The Inception Principle
Economic Law #7
“There is nothing new under the sun.”
— Ecclesiastes 1:9
The Helicopter That Could Have Flown in 500 BC
Here’s a thought experiment that changes everything about how we understand innovation:
Helicopters would have flown in any B.C. time.
The aerodynamics that make a helicopter fly existed then exactly as they exist now. The laws of physics that God set in motion — lift, thrust, drag, the behavior of air over a rotating blade — applied in ancient Babylon as they apply today.
What was missing wasn’t the possibility. What was missing was the perspective.
The ancient Egyptians had:
- Understanding of levers and mechanical advantage
- Knowledge of air resistance (they built sails)
- Observation of birds and flight
- Sophisticated engineering (pyramids)
They had everything except the way of seeing that would combine these elements into rotary-wing flight.
Innovation isn’t creating new laws of nature. Innovation is finding new ways to see existing ones.
The True Definition of Hacking
The word “hacking” has been corrupted. In popular usage, it means breaking into systems, exploiting vulnerabilities, causing harm.
But the original meaning — the one that matters — is something else entirely:
Hacking: Finding new ways to see existing systems.
A hacker doesn’t create new physics. A hacker looks at existing rules, existing components, existing constraints — and sees a combination that nobody else saw.
The first person to realize you could:
- Use a phone line to transmit data (modem)
- Store music as ones and zeros (digital audio)
- Connect computers across distances (networking)
These weren’t creating new laws. They were inception — planting the seed of a new perspective into existing soil.
Why This Matters for Intellectual Property
Critics of patent systems often argue that innovations are “obvious” — that anyone could have combined existing elements the same way.
This critique misunderstands what innovation actually is.
Every innovation is a novel combination of existing elements. That’s not a weakness — that’s the definition.
The helicopter wasn’t “obvious” to ancient engineers despite having all the necessary physics available. The smartphone wasn’t “obvious” in 1990 despite existing touchscreens, cellular networks, and portable computers.
What makes an innovation patentable isn’t that it creates new physics. It’s that it represents a non-obvious combination — a way of seeing that wasn’t apparent to others skilled in the art.
The 1,244 Innovations
Liana Banyan’s patent portfolio contains 1,244 documented innovations. Critics might say: “These are just combinations of existing concepts.”
Yes. Exactly. That’s what innovation is.
The Three-Gear Currency System doesn’t create new economics. It combines:
- Existing currency theory
- Existing forex mechanisms
- Existing cooperative principles
…in a way that nobody else combined them.
The Boaz Principle doesn’t create new ethics. It combines:
- Ancient gleaning law
- Modern platform economics
- Automated distribution
…in a way that nobody else combined them.
The perspective is the innovation.
The Equation
Innovation = f(Existing Laws, New Perspective)
Where:
- Existing Laws = The physics, economics, social dynamics that have always existed
- New Perspective = The novel way of seeing how these laws can combine
- Innovation = The resulting non-obvious combination
The function f is what separates the inventor from the observer. Everyone has access to the same existing laws. The innovation is in the perspective.
Implications for Platform Design
The Inception Principle has practical implications for how Liana Banyan operates:
1. IP Philosophy
We don’t claim to have invented new economics. We claim to have found new ways of seeing existing economic principles — ways that produce different outcomes.
The 83.3% creator split isn’t new math. It’s a new perspective on how platform margins should work.
2. Patent Strategy
Our patent applications don’t claim to have discovered new laws of nature. They claim novel combinations — non-obvious ways of assembling existing elements.
This is exactly what patent law is designed to protect.
3. Innovation Culture
The platform encourages members to find new perspectives on existing problems. You don’t need to invent new physics to create valuable IP. You need to see existing physics in new ways.
The Wry Observation
Every platform claims to be “innovative” and “disruptive.”
Most of them are just doing the same extraction with different branding.
We’re not claiming to have discovered new laws of economics. We’re claiming to have found a perspective on existing laws that produces:
- 83.3% to creators instead of 70% or less
- Structural generosity instead of optional charity
- Deterministic returns instead of speculative volatility
The innovation isn’t in the math. The math has always existed.
The innovation is in seeing that the math could work this way.
Connection to Other Laws
The Inception Principle is the philosophical foundation for all the other economic laws:
| Law | What Existed | New Perspective |
|---|---|---|
| Forex Absorption | Currency exchange, platform credits | Absorb at acquisition, not spending |
| Ratchet Accumulation | Historical records, value tracking | Value can only increase |
| Quality Alignment | Margins, quality metrics | Lock margin to flip the derivative |
| One-Way Valve | External markets, internal economies | Capture once, decouple forever |
| Structural Gleaning | Charity, platform fees | Build generosity into the math |
| Generosity for Potential | Microfinance, opportunity cost | The corner creates more than it costs |
None of these laws required inventing new economics. They required seeing existing economics differently.
The Ecclesiastes Paradox
“There is nothing new under the sun” sounds like a statement of futility. Everything has been done. Why bother?
But the Inception Principle reveals the opposite meaning:
Because nothing is new, everything is possible.
The helicopter was always possible. The smartphone was always possible. The cooperative platform that actually works for creators was always possible.
The only thing missing was someone willing to see it.
Conclusion
The Inception Principle is Economic Law #7 because it explains why the other six laws are legitimate innovations despite being “just combinations” of existing elements.
Innovation isn’t creation from nothing. Innovation is inception — planting a new perspective into existing soil and watching something grow that couldn’t have grown without that seed.
Helicopters would have flown in 500 BC.
They just needed someone to see how.
Next: Generosity for Potential — Why the corner of the field creates more value than it costs
Jonathan R. Jones is the founder of Liana Banyan Corporation. He has spent 37 years developing the perspectives documented in this platform’s 1,244 innovations — not creating new laws of nature, but finding new ways to see the ones that have always existed.