H.E.R.M.E.S.

The Principles of our Soceity

§1: To work from Academic Standards.

We emphasis the importance of using Academic Standards. This generally means that all information submitted, exchanged and displayed on h-e-r-m-e-s.org should make use of: argumentative thinking and discourse based on valid empirical sources, the use of references and notes, the use of precision and technical terminology, and thus the use of methodology. Pure postulates are not valued unless they are clearly presented as ideas to be used in the construction of a working hypothesis.

§2: To avoid judgments grounded on unsound pre-conceptions.

We seek to avoid a judgmental attitude which is unsound due to invalid pre-conceptions or which is stiff, static and inflexible. This means that ungrounded religionism, dogmatism, scepticism, criticism and reductionism is to be avoided. We find an open mind, keeping an attitude that there is still something new to be learnt even though we either do not understand it or do not agree with it, to be the general ideal and foundation of judgments within our society.

§3: To embrace the new and honour the old.

As a research society we seek to continually reach and embrace new perspectives on the object of our research without clinging to the past, however, we at the same time honour and acknowledge that without the endeavours of old the foundation of the new would crumble to dust; or as Sir Isaac Newton stated in a letter to Hooke dated 5 February 1676: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants".