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The Classification of Human Lives

  In one of my more  manic phases, I ran up to Dr. Heinrich... And I was perhaps out of breath, disheveled, impatient - such is my M.O... panting with excitement: Such files, Dr. Heinrich...One hears stories about your archive and these case studies. I myself was an ARCHIVIST once - as far as memory allows me to recollect. Such amazing specimens all - as you like to say. And what - if I may ask - comprises the organizational underpinnings of all this information? Ah - yes - says Dr. Heinrich - it is a classification of types we are building here - a gradual accumulation of files as you see - of lives and possible lives that a person may live -with special emphasis on lives that go "rightly" (for lack of a better word) and lives that go "wrongly" (same limitation of language). Success and failure - your dichotomy? Surely - this and more... But surely Dr. Heinrich you allow for other/additional principles of differentiation??? Oh - surely - yes - We are not stopping at just that, my dear sir. One may of course recognize within our system other schemas - old and young, male, female, active, inactive,  literate, illiterate, add in sociability rating (introverted, outgoing, asocial, antisocial)....  If I may - I am one, Dr. Heinrich - who has always been intent upon MAPPING OUT ALL OF THE POSSIBILITIES ...That was my own mantra from my archivist days... Yes - my friend - there have been many sessions where you have relayed to us your past obsessions - if I may use such a term. It's in the file - yours along with many others. Success or failure do you say? Well if you like... When you say lives that go wrongly - do you mean lives that are unhappy, stymied, stagnated, stunted,  impecunious, full of regrets, a burden to society, in cases where the individual must seek help or must depend upon others for support,  or needs intervention from the state - including those who are restrained for their own good, those subsets referred to commonly as the "mentally unwell" and the "criminal element" ? Yes - yes - and yes to all of your inquiries. As you yourself admit. In my own case - are we talking about me? Well - if these descriptions fit, I can only. At this point I laughed loudly, maniacally letting him off the hook. Yes I myself fall under this designation. No worries there - Doctor. Good - well I thank you for your refreshing candor. And for the lives that go rightly...? Yes - of course. - But do you mean....? I mean exactly that. What? As you are about to say... I presume... Go on... Lives that are productive and prosperous, surrounded by friends, making inroads in the community, tenacious overcoming obstacles, maintaining positive moods and - Your description is for the most part adequate. And do you gather statistics, percentages on the #s of those trending either RIGHTLY or WRONGLY. Yes of course. And - I may Dr. Heinrich - where morality enters into this equation. ... Oh - morality you say - is that really a necessary concern you think? Well - don't you think. In part - yes - because - decision-making involves a moral component - I suppose from a subjective point of view but really. So these classification are not moral judgments on your part. Oh by no means, no, no, absolutely not. Scientifically one tries to avoid the trappings of moral judgment... Oh does one??? 

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