The aim of the way of being is to be in continuous discovery of the range of being and realization of its highest immediate and ultimate forms for individual beings and civilization.

The origins of The way of being were in my early experience of loveliness and wonder of the world, in DEDICATION to cultivate that experience in all realms, and in COMMITMENT to share the experience and dedication.

The dedication led to inquiry into the nature of the world and our place in it via experience, reflection, and culture. World cultures approach the nature of the world in the realms of IDEAS and ACTION. In modern culture the ideas are represented by the sciences, philosophy—especially metaphysics, history, the humanities, the arts, and religion; and action includes exploration, technology, economics, and politics. The division is of course not clear cut: ideas and action interact.

Two emphases may be discerned. The SECULAR attitude that the world as we know it should be our focus is a natural default for surely thoughts of a beyond are speculative. However, that raises questions. Is all thought about a larger world essentially speculative and can careful speculation be a reasonable guide to action? My thought in these realms led to a new, rational-empirical and SUPRA-SECULAR (secular and trans-secular) metaphysics or WORLDVIEW.

The worldview demonstrated in The way of being is ultimate in showing the universe to be the realization of all possibility; it draws the consequence that the realization for all BEINGS and CIVILIZATION is limitless, and is foundation for a way of realization and the aim as stated above. This ultimate worldview—the universal metaphysics—of the essay is substantially new. In absorbing this view readers may expect to reeducate formal and intuitive understanding of the world.

Ideas

The division on the ideas builds the universal metaphysics. The cornerstone of the metaphysics is the fundamental principle of metaphysics (the universe is the realization of all possibility) and its demonstration. Being, the most general of the ideas, is central to the development. The view employs and integrates CATEGORIES—a system of concepts that sufficient to knowledge and understanding of being. Issues of the categories include selection, careful formulation, criticism and resolution of criticism, and integration. Here the details of many these tasks are omitted and what is presented is the final picture so far.

Experience

EXPERIENCE is awareness in all its forms.

The non empty REAL WORLD is known in, contains, and is distinct from experience.

The structure of experience admits two interpretations (1) a ‘normal’ one of selves (a self calls ‘itself’, a locus of experience and control, ‘I’ or ‘me’) in the world and (2) a universal field of by experience (in which distinctions among the selves or experiential centers are suppressed).

Experience is RELATIONSHIP and place of and ubiquitous to BEING HUMAN; and just as color is of the object as it occurs in experience, so SIGNIFICANCE is of the world but in experience.

Meaning and existence

REFERENTIAL MEANING requires and is given by an experiential content (concept) and its OBJECT. In referential LINGUISTIC meaning a simple or compound sign is associated with the concept-object (the meaning of a compound sign may partially derive from its GRAMMATICAL arrangement). This much is necessary and sufficient to significance and to identify definite and only definite objects (and so clarity and elimination of paradoxes of mistaken reference).

‘X EXISTS’ means that concept X has an intended object X (absolutely—in the universe; or, deviantly, relative to a context); ‘X DOES NOT EXIST’ means that concept X has no object.

Entirety

ENTIRETY is the entire world marked or unmarked by EXTENSIONALITY or measure of difference.

Being

BEING is that which is there in some region of entirety.

There is being (it was seen above that experience, the real world, and selves have being).

The importance of being is its non specific nature—given an idea it distinguishes only whether that idea has reference.

Power

POWER, the ability to have an effect, is a measure of being, and is useful when the definition of being is ambivalent in ascertaining the being of some notion such as potential, non being, or the void.

Being and relationship

We may distinguish experience as being-in-relationship versus being-as-being, labeling them ‘mind’ versus ‘matter’. In monist ontology they are single and essentially coupled. Otherwise they and their coupling range from absent to multiple. Their essence is not dual, not non-dual.

Identity, space, and time

DIFFERENCE is the most elementary pattern. IDENTITY is (sense of) sameness of person or object.

Difference with sameness constitutes identity and marks duration or TIME. Difference without identity marks spatial extension or SPACE.

Extensionality—measure of difference, with or without sameness—is IMMANENT in the world and has being; it is not external to or independent of being—i.e., it is not absolute.

Universe and domain

The UNIVERSE is all being—being over entirety.

The universe has being.

There is one and only one universe.

Thus self creation (or causation) is not a satisfactory explanation of origins or complexity. Therefore think of creation or cause as follows.

CREATION or CAUSE is difference in behavior associated with another object.

The universe is neither created nor caused (it has no other). There can be no god the creator or first cause of the universe; any god is part of the universe.

A DOMAIN is a part or the entire universe. The term PROPER domain will refer to a domain that is not the universe itself. One domain or god may be implicated in the creation of another. Later we show incremental manifestation ex nihilo to be far more probable and natural. For manifest universe, there can be nothing but creation (manifestation) ex nihilo.

Possibility

Relative to a context, a conceived state of being is called POSSIBLE if its obtaining is not a violation of the definition of the context.

LOGICAL POSSIBILITY obtains when a conceived state violates no logical truth; otherwise it is logically impossible.

A conceived state is PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE if it satisfies physical law; otherwise it is physically impossible. Physical possibility is a limit on what may obtain.

Physical possibility and any other WORLDLY possibility presume logical possibility (which therefore must be possibility without regard to anything less than universe as context).

A third kind of possibility may be specified—UNIVERSAL POSSIBILITY for which the context is the world or universe over entirety (note the contrast between universal possibility and worldly possibility).

Universal possibility is bounded by logical possibility. It will turn out that these two kinds of possibility are identical.

Natural law

A NATURAL LAW is a reading of a pattern or set of patterns (a set of patterns can be seen as a pattern). It specifies a certain kind of possibility: it says that the said patterns may occur. It also specifies a limit—the other patterns do not occur.

If a law is a reading of a set of patterns, the patterns themselves constitute the LAW (Law).In what follows the lower case form, the law, will refer to the Law.

The laws have being.

The fundamental principle

If the universe is in a non manifest or void state, there are no laws. Therefore, any (logically) possible state must emerge from the non manifest for the contrary would be a law.

But the void state is present alongside (every particle of) the universe. So it follows that—

The universe is the realization of all possibility; or, universal and logical possibility are identical (logic constrains only realization of the illogical; it does not limit the universe).

This demonstrated assertion is called the fundamental principle of being or fundamental principle of metaphysics which will be abbreviated fundamental principle or FP.

Realism

REALISM is the study of the possible as actual; our valid experience, science, and logics approximate to realism. It is important from the groundwork and development so far that outside experience-logics, realism is knowledge that objects (categories of any level) with all possible properties are realized); it is not direct knowledge of the objects (except so far as the truths of logic may be considered to have objects). As far as this indirect knowledge is concerned, science-as-fact and logic unite in realism.

The fundamental principle now becomes: the universe is the object of realism (or logic).

Therefore many—but far from all—proofs from realism are trivial and will not be given.

Essential consequences

Since the system of realistic concepts is realized there is no essential distinction between the ABSTRACT and the CONCRETE OBJECTS (the consistent system of concepts is real; the real objects have at least implicit and consistent concepts): both are real, both are in the one universe, and the abstract are not essentially not of the world but, rather, some worldly characteristics, e.g. space-time-cause, are omitted in the abstracting.

The fundamental principle clearly resolves what Heidegger and others have called the fundamental question of metaphysics—i.e., Why there is being at all?

A new FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM of metaphysics is to answer the question of what has being—i.e., to specify the categories (defined earlier).

The void

The VOID is the null domain (‘the absence of being’).

The void has power and, so, being; this equivalence, a violation of the notion of material causation as local in spacetime, a more general causation, is required under realism.

ABSOLUTE DETERMINISM obtains—i.e., given the greatest determined domain relative to a vantage point, the rest of the universe is not determined at all. But also given the determined domain, the rest occupies every possible state and so ABSOLUTE DETERMINISM of a kind obtains and is equivalent to absolute indeterminism.

Except that there is at least one, the number of voids is without SIGNIFICANCE.

The void has analogy to the concept of the receptacle of Plato’s Timaeus and to what is labeled the quantum vacuum.

The INTELLIGIBILITY of the universe according to Plato and almost all cosmologies including the modern is presumed in one way or other; it is not found or shown. Via the fundamental principle, the void may be seen to found the intelligibility.

Consequences for realization

Limited forms, e.g. being human, know and realize only a limited fraction of the universe. As limitless the universe must confer this same power on the individual and civilization. The apparent paradox of the experience of limits is resolved in that individual and civilization realize the ultimate in becoming limitless. However, while in limited form realization is eternal process. In each stage knowledge of and realization in a local cosmos is shed snake-skin like and a new form, and necessarily occasionally a new cosmos, acquired.

The universal metaphysics

We regard TRADITION as what is valid in human disciplines of knowledge and practice from all cultures and from beginnings to the present time.

The local and the ultimate

The total system of ultimate metaphysics (perfect with regard to faithfulness) and local knowledge (good enough; perfect in that better is not needed and in some cases diversionary) is jointly perfect with the local being the best possible instrument toward the ideal (ultimate).

The universal metaphysics

This mesh of ultimate metaphysics and local knowledge—as noted, perfect according to appropriate criteria—labeled the UNIVERSAL METAPHYSICS and will also be called the metaphysics. It is essentially in process—it is never complete for limited forms in separation from action. For limited forms, realization is eternal process without limit in extension or variety.

The pure or ultimate part of the metaphysics shows that realization of the ultimate is given. However, it does not show ways of realization.

What instrument is available for the process? Over and above the pure part of the metaphysics it must be the valid parts of our traditions of local knowledge—e.g., the logics, sciences and methods of tradition ever subject to imaginative and critical improvement which are part of the tradition.

The emphasis here, however, is the full metaphysics—the ultimate part and its mesh with tradition. The earlier position of realism as—largely—‘knowledge that’ can now be supplemented: local knowledge is significantly ‘knowledge of’. We now look at some parts of that mesh.

Cosmology

COSMOLOGY is knowledge and realization of the degrees of extension (spacetime) and variety (kinds and forms) of being

General cosmology

GENERAL COSMOLOGY is cosmology without restriction. Its principle is the fundamental principle; it will derive inspiration from experience, imagination, and particular sciences and cosmologies but the fundamental principle is its only constraint.

The manifestation and identity of the universe have no limits, especially with regard to extensionality (spacetime), quantity (e.g. number), and variety (dimensionality, size, quality) of being. Particularly, manifestation and identity of being (individual, universe) go through phases of peak-acute, diffuse, and absent form without limit to repetition, elevation, or variety (the empirical cosmos is but one of limitless number, variety, and hierarchy: in analogy to the matryoshka dolls every cosmos is an atom, every atom a cosmos ). This power is conferred on individual and civilization (without paradox for when two individuals are simultaneously so empowered, they become one); as noted earlier, while limited in form realization is eternal process. Is there memory across the void phases? Yes—memory, such as it is—essential rather than trivial—resides in the abstract, perhaps in abstract FORMS or DISPOSITIONS.

The ultimate in realization is or may be named BRAHMAN of the Upanishads or AETERNITAS—eternity in a moment—of Thomas Aquinas. Even these are not an end except as an image in the experience of being or perhaps as the highest of the dispositions.

Origin of cosmological form

Two parallel approaches to understanding the structure of forms are (a) investigation of origins and mechanisms of origin and (b) the study of forms in symbolic or pictorial terms, e.g. language, logic, mathematics, physics, biology, psychology (but not in any narrow academic sense), and art. Here we emphasize #a as pertaining to all forms.

The cosmological forms are more or less stable-adapted-systems-with-symmetry; in the study of systems with form of a special nature or interest the fundamental principle is (of course) necessary but not sufficient. The cosmology of form enquires of the source and binding together of the form of our special systems, e.g. our cosmos, and their varieties.

There are three levels of cosmological understanding; the following are in increasing order of specificity: (1) the level of mere description where local systems may be described but the only constraint is the fundamental principle, (2) the level of formation, e.g. of a cosmos and its physical laws, life, and discrete intelligence, and (3) the level of law or local mechanism as in physics and functional biology and psychology (and the sciences of other systems). The first level is general cosmology with details filled in. The cosmology of form concerns the second and third levels. Here we begin with focus on the second.

We are required to explain the emergence of true newness (novelty). True newness must include indeterministic elements—but so it might seem that there is no explanation. However, for form there must be deterministic elements; so some explanation may be possible.

A process of indeterministic variation and selection of the stable forms is available all the way from the void to formed structures; it is clearly possible and so necessary on occasion (FP); all structures must thus ultimately root in the void (FP); the indeterminist step is necessary (newness); the selection step is necessary (self stability, no final external agent).

The typical step size is a balance, as explained next, between the two extremes and the typical process of formation is incremental.

Population of the universe by cosmological systems is a product of longevity and frequency of emergence and so the incremental emergence is most common and the stable forms are by far the most probable and dominate the population of the universe.

The process is not only one of the formation of formed systems it is also one of formation of detailed structure and pattern (laws in physics, function in biology, intelligence in psychology).

Singular events and non human intelligence

It would seem that typical formation is incremental—though significant steps must occur the probability is low. There is a mechanism that may exalt some kinds of significant step to high probability. Relations between structure and function are generally continuous in the sense that for a small increment in structure, the increment in function is also small. However, especially for systems with self-representation and feedback (self aware, self regulation in experiential structures or organisms), there are thresholds at which a small step in structure results in a large step increase in function. Such increases in significance have been called singular and the event of such an increase has been called a SINGULARITY. Perhaps the origin of life, of prokaryotes and eukaryotes, of multi-celled forms, of intelligence, of self conscious and self regulating intelligence, and of linguistic intelligence are singularities. We may imagine further biological singularities in the future. Today a singularity of machine intelligence has been imagined; it receives support from the rapid increase of computational and networking capability and intelligent function. It is imagined that a singular many fold increase in capability may occur—one that might involve some of: immense increase in capability, true consciousness, unimagined kinds of capability, self evolution and design, independence from human design and support, of world and cosmos takeover by machines, and even of marginalization of human being. It is important that from FP, this is in a continuity with being human, an experience in which we may or may not have normal participation but an experience in which all being has ultimate participation. Proximate concern regarding ‘the rise of the machines’ has validity; to have ultimate concern is to misunderstand the ultimate.

Cosmology of form

I now consider COSMOLOGY OF FORM—a cosmology of nature, individual and psyche, civilization, and the ultimate.

In the process of formation, NATURE is the primitive ground; PSYCHE is the experiential center—the place of significance for the organism and of its relationship to the world that includes the organism.

In the open cosmology, as seen earlier, multiple substances occur with multiple kinds of being-as-being and being-in-relation (‘mind’ and ‘matter’) and multiple interactions at multiple levels. Always, however, experience is relationship and relating. The intricate function of being-in-relation (‘mind’) requires intricate form (‘body’); and ‘mind’ and ‘body’ evolve and enter into discovery and realization together. Similarly, in open cosmology, there is freedom in discreteness, and interwoven-ness of space and time; there is freedom in dimensionality of space and synchronizations of time; in number and constancy of signal speeds; and space and time are immanent in being. In local cosmologies the freedoms with regard to substance and extensionality may be specific as in our cosmos; mind and matter may be essentially interwoven; and space and time as if absolute; but this local deviation from the general and open case is not absolute but (ultimately) meshes with the general and open.

The CIVILIZATION of being human is relationship and continuity of individual and group over time and continents. Civilization nurtures the individual, the individual fosters civilization. The fundamental principle requires UNIVERSAL CIVILIZATION—the matrix of individuals and civilizations across the universe. At this level formation would be not only variation and selection but the same enhanced by intelligent experience. Civilization is the form of beings in collective action.

Experience is the place of appreciation of significance. It is trivial that the peak of significance is the peak of significant being. However, we can say more. FP requires that given any peak of ‘blind’ form, there is a higher peak of experiential and significant form in whose origin intelligence and commitment are involved. Therefore, effectively and dynamically, experiential form with origin in intelligence and commitment may be taken to be the peak of being.

The ultimate is seen and manifest as a tension between the immediate and itself; on the one hand it is abstract, eternal, the peak of peaks; on the non-dual other it is its process, its origin is—may be regarded as—from the void, and we on the way to it are (of) its becoming; which is eternal that there is always dissolution, a new world, ever freshness. The ultimate abstract is RECEPTACLE of all being and memory.

Hence the ideal: RELIGION is discovery and realizing of ultimate being by limited being using all dimensions of being (to which concrete religion may be seen as allegory and sign-post). Concrete religion has social function: this is already part of the ultimate that includes the immediate. The this ideal of religion is far from but includes the contingent and empirical; it includes and meshes with ideal science. A problem of religion is that its universal, social, and empirical notions are ever under discovery, in action, and undergoing evolution. Metaphysics stands midway between the secular and merely speculative religion. It begins so by eliminating mere speculation. It replaces mere speculation by experience of the categories of experience (itself), being, universe, law, and realism. Thus it is simultaneously empirical and rational; and remains so, as seen, when tradition is brought back into the metaphysical fold.

Attitude and doubt

Positive EXISTENTIAL ATTITUDE is an attitude toward action that is based on consequences of the universal metaphysics and is the attitude most conducive of enjoyment and achievement and the practical value that such action promises the greatest expected return for the endeavor.

We may think: it is not given or likely that ‘this form’ realizes the ultimate. However, there is a NORMAL meaning of ‘this form’ relative to a formed cosmos (e.g. ours) for which the cosmos and this form are essentially limited. In its full meaning this form is the ultimate. Therefore:

While accepting temporal limits this side of death—i.e. while living in this world, we also live and act as if in and toward the ultimate.

The way

The elements

Development

The ideas so far are used in developing the way and its concept. See the essential way of being for details.

The AIM of the way of being is conceived as what gives significance—and is to know the range of being and to realize its highest immediate and ultimate forms for all beings and civilization.

THE WAY OF BEING is the use of all dimensions of being in knowing the range of being and realizing its highest immediate and ultimate forms—especially in negotiating the weave of the intermediate-ultimate. Intelligent commitment and application over time is essential to becoming in the light of the ultimate.

The elements of being are dimension (place) and process (time).

The dimensions of the way are nature, individual and psyche (experience not divorced from organism and so the place of relationship and significance, civilization (its being and its instrumental mode of artifact and technology), and the ultimate and universal (in peak and immediate or pure being forms).

The elements of process are means (ideas and action; reflexive thought-action which reflects on itself and so eliminates the a priori deserves special emphasis), mechanics, ways and catalysts (special elements of mechanics—responsible for continuous-integrated vs. discrete-fractured change respectively), disciplines and practices (intrinsic and external), and modes (intrinsic and external—i.e. pertaining to self or being of the individual, to group, and environment), and universal process in which the elements are practices especially as immersive and objective.

The MECHANICS of the way is an efficient approach to the ultimate—its core is intelligent commitment and choice-risk-consolidation (in light of the metaphysics). It is the incremental in search of the significant and both in search of the ultimate. It employs the universal metaphysics and the ways and catalysts; it also seeks to understand and enhance the metaphysics as embracing and including the ways and catalysts.

Sketch of a path

The path of being and becoming is written in universal process as three phases: pure being, ideas, and becoming.

The phases are implemented below in everyday and universal process. The everyday process (practice) and universal process are in themselves and reflected in one another.

Everyday process is living in the present as ultimate and toward the ultimate.

Universal process is toward the ultimate via elements of being.

Path so far

This section is necessarily a personal evaluation.

The ideas are relatively complete but still subject to continual review for content and use.

Transformation is ongoing. While the ultimate is given its external realization in ‘this life’ (individual—civilization) is not given. The external process is ongoing in everyday practice and the phases of ‘universal process’ below. I balance this incompleteness with a parallel emphasis on the inner way which seeks a partial image of the ultimate (some traditions suggest a complete image does occur but this is not given and to suggest so falsely is to truncate the process and minimize the significance of existential awareness of incompleteness as contributing to the ultimate).

Pathway

The pathway subsumes elements of the eightfold way.

Everyday process and practice

This routine is not intended as rigid. The order is alterable, elements may be combined, and details may be collapsed. This may be done on a small scale in response to daily need or on a larger scale for the variety of contexts.

1.	Rise before the sun—begin with dedication of my life and the day to the way of being, to focus on essence; and affirmation of commitment. Dedication. I dedicate my life to The Way of Being: / Its discovery, revelation, and realization— / To live and grow in all worlds as one [immediate—ultimate, inner—outer, natural—social, and incremental—significant] / To shed the bondage of limited self— / So that I may see The Way so clearly / That living it, even through difficulty / Is flow over force… / And so to show and share its truth, power, and care. Affirmation. Living in this world, we also live and act as if in and toward the ultimate. Affirmation. I commit my being, thought, speech, and action to the way—to scanning changing circumstances and awareness for revaluation of needs and path; to a positive attitude; to the good and care of the world and all persons, especially to seeing but not taking imagined or real fears and resentments as affronts to security and sense of self. I pray for these things, especially for the good and understanding of those I may resent. Affirmation—A. Gupta. The pure unlimited consciousness that is all being alone is supreme reality. That is the universe—its life and breath—and that and only that am I. And so I am and embody the self-transcending universe that is all being and that has no other.
2.	Review and meditate on realization and other priorities and means (priorities); using time and space effectively.
3.	Realization—work, care and meditation (below); action and experiment; ideas; and writing—in process journal (field notes), essays, and publishing (networked and printed). Alternate—days for renewal and other special activities.
4.	Regular and occasional tasks—morning: do daily morning tasks; do weekly, monthly, and longer term tasks on pre-selected but flexible assigned days (e.g. day before trash pickup).
5.	Yoga-therapeutic exercise-meditation: focus and focal issues; quieting—spaciousness of being; death as spur and transition; pain and resentment—their defusion in relinquishing ego to being. Meditation-in-action: practice of meditation as continuous with living; an essential part of realization. Practical tools for action and meditation. (A) Meditate and act on my ambitions and final goals. Accept pain and joy. My future must be a straight line with no deviations from the universal. (B) Meditate on—own my strength, power, pain, and weakness: I am their active core and source—and so of their transformation as energy. (C) Be assertive in discovery, cultivation, and expression of my power and goals; seek and encourage active receptivity. (D) Be assertive about and transform or be silent and remove myself from negative influence and judgmentalism. (E) Meditate on my truth; not let apprehension prevent speech or action when they are good or ego force them when they are not. Consciously expose myself to and act on my fears, selected for importance. (F) Healthy living—routine, sleep, food and fluids; avoid toxic substances and influences.
6.	Exercise and physical yoga—posture, general (aerobic, flexibility, hiking fitness and strength), and yogic.
7.	Evening and sleep—realization / renewal; review the next day, plans (and special events including renewal); realization if energy-time; evening tasks and preparation for the next day etc; renew-meditate; sleep early.

Template for everyday process

Universal process

Action	Dimension	Details and links. Time and cross phase
Being	The universal: pure being	The ultimate in the present / pure being. Time—All; especially when becoming is sufficient. Cross phases—All; everyday practice.
Ideas—essential to becoming	Knowing	Essential to realization / program of ideas. Time—Secondary to becoming. Emphasize again after becoming. Cross phases—All.
	Design and planning	For the entire process / ways and design. Time—As needed. Cross phase—All.
	Ideas for phases of becoming	Continuous with becoming and sub-phases / ways and design. Time—As needed. Cross phases—Becoming.
Becoming and renewal—completes ideas	Everyday practice	For the ultimate in the immediate and the phases / everyday practice of thought, presence, and action. Time—All. Cross phases—All.
	Nature	Ground of real, inspiration / nature as ground. The Beyul journey (pilgrimage) of Tibetan Buddhism. Time—Immediate.
	Civilization	Support, network-shared endeavor (and publishing in printed, www website, and other dramatic and spoken forms…) / civilization: engagement and immersion in the world. Time—After the phase in nature begins.
	Artifact	Support, synthesis with organism, independent / artifactual being. Time—After the phase of involvement with civilization begins.
	Universal process	Pure being and everyday practice (this table, above, and here) above. Ways and catalysts, knowledge and technology, developed and deployed in transformation of being (organism and psyche) and civilization. Time—All. Co-phases—All, especially pure being, nature, and civilization.

Template for the phases of realization

Developing resources 2015⁺

It is effective to develop resources parallel to realization. Some further details are in detailed plan for study and action and the essential way of being.

Summary

Summary of knowledge, practice, and other resources—metaphysics; science—science as such—and the sciences; abstract sciences including logic and mathematics; concrete sciences; ethics and value; ways and catalysts; civilization; artifact and art; other resource topics (see system of human knowledge and practice); institutions, networking, persons, and places; publication, sharing, and influence.

Metaphysics

The metaphysics, metaphysics, foundation and development, language, logic, mereology, adequacy and minimal arrangement of the dimensions, processes, and phases of being and becoming. Some details: begin with some case studies—e.g., Process and Reality (1929), A.N. Whitehead; Space, Time, and Deity (1920), S. Alexander; the Symbolic Metaphysics of Edward N. Zalta, e.g. at The Metaphysics Research Lab (Zalta’s interesting conception of abstract objects may be useful and suggestive even though it is quite different from the concept of the abstract object in this essay). The metaphysics of natural law is a useful topic that might well go under science below.

Narrative mode and philosophy

Ideas and their history crucially complement one another. This is essential where the inclusiveness is such that ideas and method have not achieved definitiveness. Some examples are philosophy especially in a role of an all encompassing discipline, history, speculative metaphysics, art, and the social sciences. The contrast is to the natural sciences where there are internal criteria of validity. In the general case there are generalities of method and content but these are not definitive. Therefore what is learned about method and content is hard earned but not codified. The example of history and the disciple as a cumulative endeavor is important.

The narrative style I contemplate will be open though critical with regard to emerging thought; it will recognize the history of ideas as active sources of content and method; it may attempt codification of the learning of history as a discussion of doubt and resolution for the ideas selected for significance.

For further information see a detailed plan for study and action: narrative mode and philosophy.

Design and planning

Design for ideas and realization is immanent in the division for The way. For further information see a detailed plan for study and action: design and planning.

Science and the sciences

Science and the sciences—abstract and concrete in relation to realism and possibility: logics as a first approximation. Science as science, as defined by principles—descriptive, elementary, and adaptive with focus on origins, form, and adaptive systems.

Abstract sciences

Abstract sciences and sciences of symbolic systems—logic, mathematics and set theory and its foundations, linguistics and grammar, topics such as self-representation, computation and finite mathematics. Some details. Logic: (a) concepts of logic and realism (b) formalism for maximal capture realism and possibilism without paradox, (c) specific topics—propositional and first order predicate calculus, and (d) mathematical logic—proof theory, model theory, set theory, and recursion theory (and relations to theory of computation and category theory); (e) reading: W.V. Quine [Philosophy of Logic, 1986; Methods of Logic, 1982; Mathematical Logic, 1981; Set Theory and its Logic, 1969]. Related topics: the axiomatic theories of sets and mereology. Further topics in mathematics for the metaphysics: number theory, number systems, transfinite numbers, analysis; algebraic structures; geometries—including non-Euclidean, convex, discrete, topology, homotopy theory, Morse theory; statistics and decision sciences; theoretical computer science.

Concrete sciences

Concrete sciences. Physical sciences and the interface of metaphysics, quantum theory and relativity; physical cosmology; geosciences. Biology, evolution, and adaptive systems—general theory and application in biology and cosmology. Psychology and social sciences with focus on immersion.

Foundations of ethics and value

Foundations of ethics and value with special focus on implications of the metaphysics and the way of being.

Ways and catalysts

Select focus on trans-secular and intrinsic modes of being and transformation—principles of special metaphysics and religion, yoga, Tantra… Principles, disciplines, and practice (select and focus). It is critical that the goal for ways and catalysts is experiment with incremental and step-wise realization. study emphasis is therefore supportive rather than definitive and multi-fold—(1) The meaning of religion (understood in terms of the theory of meaning); (2) The classical ways and catalysts emphasizing practice and use-in-action—some topics: life ways of Buddhism (especially Tibetan) and Hinduism (especially the Gita and Kashmir Saivism); catalysts of physical, isolation (vision quest), death awareness, sacred places, and acting; and (3) unconventional and heterodox ways and sources. Later—perhaps rewrite the Gita (sources currently not available on the Internet 1, 2, 3). Special focus on catalysts—dreams, hypnosis, meditative states; altered states and catalytic factors.

Civilization

Civilization. (1) Concepts of civilization (understood in terms of the theory of meaning); civilization as process and nurture—the concepts of human and universal civilization and history; physics, cosmology, sociology, psychology, for universal civilization; immersion in natural, social and cultural, psychic and universal process; shared endeavor; see trans-community design; artifactual and technological enhancement—support, synthetic, and stand alone. (2) Immersion culture—knowledge, sciences of matter, life, society, mind, politics and economics; (3) In relation to the discussions cosmology > cosmology of life and identity > civilization what is the dynamic of process, realization, problem, opportunity; and (4) Items below—artifact, ways and catalysts, institutions, places, contacts.

Artifact and art

Artifact. Review (1) The aims—support in realization and creation of aware and autonomous systems (and why, in terms of the metaphysics the latter is one sufficient approach), (2) The concept of artificial being (understood in terms of the theory of meaning), (3) Concepts of the same (e.g. scenarios), (4) Theoretical and computational approaches, (5) Practical approaches. Art including literature and drama and its relevance to metaphysics and realization.

Institutions, networking, persons, and places

Institutions, networking, persons, and places. (1) For the above, (2) Support and sharing, (3) Contacts, (4) Place—nature and culture.

Publication, sharing, and influence

I will write the final version during and after transformation of being. I plan to use this document as a basis for ongoing reflection on content and refinement will be important. Important considerations are (1) establishing and giving prominence to the worldview, consequences for knowledge and realization, and ways of realization, and (2) writing for broad influence and audiences.

Ideas

Meaning and existence

The fundamental principle

The local and the ultimate

The universal metaphysics

Cosmology

General cosmology

Origin of cosmological form

Singular events and non human intelligence

Cosmology of form

The way

Development

Sketch of a path

Path so far

Pathway

Universal process

Developing resources 2015+

Metaphysics

Narrative mode and philosophy

Design and planning

Science and the sciences

Abstract sciences

Concrete sciences

Foundations of ethics and value

Ways and catalysts

Civilization

Artifact and art

Other topics

Institutions, networking, persons, and places

Publication, sharing, and influence

Developing resources 2015⁺