Journey in Being, below, is introduction to the Journey. The narrative is an orientation to the text. Sketch is an outline of the narrative that also serves as a sketch of the journey

Journey in being

Journey: origins, nature and scope

A better word than ‘scope’

The following material may apply to journey material

The traditions of ideas and transformation have been essential to the journey in providing inspiration, method and material. While retracing the path of other thinkers and actors has been invaluable, the focus has been the journey itself… sources are noted, not for the sake of completeness but, first, when there is an affinity with the journey and then in acknowledgement of a debt

An individual journey

The journey began with an individual adventure—to know the world, to experience whatever adventure might be possible. Along the way, the ideas of being and of universe—all being—were encountered as pivotal to the adventure; the goals grew to include transformation of being and identity and their possibilities, to include experiments in being and identity, to include concern with what may be feasible and valuable. This was not merely a growth of accumulation but one of necessity: independently standing knowledge was shown by knowledge itself, by reason, to be essentially incomplete

Transformations in ideas and identity

Identity includes the body. Transformations in ideas and identity constitute the transformations in being

Brief discussion of identity

My Journey has come to be about transformation—what is possible, what is feasible and what is worthwhile, about realization and means—which is enormously enhanced by knowledge of what the world is like—and, for a given being here-now, essentially limited without that knowledge

Ideas and transformation tightly knit; ideas are a form of and the place of appreciation of transformation. Transformation of being and of universe are logically required by the incompleteness of ideas and the individual but are immensely enhanced by ideas and individuals

Although the journey is not in the realm of ideas alone, ideas are pivotal—as a source of the adventure, as significant in feasible and value based design, in learning from experiments in transformation, and as the place where transformation has significance and worth

The journey

The trajectory of the universe through its phases is seen as a journey; this conception is perhaps better than the idea of linear progression

The title could have been ‘Journeys in Being’ but for the fact that in the vision developed, the various journeys (...), though distinct here-now, merge as one in the ultimate. Hence ‘Journey in Being’

Being: an introduction

A brief comment

The metaphysics and its significance

This section was previously A brief motivation from the metaphysics

Consider whether to include the following:

All flows from the following

The universe is all being

Experience

Go out and take the greatest risk

Introduction to a new picture of the world

The ‘picture’ is the world view or theory of being—the discussion of being and the metaphysics through the cosmology—developed in Theory of Being and elaborated in Human World

Perhaps the crux of this discussion is as follows

Consider the variety of familiar world views. These might include (1) the big-bang cosmology from physics perhaps enhanced by the idea that this cosmos is a bubble among many bubble cosmological systems, (2) mythical and religious cosmologies, (3) ‘fictional cosmologies’ from imagination or literature. The cosmologies are subject to two limitations, first, that they contain no internal contradiction and no contradiction of fact, and, second, that they are positive cosmologies in that they provide a ‘picture’ of the universe whether diagrammed, in words or in equations

Every such positive world view or cosmology is contained as an actuality within the metaphysics of this narrative

Each cosmology has a variety of limits—its extent and duration; the variety of actual and possible beings that populate it where ‘possibility’ is equivalent to ‘consistent with the laws of the world view as well as those of logic; its largest and smallest possible objects…

The limits of every positive, consistent world view lie within limits or at the boundary of the metaphysics of this narrative

Some contours of the view have been seen in Indian Philosophy; some of its elements glimpsed by Leibniz, Hume, and Wittgenstein. However the understanding of its character, its proof, its development as a positive system which means that it is more than an idea or an intuition, its consequences for science, religion, philosophy, and human possibility are not anticipated in the history of ideas

It is therefore appropriate to call the theory of being of this narrative a new picture of the world

Material from Journey in Being-New World-essence.html

Task: get what is essential and re-prioritize for the following imported material for the ‘new picture’

Though glimpsed before, the picture is essentially new and remote from the common view

The narrative, especially Foundation, paints and grounds or justifies a picture of being—of the universe. This picture has been glimpsed in the history of ideas but has not previously given a foundation or developed and elaborated systematically. A reader who is not aware that a new picture is being developed—whose elements appear in Being and whose main development is in Metaphysics, may feel disoriented by the distance between the sense of being in this narrative and the common picture of being in the modern world. While the picture is grounded in Metaphysics, reference is made to it throughout the narrative and the following orientation to its context will be useful in understanding the picture and the narrative:

Although the metaphysics is powerful, the primary goal of the journey is transformation

The goal of transformation will be seen to be necessary to both significance and completeness

The idea—experience—is the place of appreciation of transformation (becoming)

…The ‘picture’ is a formal metaphysics and its elaboration. However, it is pertinent that it has not been the primary goal of the journey to develop a picture—formal or otherwise. The remaining comments of this paragraph are intended to assist readers in negotiating the dual objectives that result from having more than one goal and therefore more than one set of criteria for Foundation. The first goal is transformation of being—of realization of ultimates or, at least, to have a vision of ultimates and to travel in that direction. Understanding and knowing are part of transformation and, therefore, development of the Foundation has been part of the journey. However, actual—physical and other—transformation is the overarching goal. In pursuit of this goal, the question, not new in the history of thought, has come to the forefront whether understanding can andor should be independent of transformation or action

Even though the ideas will be shown to have an ultimate character relative to ideas, they are, as ideas, necessarily an incomplete part of being. Yet, the idea—experience—is the place of appreciation of being and becoming

The first basis of the metaphysics is in reason

It is not been a goal to base the Foundation in some medium between the needs of understanding and knowledge on one hand and transformation on the other. Instead, there have been two rather parallel tracks of development. In one, it has been sought to keep the topics of Foundation as independent of its uses as possible

What of experience—of the empirical? In the development it will be seen that knowledge—knowing—the world and knowledge of knowing itself emerge as a unified subject and not as separate divisions of knowledge. In this process it will be seen that reason and analysis on the one hand are not distinct at root from perception and empirical process on the other hand. The analysis will require recognition of the root case of perception and its necessities

A second base lies in transformation

In the second, the needs of transformation and action have informed the developments within Foundation and attitudes toward it in particular and knowledge and understanding in general. This track is not a pragmatic system for it is not asserted that use is the final measure of validity of knowledge but that knowledge and use remain in interaction and are so interwoven that the notion of validity may have no universal application…

The conceptual foundation is not a system unto itself

Platonism includes the view that a perfect system of understanding may be achieved—that knowledge need not ever be in a process of development, that it may be independent of action and context. This view, which is often tacitly assumed and tacitly encouraged by the concept of authority in education, has been held in critical light in the modern period of philosophy—especially, since Wittgenstein’s influence in analytic philosophy. However, it is difficult to overcome tacit habits of thought and modern and recent philosophy—especially analytic philosophy—remain, significantly, worlds unto themselves. One aspect of the ‘system’ of this narrative is that it should not remain a system unto itself

And yet, the picture has an ultimate character—and contains the received pictures

The picture of the universe developed and grounded is, if valid, one of an infinitely deeper truth and greater variety than is normally assigned to the universe, e.g., in religious, modern physical, or even metaphysical cosmologies. However, it is not the intent here to invalidate or, particularly, to validate those cosmologies. Instead, the new picture or cosmology locates the valid parts of the received cosmologies in within its boundaries. If the intent of a religious cosmology is to be metaphorical and the content of a physical cosmology is regarded as real, then, although those cosmologies have validity within certain imprecisely defined boundaries, the depth of their truth is an infinitesimal fraction of depth of Metaphysics and their domains of validity infinitesimal in relation to the ultimate domain revealed in Cosmology

The grounding of the picture is logical

The grounding of the picture of the universe developed here is a necessary or logical grounding. This grounding does not invalidate the received pictures or cosmologies but places them in a larger, ultimate context and helps to show the origins and limits of the systems they describe. The reader is invited to follow the arguments, to challenge them, to verify or disverify them to his or her satisfaction. The narrative itself raises challenges to its own arguments and the status of these challenges is taken up in the narrative

The grounding in logic is not a grounding in a foundation outside the system

…for it requires a re-conception of logic that lies within the system of ideas (and being)

The development uses old words but new meaning: attention to meaning is crucial

While the development required reconceptualization of ideas from the history of thought, the words used to refer to the reconceived ideas and even new ideas are usually older words. Therefore, careful attention to the meanings introduced in the narrative is essential to its understanding

A suggestion of the power of the system

The primitive concepts of the logical part of the metaphysics are being—whatever exists, universe or all being, the void or absence of being, and form. Being and Metaphysics develop the metaphysics around these ideas. Here, a suggestion of the power of the ideas may be illuminating; demonstration, elaboration and application, and development of meaning and significance is taken up in the body of the narrative

It is common, especially in scientific cosmology, for the word ‘universe’ to refer to the known universe and, perhaps, extrapolations from it. As all being, the present concept of the universe is rather different. The question of how it is possible to talk of and know the universe in its present conception is discussed in Being, Metaphysics and Objects

In the present conception of universe, there is nothing outside it. This implies, first, that everything—including all form, pattern and law—and not just every thing is in the universe and, second, that any foundation for secure knowledge of the universe must lie in it. Being has and can have no further foundation and, therefore, requires no further foundation; the universe has and can have no external creator

As corollary to the inclusion of all form, pattern and law in the universe, the void—whose existence is shown later—contains no form, pattern or law. Therefore, since the exclusion of a logical possibility would be a law of the void, the variety of being in the universe must contain every logical possibility and this fact is constitutive of the ultimate breadth of the metaphysics. Every form must have being and is immanent in being but there is and can be no Platonic world of forms outside the one universe. It also follows that the void may be regarded as the source of all being and, though this is a rough and incomplete statement of the truth and provides no more than a hint of its power, it is here that the ultimate depth of the metaphysics lies

…The metaphysics that grounds these developments is one of ultimate depth and breadth

Power in meaning—the empirical side of meaning

The discussion above suggests that there is power in meaning. If meaning is convention, how is this possible? It must be that though meaning involves convention, meaning is not mere convention. Words and grammar have conventional aspects. However, they refer to the world. Although, to some extent, we receive the empirical content of meaning that does not make it any less empirical. To suggest that meaning is not empirical is to confuse the analytic with the explicit. Meaning has, at least, implicit empirical content. This of course does not meaning is above analysis or that it cannot benefit from analysis

The source of the power in meaning

The axiomatic approach suggests that at the root of any system of thought lies unproven propositions. This is deceiving. It is clear that not just any system of axioms should prove fruitful in understanding. What is it that makes the successful systems successful? The development of the system must mesh (logically) with other systems and empirically in, at least, providing a ground—as in mathematics—for realism if not realism itself—as in science

In Being and Metaphysics, it will be seen that the fundamental terms of the system will be based in (1) necessary aspects of experience—e.g. that there is experience and (2) logical consequences of the necessary aspects, e.g., that there is all experience and part of experience

Demonstration and power

This shows that absolute demonstration is possible—that some general propositions may be shown. It shows that not all proof is relative to axioms that have no foundation

The system to be developed will have ultimate power. Though fortuitous in its occasion, the development is necessary in its character. Of necessity, a necessary development of this kind has no external foundation. It is ‘its own’ foundation. The system shows the development of such foundation; and that it is not circular

Relation of the metaphysics to the contingent nature of the local cosmology: the normal. Identity of the actual and the possible. Experience binds the individual to the world

Where does the local cosmology fit into the general metaphysics? (1) The infinite variety of the entire universe—all being—revealed in the metaphysics does not appear to be characteristic of this—local—world. I.e., the variety of being and behavior under the known / putative laws of this cosmos, is a—very small, even infinitesimal—subset of the total variety of being and behavior. According to the metaphysics, the behavior of the universe is not limited to that of this—local—cosmos and, further, there is, against the background of the entire universe, no distinction between the meaning or fact of ‘is not limited to’ and that of ‘is necessarily not limited to.’ The observed behavior of this cosmos is an example of normal behavior—within its context, deviant behavior, which would be impossible if the observed laws of the cosmos were the laws of the universe, are merely but highly improbable; and, within that context, it is merely but highly probable that the observed laws will describe all behavior. (2) Within the one universe, an event occurs or it does not; if it does it is possible; if it does not, there is no other comparison world where it could occur and, therefore, it is impossible. Therefore, the possible and the actual—over all time and space—are identical; from the previous paragraph, possibility is logical possibility—comparison with other meanings of possibility is taken up later. (3) The individual is immediately tied into the world via his or her experience; it may seem tenuous to suggest that experience is all that ties… however, experience is and will be shown to be a much more robust thing than is the flimsy notion that lies behind the idea of mere experience. These points and others will be discussed in demonstrative detail the body of the narrative. For now, they may be summarized by acknowledging that the concepts of the normal, of the identity of the actual and the possible, and of experience are among the concepts that reveal the place of the local cosmos in the universe

The metaphysics enables elevation of its core and related ideas to an ultimate level

As a result of the development of the metaphysics, it has been possible to raise the understanding of substance and form, objects—particular or concrete and abstract—and identity, logic, meaning, mind, cosmology, human world, morals and ethics, faith, real possibilities in the transformations of being and identity, as well as a number topics of lesser significance or breadth to new levels relative to the history of thought. These levels are often ultimate in nature

The developments derive some inspiration from and have momentous implications for human knowledge. These relations to human knowledge provide one context for the metaphysics

These developments have derived inspiration from and employed analogy with many disciplines from the history of human knowledge—and, in turn, have implications for these disciplines which include not only the philosophical such as metaphysics and logic. The sources include the entire range of knowledge—the sciences including the sciences of physics, biology, and mind; the symbolic systems—language, logic, and mathematics; and art, history, faith and religion; the extent of study has not been uniform over these disciplines. It is relevant to understanding the development here that the exposure described constitutes a resource that has provided an intuitive background for the development that has made it possible to proceed without reference to or use of specific examples. While this does not at all constitute a formal deficiency of the developments, the reader who lacks the exposure may experience an absence of context and orientation in reading the narrative

The greater inspiration, however, is, directly from experience, and then from being

It should not be thought that the entire inspiration is from the history of thought. To think that thought as necessary would be to elevate our thought to a level of primacy over being. It is in the nature of novel, powerful and realist thought that transcends its roots

The levels of understanding, though ultimate, are not thought to be final

Regarding the metaphysics and the other topics, elaboration of its application and refinement of the levels continues

The status of the secular and religious views of being relative to the metaphysics

The beliefs of the present time may be regarded as roughly defined by science, religion, and secular humanism—the latter is a way of thinking based in human values that accepts scientific cosmology and is a modern replacement for religion. These beliefs do not form a coherent system and, where they intersect, may stand in conflict with regard to fact, significance and value. Assertions of the preceding kind are subject to lack in the definiteness of the meanings of the terms—science and so on. The present metaphysics allows a clarification of the ultimate possibilities of meaning of the terms. The ‘literal’ truth of present science need not be contested provided that it is seen as an infinitesimal faction of the truth. The apparent absurdity that may mark the religions is placed in context; except when the absurdity is actual, use of literal form to point to higher truth results in absurdity. Of course, there is no suggestion here that absurdity standing alone is any mark of truth or value. The figurative or evocative value of the forms of expression of spirituality, myth, and religion stand beyond their actual literal or factual form but, from the metaphysics, may be given literal interpretation

Relation to fact and metaphor of any age. Art has a side of pointing to truth; in this side perception is greater than art

The metaphysics may be seen as standing above and giving context and significance to the factual and figurative expression of this and of any age, of any context. In so doing, the metaphysics may be seen as complementing such expression; contradiction should arise only in cases of literal interpretation of actual absurdity. In the direction of fact, there can be no greater complement. The figurative aspects of the expressions of the ages may be seen as intuition, perhaps only groping, of the metaphysics. If art points to truth, seeing truth eliminates—one—need for art, i.e., in this way, perception is greater than art (and religion and thought)

Metaphysics and epistemology. Metaphysics must always be ontologically prior to epistemology. The ontological primacy of epistemology is a mistake. The present metaphysics returns logical primacy to metaphysics

While careful definition is taken up later, cosmology and metaphysics may be seen as the study of the universe and its nature—and whether there are natures or essences. Epistemology may be seen as the study of the origin, justification, nature, and limits of human knowledge. There is a clear sense in which concern with knowledge cannot be more important than concern with the universe. However, in a world in which knowledge is regarded as problematic, epistemology may assume a greater importance than metaphysics and this has been the case in western philosophy—even the possibility of metaphysics has been in question—roughly since the time of Kant. Metaphysics provides logical construction of an ultimate metaphysics from firm empirical ground and, so, shows far more than the possibility of metaphysics

Although the developments may appear strange, they are essentially transparent and simple—even shallow. In their ultimate shallowness lies ultimate depth—and breadth. The source of depth in shallowness requires adjustment of modes of perception and thought

It is characteristic of these developments that, even though they may appear strange on account of their unfamiliarity and even though a reading of the narrative may be difficult because of the breadth of vision and knowledge encompassed, the core developments are essentially transparent and simple. The present development of the concept of being—and of existence—shows it to be shallow, superficial and trivial… and that it is precisely these characteristics that, along with diligent care in their consistent application and in the eradication of erroneous habits of earlier thought, enable the ultimate character of the metaphysics

On origin and diligent use of ‘Being’

‘Journey in Being’ is an exploration in possibility. Its means and ends are in ideas or knowledge and in transformation—in transformation of individual and identity, of society, and, later, of the world—of being

Early goals were diffuse—to be adventurous, to experience mystery and retain wonder, and to make a fundamental contribution. Along the way, being emerged as a basic to a system of concepts that enabled ultimates in ideas and the possibility of ultimates in transformation—as well as approaches to transformation. Why? It is because the alternative, e.g. substance or essence, posits the world as something else… and so opens up to error. On the other hand Being does not posit something else; to focus on Being is to focus on world as world…

Whereas the reduction of substance may be powerful, Being, since it posits nothing may turn out to be shallow—or so the doubt goes. The doubt is unfounded. The case is discussed extensively in narrative. Although Being posits nothing at outset, it is neutral to substance and essence and therefore if matter is the ‘being of the universe’ that may come out of study… and the materialist position will be strengthened. As it turns out, however, substance is untenable… but the approach from Being, the approach that appeared that it might be shallow, turns out to be of ultimate depth and breadth. In part it is the uncommitted aspect and the shallowness that results in depth precisely because it is open

However, there is an additional requirement. A diligent use of the idea of Being over other concepts such as matter, mind and process enabled not only foundation and proof but also analysis of what foundation there may be

There is also further diligence required in incorporating those aspects of our experience that are valid and in excluding those apparent aspects, including various a priori reductions, that are or may be invalid

Although epistemology is secondary, it remains important—especially in its interpretation as grounding in the world. In the developments, epistemology is not at all ignored and is taken up in a way that acknowledges the nature of being-in-the-world. Relation to Angst

Thus the developments show that epistemology may—and, as will be argued in the narrative, in the goal of realization of what is desirable and possible, should—once again take second place to metaphysics. However, the concerns of epistemology remain important. Such concerns are raised in Metaphysics and are addressed there and in subsequent topics, especially Objects and Faith. The concept of faith includes religious faith only as a special case and under the special circumstance that it has basis in reason or intuition but makes no incredulous or merely dogmatic appeal. If concern is with having secure knowledge then, since even in the heart of science and reason and logic there is no final certainty, and since—human—rationality has bounds, the application of knowledge must invariably involve faith even though that faith may be implicit. From another point of view, one that is perhaps revealed in animal behavior, faith-in-less-than-perfectly-secure-knowledge is an approximation to a mode-of-being-in-the-world that requires and can have no absolute certainty in the absolute presence of degrees of uncertainty. Parenthetically this may be set against Heidegger’s concept of Angst; which may be seen as being founded in a false concept of being-in-the-world that Heidegger’s thought retains even as it rejects substance ontology… of course, where Heidegger’s thought is and must be a groping—since, in allowing determinism, it cannot have completely eradicated substance thought—the present metaphysics is in a sense its own author rising above the ego and aspirations of its human author

Ultimate character of the foundation. Residual doubt (over Angst.) Place and essential nature of faith as lying at the core of being and not being required to be overcome. Delusions regarding the role of reason and relation to hidden slavery. Freedom lies in knowing the fluidity of being, of living in fluidity of knowing

In the analysis of the nature of being, of meaning, of what may be doubted and what may not—of empirical knowledge, and of logic, there is no other context to which Foundation may or need refer for justification. Still, various kinds of doubt—e.g. doubt regarding the logic of the metaphysics and doubt about how it may apply and its consequences in this world—are raised and addressed and what doubt remains may be seen as residing, not in limits, but in the nature of being. An at element of faith—even if only implicit—is and must be present in application Theory of Being, e.g. in undertaking transformation and, more immediately, in locating the ultimate objects of the metaphysics in the world of experience—that these objects can be located in experience of normal individuals may be seen to be a rather Wittgensteinian doubt. This is just as there is at least implicit faith in the application of or trust in any knowledge and which faith in explicit form is often suppressed perhaps to allow security and to promote function. The thought that in the contingent realm this is required or desirable to be or can be overcome is delusional and the cultivation of this view is a form of slavery, i.e., that there is some implicit authority or institution that owns the overcoming

Rock solid understanding is possible only in fluidity

Variety is primal in relation to foundation

Even though the variety revealed in the metaphysics is ultimate, the variety is implicit in the metaphysics. This leaves open infinite vistas and possibilities of discovery and transformation and suggests that variety is more interesting and basic than depth

Identity; identity and Identity; Identity and death—death is a certain gate to the infinite

A consequence of the metaphysics that is developed is a theory of identity that shows that an individual must experience all identities. Limits and law-like behavior—regarding but not limited to identity— within this cosmos are an example of what is termed ‘normal.’ The concept of the normal is developed in a way that shows that what is often thought to be contingently impossible is merely—extremely—improbable within a normal system and, similarly, what is thought to be contingently necessary is merely probable. The contingent necessities and impossibilities correspond to the laws of the normal system but are not logically necessary or logically impossible. It is shown that there must be infinitely many normal systems against a background of absolute indeterminism, that the variety is limited only by logical necessity, and that under absolute indeterminism, all logical possibilities including the normal systems must be realized. The experience of singular identity of the individual is normal behavior that is and must be transcended when the boundaries—e.g., in space and time—of this normal cosmos are not the limits of the domain of consideration. The possible and necessary experience of variety of identity is infinite and these identities are experienced in singular and integral form. It is unlikely and difficult though not impossible for an individual starting from normal circumstances to design and undertake the experience of universal identity. Death is a certain gate to the infinite

Identities among being, becoming, idea, metaphysics and journey

Note that identities among being, becoming and journey have been considered in Origin, nature and scope… and there is identity among metaphysics and idea… consider, therefore, the best minimal form of the title to this section

The narrative

Task. Import and write material for The narrative

Task—import material: ’06 and earlier versions may be useful sources for The narrative if the ’07 version is not adequate

Sketch

This section is, tentatively, a sketch of the journey and an outline of the narrative

A vision of ‘what the world is like’ is developed in Foundation which is the largest part, first, due to its significance and, then, because the transformation sketched in ‘Journey’ is at an early stage

It is effective to begin the story at a point within the journey

Therefore, the narrative takes up the story at some point deep within the journey. This is roughly analogous to the presentation of a complex system whose discovery involved trial and error as a well formed axiomatic system

This is efficient

It permits the formulation of a system of ideas that is neither naïve nor so finished as to have no further application

On publication

The occasion of publication

I publish because there is something of value to say—to contribute

On personal motives

There is always some ‘personal’ motive—the personal is realized or experienced in contributing to something larger than the person…

When, in a culture, the personal motive is suppressed it is ideally because of concern with the merely personal that pretends to go beyond the person

When detachment is advocated, as it is in the Bhagavad-Gita, the ideal reference is to detachment from the outcome of action but not to action that is directed toward an outcome. The Gita does not ask for the elimination of desire but for realization of the self in something greater than the person… in giving up preoccupation with merely selfish desire

Truth as motive

The motive is not so much toward truth but in that in the experience of truth it may be seen as such even though not anticipated… and having been seen it continues its own revelation as without involvement of the ego

The world takes on a new appearance of unlabored clarity in the light of truth

On publication

On publication and its corruptions

Reading the narrative

On possible difficulties

See / incorporate on the difficulty.html

Suggestions toward understanding

Pay attention to the sources of difficulty

Above

Keep the ends in mind

Two related ends may be expressed in the phrase individual journey in the discovery and experience of all being

That the individual journey is significant implies an included focus on the immediate

These ends make the endeavor worth an effort

Importance of attention to the new ideas and meanings

A possible form for attention to meaning:

In developing a new system of thought, new meaning is introduced. In the narrative, most new and altered concepts are designated by existing words that may already have a variety—sometimes a profusion—of general and specialized uses

In order to understand the narrative it is crucial to be aware of new meaning as it is introduced

Reading the narrative

A number of passes through the narrative may be useful. A first pass may include a look at the contents and the index and some leafing through the book. A first reading may pay attention to the meanings of terms and the arguments; this may be followed by addressing detailed issues that may have arisen along the way. A second reading might be the time to absorb the ideas as an integral whole

Style and convention

This contains the material of the old section Legend

Plan. Separate discussion may be retained andor material may be incorporated to ‘designs’

Discussion of narrative style—story versus formal and or didactic… personal versus impersonal… individual versus generic… names and pronouns—he, she, they

Conventions—capitals, italics, references within the text

Possible material from Journey in Being-New World-essence.html:

Style

Eliminate or further explain / implement this:

Instead of ‘I,’ which may suggest mere self-promotion and intrusion of ego, ‘they’ or, perhaps, fictional names may be used to encourage powers of self

Organization of the essay

The main units of the essay are ‘parts’ whose headings are bold and capitalized. Parts are divided into divisions (bold and Title Case) and then chapters (underlined, First letter capitalized.) Chapters may be divided into sections that are indicated by an italicized heading or by italicizing the first sentence of the section

Italics

Italics are used to refer to a unit from within the text; for example, the main parts are Foundation, Journey, and Map. Italics are also used to indicate emphasis

Capitalization

Words have variant and potential meaning. It is crucial to the logic and understanding of the essay that the meanings of fundamental words such as Being, Universe and Void should be defined explicitly and used and read consistently. Capitalization of the first letters of words indicates that a concept is being used as defined in the essay. However, it is not necessary to be compulsive about this convention

Competent language use is comfortable with conflating concepts with the objects to which they refer. However, the distinction is often crucial to clarity; capitalization is a reminder that the distinction may be significant

Quotes

In a common convention, quotes are used to refer to a word or phrase. Thus, ‘tree’ refers to the word while tree refers to the object. This convention may be a reminder that word and object are being distinguished

The audience

Intrinsic

This section discusses the problem of specifying characteristics of audiences in relation to this narrative. The intent of the essay is to understand and to transform or, rather, be engaged in transformation—of individuals and the world. Therefore, the essay is addressed to humankind—to those who share its goals and to others who do not or even stand against them… to those who have sympathy with its methods and ambitions and to those who might oppose them

The general audience

Includes the intrinsic

From earlier discussions, the narrative may therefore appeal to anyone who is interested in ‘journey,’ ‘transformation,’ or ‘what the world is like’

Special audiences

The classes of reader to whom the narrative may appeal… Discusses preparation that may be helpful… Is this idea at odds with the nature of the narrative?

Material from previous editions

2003 Edition

To the reader

The journey described in this essay, a story of being and of my travels in being, covers a vast territory. I now see that only some parts of the journey were logically necessary to where I have arrived. However, in the beginning and during the process I did not know what was necessary and I could not have fully articulated the nature of the result. Therefore, in a sense the entire journey was necessary. Throughout, I was sustained by a sense of wonder and of trust in the being of the universe

I always seek responses from readers. I am encouraged by and appreciate kind words and praise but I have learned most by responding to challenges that have ranged from careful criticism to total and sometimes hurtful if careless negation of my thought and being. You may learn something by tracing the path described here. However, the spirit of my journey includes the following. In addition to wonder, I have also been sustained –especially when the sacrifices seemed to be a burden– by the thought that I may make a contribution to our journey. I have always thought that while the particulars of an individual journey may be erratic or quixotic, the universal journey is necessary and is built upon individual effort. In that sense, at least, the distinction between failure and success is thin; to fail is to have not sought and followed your vision, to have not undertaken your highest mission – which is already latent within you and which is your greatest joy and pain

Relations between our world and the absolute

It may seem to some individuals that this is an invitation to reject our immediate world. That is not true. It is sometimes necessary –effective– to turn away from the details to achieve understanding. However, that understanding is an understanding of the details and how they stand together. The understanding binds together our common world and the absolute or infinite and illuminates both i.e. understanding of what is seen is [vastly] enhanced by the admission of existence of the unseen

From the essay: There are two great sources of meaning: first, experience and enjoyment of and action in the immediate world – the life and relationships of the individual and, second, in the process, in arching from individual being to universal Being

It may sometimes seem that I am asking readers to give up their most firm and sound beliefs – the system of common belief that is the foundation of our unspoken concept of the world. That, too, is not true. What I ask is for an extension of the common system of belief. The normal concept of the world undoubtedly has validity within a certain domain and we do not appear to be in a position to extrapolate beyond that domain. How then can I say anything about all being or the one universe? My response is in the foregoing discussion. Sustained by wonder and intuition, my search started in the world-as-I-experience-it and continued there through many avenues and over many years. Yet, despite many attempts including analysis of belief and knowledge, I could not give to my intuition the label of knowledge. Finally, I turned away from extrapolation and examined the concept of nothingness where I found, as stated above and as detailed in the body of this essay, that nothingness contains, in a sense, all being the entire one universe. The journey is a travel through human knowledge and through our world to this ultimate point that is a foundation to and meshes smoothly with all being and the system of common belief

In some systems of thought, the world as we experience it is all illusion. Here, we find that the world of experience, the forms of intuition and the system of common belief are practical guides to our world, essential to living in that world, that do not constitute an illusion when not held as absolute. The world of intuition where we experience time, space and the distinctness of individuals is embedded in the most inclusive perspective in which nothingness is the womb of being. Thus it is valid to experience space, time, individuation, pleasure and pain and the other forms of intuition such as causation; and it is also valid to know a world that e.g. contains but is not in time and in which the individual –you or I– is identical to all being that stands with the ability to be distant from the individual and his or her singular attributes and experience

2004 Edition

Reading the document

Since the developments in this document are interrelated, it may be best understood by reading through it twice

Using the table of contents and the index

Internet version. Links

2005 Edition

The following material may be useful even though it is far too long and perhaps to off the point to warrant inclusion of more than brief extracts

T he audience

Although I have always had communication in mind, the preliminary versions of this and related documents were not directed toward a specific class of readers. This is in part because my thought has been open ended. While specific goals have a degree of desirability, it is in the nature of an open ended journey in ideas and transformation that the goals themselves are not given at the outset. Discovery includes discovery of the goals. This is because as the nature of the universe, human nature, my personal nature and their relationships become revealed (and defined) new possibilities become revealed and old possibilities revaluated. The purpose in writing was to get the ideas on paper, to organize, to criticize, to refine and elaborate my thought. I now think that my accomplishments in thought may be a contribution that is worth publishing, that their form is sufficiently stable to allow publication. The initial form of the accomplishments was rough and intuitive. I have been able to find a foundation for the intuitions and to refine, elaborate and to develop consequences of the foundation in a broad range of disciplines, activities and institutions. It is therefore now pertinent to review what I have written here, to consider the classes of reader for whom the work might have interest. This essay has gone through numerous revisions; in the recent revisions I have been editing, organizing and revising the manuscripts in light of what may be the interests of potential readers

This work may have interest for a number of audiences. The first audience is the general reader. I believe that the ideas in this essay touch every life; however, this does not imply that all persons will be interested in the essay. Everyone eats but not everyone cares about what they eat or how to cook. The general reader, then, is one who has an interest in the ambitions of the journey. This reader may have a peripheral interest in my explorations in ideas and in being, near and far. I hope, however, that my writing will touch the reader, will excite the imagination – will be the spark that sets the reader on his or her own journey. Perhaps some individuals will be motivated to share their journey with me. That will be my privilege. Although I have a passion for ideas, it has never been my ambition to live merely in the world of ideas. My passions include people, ideas, nature, dance… In addition to the esoteric, I would like to see social application of my thought and have developed it in that direction in human being and society and faith. i have attempted to write as simply as possible without sacrificing careful development of the ideas; however, some readers may experience the central chapters, ‘Foundation’ and ‘Journey,’ as difficult. There are some suggestions in reading the essay that may help the reader through the essay. It is my hope that the reader, including the one who has difficulties with the ideas but persists through and beyond the difficulties, may enter a ‘Journey in Being’ as participant rather than spectator

Readers of preliminary editions have asked why I have included such a wide range of material and so much detail –so many concepts– in such a short space. Those readers have prompted me to provide an explanation of the need for the range and depth of material in this essay. My response is that the contents are necessary to developing a theory of being and to showing explicitly that a wide range of being falls under its umbrella. I have been able to provide a theoretical demonstration that the theory is comprehensive, i.e., that all being lies within its range. However, without the explicit demonstration the conclusion would lack substance, relevance and application. Thus, I have developed application of the core theory (metaphysics) to classical metaphysics, to logic, cosmology, the nature of life, the nature of human being, mind, society, and faith. The consideration of logic is more than simple application for I have developed a significant generalization of idea of logic (there are similar ideas in the literature) that permits an alternative demonstration of the comprehensive nature of the theory. Logic, cosmology and the metaphysics (the core theory) stand together as a unit… Although this unit of ideas is significant in itself, I had conceived and developed it as a foundation for the ‘Journey in Being.’ The application to the transformation of being is taken up in the chapter, journey in being

Another audience is the reader who is philosophically inclined. The essay traverses the terrain of a number of traditions of philosophy. The casual and the professional philosopher may find much of interest, especially the illumination (attempts at solution, extension) of a number of classical problems and areas of philosophy such as the theory of being or metaphysics, the nature of ethics and of group choice (political philosophy,) the mind-body problem, the nature of mind and matter, the problem of substance, the categories of being and of intuition, the nature of space and time – relational or absolute, what has been called the fundamental problem of metaphysics, i.e., ‘Why is there something rather than nothing?’ and the related question, ‘Why does the universe contain sentience?’, problems of the theory of knowledge, the nature of the noumenon or thing-in-itself, and questions as to the nature of philosophy and, especially, metaphysics and logic. The variety of reflections is tied together by a unity of perspective that stems, in part, from the theory of being that has been developed. My method includes but is not restricted to analysis; I have considered it important that philosophy should endeavor to illuminate the nature of the real – of being. Although there are intimations, in the history of ideas, of the fundamental results in metaphysics, I believe that the depth and clarit