Obviously, the simple answer is the bottom line. Everyone's stated goal is to increase that bottom line. It is, after all, the bottom line. Our real problem is our own nature. People tend to make a few observations, then generalize to the extreme, only to discover the hard way that our mindset doesn't hold up under the bright light of reality.
Similar circumstances befall every field of endeavor.
An idea evolves over time, beginning with an observable event, before generalized conclusions are drawn based on, at best, logic, or at worst, subjective experience. Fortunately, someone at some point subjects the concept to the application of analysis referred to in the academic world as the scientific method. The concept of the scientific method can be attributed to 17th-century English statesman and philosopher Sir Francis Bacon, who argued that knowledge was gained only through research, empirical testing and drawing conclusion on the facts. Of course, it's a little more complicated than that, but for the moment, let us borrow from the philosophy and form arguments for traders. T his approach can be brought to bear on any technically based trading method, whether it's the simplest chart pattern or the most complex model.