Bloke
Premium Member
...I don't wonder about it often. However, when I do, I go back to that Human Venn thingy. ;-)
I think there is a more than a Venn overlap reflecting how people examining the problem think, I think the Venn overlap is actual operational and actual in the history of Trade Unionism... you can see it (evidence) in England and Australia (Trades Hall Melbourne even has a lodge room in it)..... Anyway, I kinda digress because it is a topic I am interested in... To be clear, we're talking in a post 1717 world, not pre it, and I think the development of Freemasonry probably influenced Trade Unionism more than the other way around... but it goes to the socioeconomic point in the Tavern Lodges, and formation of the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster and the social classes represented within its 4 founding lodges... I think its interesting, but only tells us a small (but important part) of the story, some lodges were comprised of (non-stonemason) trades people, others were comprised more of aristocrats and the wealthy..
Occam's Razor is good, but it is not a definitive test, only a paradigm , using it, for example, some will conclude that photos claimed as showing a human on the moon in 1969 is because a man was sent to the moon, others will conclude the photos were staged. Both conclusion might claim Occam's Razor. The use of Occam's Razor is good, but it only provides a hypothesis and not a evidence based conclusion..