That's very flattering, thank you. Yes, I am certainly approaching this topic in my current theory with that approach. As I initially described, I am considering the analysis based on the kind of things I observe in financial markets - I have a particular interest in Elliott Wave, Cycle Analysis, and Fibonacci / Harmonic Analysis.

Whilst these interests may seem too far apart from application to something like belief systems, I would contest that in fact they are far from being different.

The rise and fall of price is in fact a real time description on a 2d axis of the strength and behaviour of belief systems measured against time.

Confluence between these axis both in geometry and time plays itself regularly throughout markets, regardless of whether it is corn or currency.

Applying technical analysis to these markets, whilst never guaranteed, can deliver predictable outcomes based on prior history of a market.

What am I saying? Human history is a market of ideas and belief systems. Civilisations, religions, cultures, rise and fall like waves. There is a potential predictability to human behaviour based on a study of the past based on this type of analysis.

Contrary to your assertion however, I do not think this takes the "soul" out of the machine I am seeking to measure.

To be honest, I think it makes it even sexier and interesting.

Whether people like it or now, there are certain mathematical probabilities which play themselves out in human life.... The time it takes to gestate, to reach puberty, the window for mid life crisis, to develop speech.... There are indeed exceptions but there are certainly trends.

I am interested in those trends, and personally, I find them deeply compelling to consider.

For the record I am not an atheist. I regard atheism and theism very difficult to separate. They look the same to me.