Formulations and characterizations of the uNIVERSAL METAPHYSICS

Anil Mitra, © 2010… from Journey in being.html

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Introduction

A gathering of equivalent forms of the metaphysics suggests enhancements in form and articulation; encourages improved understanding and deployment of the metaphysics

Note that the use of ‘form’ below is informal and may be regarded as abbreviation for ‘formulation.’ That this section should follow a section devoted to Form is coincidental

The equivalent forms of the metaphysics correspond, in the first place, to forms of the fundamental principle: the eight forms of the principle below are a primitive form, six major forms, and a tentative form. The remaining (two) items are direct characterizations of the metaphysics

When a concept is perfectly faithful it is not necessary to distinguish it from its Object. Therefore, Universe, Void, and Logos are may be regarded as perfectly faithful Objects of intuition. That is, the developments have shown that these ideas are given in intuition rather than received and this is especially emphasized for the Logos. It follows that the foundation for Universe, Void and Logos is clear even if their origin is remote. Universe and Void are primarily perceptual and for these the same symbol designates concept and Object. The idea of Logic stems from the logics: although there is a variety of logics, the concept of logic in the tradition is not clear. It is Logic that has been shown to be a desired and ultimate form of the sense or concept of logic. The Object of Logic is the Logos

Forms of the fundamental principle

I.                    Primitive form—based in the concept of the Universe. The Universe is all being and contains all Objects, specifically all particular and abstract entities and all Law and Form

The reference to ‘Objects’ rather than just Law is clarified in Objects

II.                 First and original form and original anchor of the metaphysics—basis: the Void. The Void which is the absence of being exists and contains no Object

Therefore, the Void may be regarded as a universal generator of being—the Universal metaphysics is explicitly ultimate with regard to variety

III.               Second form—basis: reference. The principle of reference: Subject to Logic every concept has reference—i.e., an Object

This defines Logic which, in its approximate forms as the logics, is far from empty. The definition of Logic is equivalently the theory of the possible and the actual and, since the classical and modern logics are approximations to it, is far from empty. It is not given that Logic may be formulated explicitly; and it is likely that it may not

IV.              Third and cosmological form—basis: variety. The principle of variety: The variety of being in the Universe is the (greatest Logically) possible (the Universal metaphysics is implicitly ultimate with regard to variety)

The Logically possible is the greatest Logically possible

The variety of the Universe is at least as much as that of any conceivable universe. Suggestively, the Universe is one of maximum freedom or variety; being fills every niche; this has been called the principle of plenitude

V.                 Fourth form—basis: Law. There is no Universal Law. The one Universal law is that being is limited only by Logic

VI.              Fifth and computational form—basis: Logos. The Logos is the Object of Logic—it is the Universe in all its variety and detail. All Law is immanent in the Logos

This form of the fundamental principle makes clear that the principle may be a computational tool via the approximation to Logic by the logics

VII.            Sixth form—basis: determinism. The Universe is absolutely indeterministic

This form is developed later in the section A metaphysics that is explicitly ultimate in depth. However its truth can be seen from the fact that of the Logically possible states none is unrealized; every state is accessible—accessed—from every other state. Similarly, since all possible states are realized the Universe is absolutely deterministic (this determinism is distinct from the usual temporal notion of determinism)

VIII.         Seventh tentative form—basis: actuality—The principle of actuality. Note: the formulation is tentative. Preliminary. The notion of what is possible must be relative to a context—e.g., some event is physically possible in a laboratory. Relative to all being, the only measure of possibility is actuality. The principle. The Logically possible is the actual

Further characterizations of the metaphysics

IX.              Uniqueness of the Universal metaphysics. Since the foregoing are necessary in intuition there is exactly one Universal metaphysics that is the metaphysics which may have more than one formulation and may be developed in different degrees of detail

X.                 The Universalization of metaphysics. The variety of cosmological systems is without limit; there is and can be no typical cosmological system (an atom is a cosmos) and the Universe does not have the form of any finite or normal or given cosmos. The Universe is absolutely non-cosmomorphic—it has no universal form

This conclusion is the endpoint of a sequence of universalizations of viewpoint in which special vantage points are relinquished and is discussed in detail later in this chapter. The shedding of special vantage points or paradigms such as ethnocentrism, anthrocentrism and anthropomorphism may be seen as continuing on through the shedding of a view of the Universe in the image of any given cosmos. This is the source of the term ‘non-cosmomorphism.’ However, the essence of the universalization is that the Universe has no universal form; this is equivalent to the statement that there is no Universal Law (a Law may be seen as a Form and a Form as a Law)