WHY DOES A BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF LOWER LEVEL INFORMATION TO REVEAL HIGHER LEVEL ORGANIZATION

The principle of hierarchy is essential for solving problems in the real world We are presented with a vast amount of information, and much of it is irrelevant or too complex to develop in detail It is not always practical to review all the information, to make all the calculations, to check all the possibilities, to pursue all the options When we deal with a large number of possibilities, we must arrange them in some sort of hierarchical classification When we try to solve a problem, we must identify the relevant information, select the most important possibilities, and isolate the crucial choices If we deal with a complex system, we must understand the principles operating at higher levels and the principles of organization at lower levels When we see a large number of possibilities, we can often simplify them by arranging them in an orderly list; we can classify them according to general categories When we see a large number of objects, we can often simplify them by arranging them in a hierarchy according to their similarities and differences The same principle applies to large numbers of options or possibilities, which can be reduced to a few basic alternatives or a few basic principles Usually, we do not need to be familiar with all the details of lower levels or with all the branches of a large hierarchy We do not need to know all the steps in a large process, or all the pieces in a complex system If we want to give a presentation, we do not need a detailed knowledge of the subject If we want to understand the principles of a large system, we do not need a detailed knowledge of all its components If we want to solve a problem, we do not need all the information in its totality We do not need to be able to work through all the steps of a process in order to understand the principles of a process We do not need to know how all the parts function in order to understand how a system operates We do not need to know all the details of a large hierarchy in order to understand and use that hierarchy We do not need to have a detailed knowledge of all the data or all the steps or all the options in order to use and manage the data or to solve the problem We do not need to know everything about a large system in order to understand or work with that system We do not need to know all the details about everything We do not need all the knowledge We just need to know the knowledge that is relevant and important