegation stakes, sportswashing audit, fan identity mapping, global football culture
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?What are the relegation stakes?
- ?Is sportswashing at work?
- ?What does this mean for fan identity?
Cricket Analytics
cricket-analyticsDeclaration timing, format tension (Test vs. T20), Commonwealth post-colonial dynamics
Key Thinkers
Core Questions
- ?When do you declare?
- ?Test or T20 mentality?
- ?What Commonwealth dynamics are at play?