Topics and
concepts for the way This document is
outline and source of foundation for future versions. Anil
Mitra, Copyright June 20, 2020—April 29, 2022 Text
that is How science and logic are both empirical How there is contact with the concrete world How and in what sense are traditional concrete limits
overcome Where and how the method is developed An axiomatic – foundational framework Anticipating the system of meaning Absorbing the system of meaning Anticipating other blocks to understanding the work Prerequisites to real understanding Seeing the boundary of the real Significance of experience—general and for the way The effective place of the world Approach to the real—the world and the real world The place of concept meaning, knowing, and acting The phenomenal or experiential world What are interpretations and what is their
significance? Identity of necessary and unconditional being Identity, the universe, and the individual The universe and the individual Identity, space, time, matter, and cause
General cosmology and its method Cosmology of form and formation The universe—temporal vs eternal vs block universe Temporalism vs eternalism vs block or temporally
emerging A choice of what is real vs alternate descriptions The universe is the greatest possible Doubt about the truth of the fundamental principle The value of the search for realization Doubt about the efficiency of the use of the real
metaphysics The universe and the individual Apparent limits and real limitlessness of the
individual ! The place and means of realization Resolution of the ambiguity in interpretations of
experience Ideal and pragmatic classes of being Tradition and the real metaphysics The structure of the templates Principles of development and use The way of being as a formal resource The way of being as an informal resource
A system of concepts for the way Destiny is knowledge of and ability to realistically
aim at valued outcomes. Being is existence; a being is that which has being. Awareness is conscious awareness in all its forms. A law is a pattern immanent in being or beings. A law
is a being. The fundamental principle of metaphysics Concept, object, meaning, and knowledge Metaphysics, the abstract, and the concrete Attitudes toward the fundamental principle and the real
metaphysics Reason and denial of the a priori Detailed System of Concepts for The Way of Being English terms with Capitalization The flow of ideas—outline and main concepts A relationship between Being and becoming Religion and its relation to science The fundamental principle of metaphysics The perfect universal metaphysics Essential problem of metaphysics The real elements: Experiential modes Cosmology of form and formation, general and likely
origins Dimensions of experience and personality A relationship between Being and becoming Religion and its relation to science The fundamental principle of metaphysics The perfect universal metaphysics Essential problem of metaphysics The real elements: Experiential modes Cosmology of formation, general and likely origins Meta-concepts for the database I.
About the main system
About
Planning
for the way
Planning is (i) here, (ii) in first priority.html (iii) site
planning—at plan.html. The
main accounts for the way
This document is not an account of the
way but a base for such accounts. The aim is to have two main accounts,
the précis (to be rewritten) and long (scalable, to be written). This document is a source for topics,
outline, and concepts; it is a minimal foundation for sharing, writing,
discovery, and realization. Where there is exposition, it is
because the ideas are new. Primary
sources
Supplementary sources include a journey in being-outline.docm
and the site and its offshoots. Secondary
sources
1. In
the resources folder—main influences
for the way.html and system of human
knowledge, reason, practice, and action.html. 2. In
the topic essays folder—concepts,
meaning, knowledge, and language.html,
experience and
the dimensions of the world.html, traditional and
modern approaches to living in the world.html The
versions
The long
version will be scalable to 1. The
main précis version—which may include informal elements
(see §The way in). Resources are the earlier precis of the way of being.docm
and the essential way of being.docm. 2. Teaching,
axiomatic, poetic, and manual versions—see
§An axiomatic formulation,
in this document. Execution—in
the world
Edit, minimize, write versions toward
transformation of the world, eliminate. Temporary notation*
Heading 1 Heading 2 Heading 3 Heading 4 Heading 5 Definition—main
definitions in the conceptual development (ALT + F) Definition
2—secondary definitions (ALT + G) Definition
3 (ALT + H) Definition
4 (ALT + J) Definition
5 (ALT + F) Concepts—main
concepts in the conceptual development (ALT + CTRL + SHIFT + C) Concepts
2—secondary concepts (ALT + CTRL + @) Concepts
3 Concepts
4 Concepts
5 Method
(ALT + CTRL + 9) PoeticStatement
(ALT + CTRL + 8) Normal—informal and undecided
statements Main—main statements for essentials or manual of
the way (ALT + Z) Main Definition—main definition for
essentials or manual of the way (ALT + CTRL + 7) Central—main
statements in the conceptual development (ALT + M) Central
2—secondary statements (ALT + SHIFT + C) Central
3 (ALT + SHIFT + Z) Central
4 (ALT + SHIFT + Y) Central
5 Notation**
Use
The term ‘or’ has two uses—(i)
exclusive as in ‘one or the other but not both’ and (ii) inclusive as in ‘one
or the other or both’. Though the exclusive use is more common, the inclusive
use is often more efficient in reasoning. In any case, the distinction ought to
be made. Where the use may be unclear, italicized form, or, shall
denote the inclusive use. Symbols
! An exclamation mark indicates a
section of academic interest. * A star marks a temporary section (all
subsections of a temporary section, except as noted below just below, are
temporary; any permanent material will be absorbed elsewhere). ** If a section is temporary, a
subsection marked with two stars is permanent (and will need to be placed
appropriately) Content
Headings are black and formatted other
than regular font. Ordinary statements are black regular
font. Main
concepts, definitions, and assertions in the conceptual development) Level
2… Level
3… Level
4… Level
5… Topics and concepts for the way II. The way in
This section is an introduction,
emphasizing the net aim and arc of the way. Plan
for this section*
1. Kinds
of audience—those who are interested (at least) in seeing and exploring the
universe beyond what is revealed in common experience and science and who are
not satisfied, fully or at all, with responses from humanities, philosophy,
metaphysics, or religion. 2. Motivation. 3. It
must be seen as a whole and written as conducive to this. 4. It
does not contradict common sense, science, reason, or (true religion). There
needs to be a fair amount of explanation of the truth of this claim (how to
deal with religion has further issues of how to address faith, and I may
therefore omit consideration of religion—or find a way to talk to people of
faith). 5. Informal
demonstration. 6. Visceral
– intuitive appeal; with ways to reinforce intuitive meaning. 7. Formality
in footnotes. Aim
The aim of the way of being is living
well and shared discovery and realization of the ultimate as a single
endeavor. Sources
and reasons
‘Reasons’ include motivation to the way Our
place in the world
mystery
of reason for our being, desire to live well, seeking to know and explore the
universe History
World and personal history suggest
values, aims, motives, and means for living The
world
A tradition of discovery and
realization—primal, secular (science and humanities), transsecular (religion
and religious metaphysics) tradition is (what is valid in)
knowing, acting, and valuing from primal cultures through this very day. Science is empirical, therefore is not
known to be complete, even though illuminating and of pragmatic value Religion attempts to go beyond but is
dogmatic (even Buddhism), even where symbolically empowering toward the
ultimate The way beyond is openness, which will
draw from tradition, but is primarily open, experiential, and engaged in
discovery and realization Personal
The seeking individual, persistence, a
process of perceiving and judging The
ultimate
truth,
the real, human being, and the universe—limited or limitless, ‘this precious
life’ Approach
Tradition gives us knowledge, ways of
knowing and becoming (discovery, realization, transformation) Knowing and acting are inseparable The way begins with personal reasons
and tradition, and builds from there—it is open, in process, seeking, active,
imaginative, critical, and learning. It is not essentially ‘linear’ but
reflexive in the interaction of all elements and particularly in reflection
upon its own process; which includes that linear process is sometimes
effective. Method
Method is ‘how to’ and is often thought
of as discovery (observation, imagination) and justification (experiment,
action, criticism). Criticism, logic, are frequently thought of as more
important. However, the situation appears to be that (a) discovery is
relatively informal and often private and (b) justification is relatively
public, formalizable, and formal, but (c) both are essential and interactive.
Thus, without imagination there is nothing to criticize; but since method, as
seen below, is part of content, without imagination there is no criticism. Method
and its significance
Method for the way concerns how to
effectively approach the aim. But method is also a concern in the
tradition—one that is regarded of utmost concern and treated widely since the
enlightenment was followed by the critical thought, especially of David Hume
and Immanuel Kant. It is impossible to do justice to this tradition. However, it is not necessary. However, it is critical that content
(knowledge and so on) and method (understanding, reason…) emerge together,
for otherwise, especially if method is ‘prior’ to content, the question of
the foundation of method—the foundation of the foundation—arises. But is that possible? For example,
while knowledge is based in experience, is not logic a priori to experience?
We shall find that it is possible to approach method and content
simultaneously. Indeed, this ought to be natural, for
knowledge is in the world and therefore, method is content. Further, from the
viewpoint that apprehension of the world never exceeds knowledge of the
world, world and content and method ought to be able to be seen as one. And we will find it to be so, for a
vast and ultimate range of the world (knowledge of the immediate in precise
terms remain elusive, but unnecessary relative to the ultimate). General
method for the way
From the aim, the way—imagination,
action, criticism—ought to maintain contact with the immediate and the
ultimate and all the places in between, and, so, with all the real How to maintain contact with the
everyday world and everyone’s world, without being limited by that contact,
ought to be a topic in the theory of knowledge The
‘method’ of the method
It shall begin with simple language,
knowledge, and reason. Though useful, this is vague and imprecise, but, at
least for elementary purposes, clarity and precision can be extracted by
abstraction abstraction
is consideration of a partial aspect of some part of the world—it may be used
for excision, leaving only faithful knowledge (if the concrete
is thought of as the whole, the abstract-concrete distinction is relative to
the mode of being of observers) But can this knowledge also be potent?
Yes, and we will develop universal and powerful knowledge Part of the approach is to begin with
experience—subjective awareness—and simple reasoning about it and, then, to
abstract away, some perfectly known elements of the world and of reason. The
elements
Some abstract concepts are experience
itself (as experience), the phenomenal world (as such), being, effective
cause, universe, the void, possibility, necessity, and unconditional being The elements of reason include
necessary inference (laws of thought, logics) and likely inference
(scientific) Naming
and the given
Let us conceive of the given
as it is in Dagobert Runes’ Dictionary of Philosophy—whatever is immediately
present to the mind before it has been elaborated by inference,
interpretation, or construction. Wilfrid Sellars has powerfully denied the
given. However, like many critical thinkers,
the criticism is too pervasive. Just as, if skepticism is the view that
knowledge is impossible, then the concept of knowledge requires alteration,
so, if there is no given, we must tinker with the concept of the given. For if experience, the mind, is not
given to itself, then, as Descartes’ powerfully argued, there is nothing. The given that is our presence to and
medium of knowing—the medium of our being, as it were—which is subjective
awareness, is named experience. The foundation
begins with experience. This is one of two essential reasons for fundamental
importance of the concept of experience. This reason is ontological and epistemic.
In this connection, experience is the place of concepts (symbolic and
iconic), existents (‘objects’), meaning, and knowledge. The other reason is that experience is
the place of our ‘being’, of all significance. This reason is existential. How
science and logic are both empirical
There are no things as such but all
things (‘beings’), at least effectively, are experience of (concept
in a general sense as actually or potentially referential mental content) and
experienced (existent, ‘object’). Further the experienced are also located in
experience. Science relates experience (concept in
a common sense as non-perceptual or ‘thought-like content’) to the world; and
is thus empirical. But logic determines whether a compound
concept is realizable—also a relation to the world, where it is the form of
compound concepts that is empirical. Thus, logic and science are elements of
the criteria for knowledge that derive from the same source—realism of
compound experience. The logics are further empirical in
that (a) for applicability they presume a sub-world and (b) their form
follows from the structure of that sub-world. For example, the law of
non-contradiction and identity apply only in worlds where definite states or
things (‘beings’) can be recognized by recognizers, the excluded middle is
possible only where there is definiteness of truth and falsity, and the
propositional calculus is possible only where there is facticity (knowable
states of affairs) Neither logic nor science are a-priori
or a-posteriori, but both are coeval with experience—the phenomenal and the
real world. Logic and science are both nets within experience. How
there is contact with the concrete world
The abstract is an envelope or
framework for the concrete and therefore illuminates and guides it; the
concrete illustrates and is instrumental within the envelope. This
observation is but a perspective on our limited knowledge and power. But the limits will be substantially
overcome. How
and in what sense are traditional concrete limits overcome
The system of abstract elements reveals
the one universe as the greatest possible, which entails that individuals,
too, realize this greatest. That knowledge is perfectly faithful. Concrete
knowledge is the instrument and, with its enhancement from the abstract,
there is no other. Therefore, there is no meaning to a need for another.
Thus, while the concrete remains limited within its own domain according to
criteria of perfect faithfulness, the dual system is perfect relative to the
ultimate according to the value, potential, and givenness of realization it
reveals. Where
and how the method is developed
The process of development was
incremental, in which content, method, arose via imagination and criticism. It then became possible to look back
and pinpoint the critical points of development. It is possible now to give a
concentrated précis of the development. An axiomatic – foundational
framework
…and poetic-illustrated See a foundational
framework in this document and an earlier axiomatic
framework. The essential concepts are,
tentatively, the ones in § The elements, above. Reason
‘Understanding’ or direct knowing,
which emphasizes perceiving and feeling, and ‘reason’ as inference or
indirect knowing, which emphasizes conceiving and valuing, have been
identified as the elements of knowing. Immanuel Kant found understanding more
important. Epistemically, this may be so. However, both, and more are
essential. There is a plethora of terms that amuse and confuse. I prefer one
term and because I like it, I prefer the term ‘reason’. I define reason
is knowing and the process of coming to know; and it includes acting and
learning from action; there is no meta-reason or, put another way,
meta-reason is reason; and more generally, the elements of reason interact
reflexively—vertically and horizontally, in securing, founding, and
optimizing reason. Reason and the real metaphysics of the
narrative will be found identical. Special
methods
Methods will emerge for particular
aspects (topics) of the way and are developed at appropriate places in the
work. Improve
and expand this list. Some particular topics are 1. In
describing the features of the universe within but especially beyond
perception of parts of the universe, imagination and criticism are
‘instrumental’. 2. For
the general cosmology, the method is the real metaphysics (content and method
including tradition), emphasizing imagination and criticism, with suggestions
from established and speculative physical cosmology, and metaphysical and
mythic sources. 3. For
the cosmology of form and formation, the above, enhanced by the paradigms of
(a) mechanism from physics and (b) incremental adaptive systems from biology
and general systems theories. 4. For
physical cosmology, modern physical cosmology—theoretical, computational, and
observational; and computer and theoretical models of deterministic and
stochastic systems games (simple to sophisticated and complex. 5. Ethical
and population modeling. Understanding
the work
Plan
for this section*
Minimize and integrate the following Anticipating
the system of meaning
Meanings are specific, the various
types and tokens, which are so often taken so seriously are at most
suggestive and interpretive. The system of meaning is
essential. Absorbing
the system of meaning
It is essential to see that the
meanings are not received meanings (of course there are relations); it is
therefore essential to follow the definitions and commentary that explains
reasons for the choice of concepts and definitions—individually and as a
system Intuition of the meanings and system is
essential and takes time to emerge. Anticipating
other blocks to understanding the work
1. Insistence
of meanings of terms as given and awaiting discovery; whereas, the actual
situation is that the process is discovery and creation in a dual space of
concepts and referents. 2. Not
seeing that meaning is icon-sign-referent or concept-object (i.e. a concept
and its possible objects) and knowledge is meaning realized. 3. Not
following the meanings of the text. 4. Not
seeing that meaning of the system is systematic in that the system stands as
one (this is not a holism in which the terms have no individual meaning),
that this is horizontal and vertical and that all terms must be understood in
their ‘new’ sense, for to analyze each term of focus in a new sense using
other concept in received senses, is to never escape the chains of the
received. 5. Not
seeing the extent of the metaphysics developed—it goes far beyond the common
paradigms… to the ultimate; not seeing what lies within this extent (possible
worlds of imagination subject only to logic); not seeing that this is proven;
not seeing alternate attitudes to the proof 6. Not
seeing that this life is not just one but only opportunity to see and fulfil
the amazing ultimate (it is the only opportunity in the sense that
realization always begins in the present, regardless of ‘which life’ one is
in); allowing diversion due to problems and mere entertainment; allowing the
appealing delusions within both secular and transsecular views; projecting
culturally sanctioned views of experience of the world to the universe Addressing
the other blocks
Readers will find that, to absorb the
new world view, they must mesh it with their secular and other experience,
that there is a tendency to see the new as intellectual and the old as
intuitive and visceral and that this tendency must be overcome and what is
desired is a seamless view of the old which is visceral and intellectual. An
approach to this integration is 1. The
approach from reason. 2. Sangha. 3. Ritual,
dedication, affirmation. 4. Persuasion
involving prepared speech and risk regarding unprepared or informally
prepared speech (next) Prerequisites
to real understanding
Function
of the section*
List the prerequisites systematically Use them as motivation Use them as topics in talks What
is real understanding?
A first prerequisite is to understand
understanding. Real understanding is more than just
intellectual—it is emotive, intuitive, organic, seeking, and behavioral. It senses that common accounts of the
real are limited and seeks a true real amid and beyond the common. It recognizes the hold of the common
accounts, that going beyond them will be difficult, but that the reward may
be transcendent. Real understanding entails a spirit of
exploration of the real. Blocks
to understanding
A second prerequisite is to see some
common blocks to understanding, so that they may be overcome, and will not be
hindrances to real understanding. Thinking and feeling that the common
every day, experiential, scientific, philosophical, and religious paradigms
have shown the whole truth. The foregoing derives from not seeing
limits to our use of (i) experience (the empirical), (ii) imagination and
criticism (the rational), or (iii) the empirical and the rational, jointly. Now the limits of our use do not result
from essential limits to #iii, just above, but to limited understanding of
what the empirical and rational are, of how to use them, and of further
elements that may be pertinent to understanding. Often, our critical and
imaginative theories of the use of experience and reflection are based on
partial critique that is projected as the truth. Seeing
the boundary of the real
It may seem difficult to know anything
of the true and ultimate real. But we will find that we can say something
about its boundary. And while concepts of what lies at the boundary may not
themselves be of the real, they will say—beyond this place there can be no
real. Which will be an immensely useful preliminary to any search
because, unlike so much search, the boundary will illuminate the search. So, then, what may we say about the
boundary of the real? One definition of logic is that its satisfaction is the
minimal requirement for realization, if not in our cosmos, then in some
possible world. Thus, logic is a boundary of the real.
In fact, logic defines the greatest—most inclusive—possible universe. How so?
One conception of logic is that a concept is realizable in some possible
world if and only if the concept does not violate logic. So, now, (i) if a
logical concept is not realized in a cosmos, the cosmos is not the greatest
possible, but (ii) if it is not logical, it is in the nature of the concept
that it is not realizable. Therefore, the greatest possible universe is the
logically possible universe. The
universe
What is the relation between the
universe and the greatest possible universe? Rather than talk about the
relation, let us give a simple derivation of it. So as to show its essence,
the derivation will omit concepts that secure its certainty and usability.
Here is a derivation— The universe is all that there is. The void is the part of the universe
that contains no parts except itself. The void may be said to exist for its
existence and nonexistence are equivalent. A law of nature is a pattern, immanent
to a part of the universe. Though our expressions of the patterns
are descriptions, there is a real, if local, pattern behind the descriptions. Therefore, the immanent law or pattern
may be said to exist. The void has no laws. If, from the void, some possibility did
not emerge, the void would have a law. All possibilities emerge from the void. The universe is the greatest possible. This violates neither science nor
logic. Connecting
to the universe
As the greatest possible, the universe
has peak realizations and dissolutions without limit. The individual inherits this power, for
otherwise the universe would not be the greatest. This is not a
contradiction, for individuals merge in the realization. Experience in the sense of
consciousness or subjective awareness in all their forms is, essentially, our
world (which is not to say that experience creates the world or that there is
no real world). Experience is therefore the key to
realization (i) intrinsically, as the place of realization (via, e.g.,
mindfulness), and (ii) instrumentally, as the place of knowledge of the
world—i.e. as the effective place of science and technology. Outline
Aim
One line aim Fundamental
principle
One line demonstration Meaning
and consequences
Heuristics, main implications—perfect
metaphysics, and illustrations (identity, the universe, and the
individual—Brahman and Atman, path, imperative), doubt and response On the perfect metaphysics—in the end
the system is perfect in terms of the ultimate picture of the universe and
value revealed but imperfect from a local perspective in terms of local
values (and neither the perfect nor the imperfect eliminate or negate the
other). Particularly, neither should hijack the other; and to make this real,
following the metaphysics conceptually is not enough—it has to become
visceral, part of intuition (via reinforcements, catalysts, sangha or
community, art including poetry, and ritual) The
way
III. Experience
The
concept of experience
experience,
abstraction There is experience and
reflexivity—i.e., experience of experience Experience of experience is a
significant part of what makes intentionality possible. An
effective world
Why experience?
Here is a preliminary answer— There is a sense in which we do not get
outside experience—for, beginning with the phenomenal, the real or objective
is further experience. Intention
and action
Are experience + Experience is relation, even pure
experience All experience is pure experience + The
range of experience
bound – free… or referential – null
(null includes the case of potential reference) internal – external iconic – symbolic objective – qualitative imperative – neutral Examples 1. Perception
is bound, external, iconic, close to neutral 2. Feeling
is bound, qualitative, on the imperative – neutral spectrum, internal (but
the distinction between perception and feeling is not always made) 3. Thought
is free, symbolic with possible iconic content, relatively neutral
(imperative arises in association with feeling) 4. Emotion
is less bound than feeling, qualitative, and
complex (interacts with and may subsume elements of the previous items) Significance
of experience—general and for the way
The
effective place of the world
The place of individual being,
becoming, relation, and significant meaning The place of will, choice, foresight,
designs and plans, action, and change Approach
to the real—the world and the real world
sameness,
difference, identity (existent, person or individual), extension, duration the
world, the individual (self, other), the environment, real world as object of
and including experience The
place of concept meaning, knowing, and acting
referential concept (experience of, symbolic-iconic—linguistic
meaning is a part of concept meaning, for all icons are abstractions and a
sign is a degenerate icon), referent (experienced) in use, an ‘object’ is just the
referent, supposed to have existence in isolation from the concept; in fact,
this mistakes the nature of referents, which is better conceived of as the
concept-referent, for which, the concept part is often dropped,
unproblematically intention arises from this notion of
referent as concept-referent and the reflexivity of concepts meaning (concept and possible
referents), knowledge (meaning realized) Interpretations
of experience
The
phenomenal or experiential world
experience
(itself), real world (‘external’), experience (itself), individual (person,
sapient being, human being, Dasein, thrownness), self, other, environment What
are interpretations and what is their significance?
doubt,
interpretation The
interpretations
Consider the tentative interpretations
(i) there is a real world which includes experience, persons—selves and
others, and environment (ii) the world is the experience of an individual
(iii) the world is a field of experience and being (and what we think of as
nonexperiential interactions are experiential but of zero to low intensity
and therefore, for which, quality and complexity, even if there, do not
register) None of these interpretations are
logical contradictions of the phenomenal world, which includes one, and
perhaps only one, real—i.e., experience itself That is, they are logically
indistinguishable To reject (ii), then requires some
assumption about the world, which need not be science, but may be something
as simple as (a) in the world of experience of the individual, the phenomenon
that the total experience assigned to phenomenal others is greater than that
assigned to the phenomenal self (b) the phenomenal ‘I’ and the phenomenal
‘others’ are related in the phenomena, just as the phenomenal relationship
according to which the I and others are communal constructs, or (c) the world
is the greatest possible world. Then, 1. Either
(a) or (b) deny (ii), require (i), and allow (iii) 2. The
case (c) denies that (i) or (ii) are the whole universe and requires (iii). 3. In
the case (iii) there are sub-worlds defined by (i) and (ii) 4. A
sub-world (i) cannot be a strictly materialist world if the individuals have
experience 5. Case
(iii) allows and has sub worlds (i) that are strictly materialist. The foregoing contains a resolution of
the problem of solipsism. IV.
Being
Beings,
being, and existence
Here being and existence are not
distinguished verb
to be, a being (concept-referent or existent), being (property of beings,
existence), nonexistent (the referent is null) whole,
part, null Power
and effective cause
cause
(the concept), create (to cause to exist), power (effective cause,
interaction, measure of being) The hypothetical being that has no
power, self or other, does not exist. The
universe and the void
universe
(all being or beings), void (the being that has no parts—except itself) All creation and effective causation
are internal to the universe, which has no creator or creation, other or self
(the former because there is no other being, the latter is because the created
has no existence prior to its existence) V. Possibility
possibility
(the concept; unity and disunity among science and logic, real possibility
(science, physical, living, sentient), logical possibility, logic The
concept of possibility
Real
possibility
Logical
possibility
Metaphysical
possibility
Necessity
The
concept of necessity
Necessary
being
necessary
being Unconditional
being
unconditional
being Identity
of necessary and unconditional being
Unconditional being and necessary being
are identical VI. Metaphysics
What
metaphysics is
metaphysics, Metaphysics has already begun. In that
it is derived from direct experience it is trivial. What follows is
nontrivial in that it goes beyond what is conventionally thought of
experience (but only in that the common is not carefully critiqued or thought
out). The
fundamental principle
The
real metaphysics
Identity,
the universe, and the individual
The
universe and the individual
Identity,
change Method of seeing possibilities for
beings—merging, levels – from elements to Brahman and their vision and
interaction Identity,
space, time, matter, and cause
Ethics
imperative,
value, enjoyment necessary value—natural categorical
imperative (Kant), or unconditional moral obligation; here the adjective
‘natural’ implies not that it is a law of nature but that it arises from the
concept of enjoyment and the nature of the universe Universal
Local
The
aim of being
The
metaphysics of experience
interpretations
and resolution of the system of interpretations Dimensions
of being
categories See the essential
way of being.html and a journey in
being-outline.html, where these are called categories. Real
Pure
Form,
relation, change
Pragmatic
The
nature of being
In
history and this work
Human
being
Kinds
of being
The
abstract and the concrete
Reason
reason,
method, doubt, skepticism, understanding, widest relevant context (is the
logical universe) The
block universe
|
# |
Time |
Activity |
|
Rise early—before
the sun, dedicate to the way and its aim, affirm the universal nature of
being. Morning reflection in nature. Breakfast. |
|
2.
|
|
Meditative-contemplative
review priorities and plans—life, the day, the way. Reflect on
realization, priorities, and means; employ simple reflection,
(calming—Shamatha—for re-orientation of purpose and energy, contemplative
or analytical meditation—Vipasana—to see what is essential now and in other
time frames; see the discussion of experimental yoga). |
3.
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Realization—(a) work,
(b) care and relationships—networking, (c) ideas and action, (c)
experimental and structured yoga-exercise-meditation-share in practice and
in action, (d) other activities or ‘engagement in the world’—e.g.,
languages, art. |
4.
|
|
Tasks—daily and
long term; midday meal. Attitude—in tasks and toward others and the
world—an element of realization; light; yoga in action. May merge with
Realization. |
5.
|
|
Physical activity—exercise
and exploration of the worlds of nature and culture for discovery
and inspiration. |
6.
|
|
Evening rest,
renewal, review, meditation and realization, network, community, tasks,
supper, preparation-dedication for the next day and future. Sleep early. |
1.
|
Being in the world—Dimensions
(a) Pure being (b) Community (c) Retreat for
experience of the real. |
2.
|
Ideas—Dimensions
(a) relation, knowing (as relation to the world); reason and
art (b) acting (effectively, creating the real). Means—reason, yoga
(meditation), and the real metaphysics. |
3.
|
Becoming—Dimension:
nature as catalyst to the real. |
4.
|
Becoming—Dimension:
society. Civilization as vehicle and path to the real. Transformation via
psyche—by immersion in social groups as place of being and catalyst to the
real. |
5.
|
Becoming—Dimension:
artifact. Civilizing the universe (especially technology as enhancing being
in the universe)—universe as peak consciousness via spread of sapient
being. |
6.
|
Becoming—Dimensions:
universal, incompletely known. The common way from self to Peak Being
(Atman to Brahman), via the block universe and extended secular
worlds consistent with experience of and in the world. |
7.
|
Being in the universe—Dimension:
universal. Realizing Peak Being (Brahman) in the present. Apparently,
rarely achieved in ‘this life’ which is a beginning that is continued
beyond death. Outcome of items #2 to #6. The means are in the previous
dimensions and open. |
This
work outlines a way shared discovery and realization of the ultimate. It does
not define a complete program. Indeed, it ought not to, for a real program,
it was found, is not just to follow but also to forge paths. Some reading
suggestions for development of a program are
(i)
The essay The way of being
(http://www.horizons-2000.org/2020/precis.html) and others linked from the
website http://www.horizons-2000.org.
(ii)
From the same
website, the main influences
(http://www.horizons-2000.org/2020/resources/main influences for the
way.html).
(iii) Everyday
and universal templates for action—with further
resources (the template addresses are, respectively, http://www.horizons-2000.org/2020/narratives/everyday
template.pdf, and http://www.horizons-2000.org/2020/narratives/universal
template.pdf).
(iv)
For its
suggestiveness for the background metaphysics, the framework of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
(https://people.umass.edu/klement/tlp/tlp.pdf) by Ludwig
Wittgenstein
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Wittgenstein).
(v)
For a system of
knowledge based in the real metaphysics, A system of
human knowledge, reason, practice, and action
(http://www.horizons-2000.org/2020/resources/system of human knowledge,
reason, practice, and action.html)
(vi)
For a program of
action in our world, A journey in
being
(http://www.horizons-2000.org/1.%20World%20and%20Being/realization/being-elements/2010/2011-2012%20jib%20in-process/second%20production/1/Journey%20in%20Being-detail.html#Challenges_and_opportunities).
(vii)
For background on
Yoga
(http://www.horizons-2000.org/2020/topic essays/traditional and modern
approaches to living in the world.html) as a system of realization and on the
ultimate nature of the self, A Sourcebook In
Indian philosophy
(https://www.booklibrarian.com/pdfepub/a-sourcebook-in-indian-philosophy-pdf/)
by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore.
Some
references with notes—
(i)
Ian Baker, The
Heart of the World: A Journey to Tibet’s Lost Paradise, 2004. An
exploration of travel to the heart of nature as means of self-transformation.
(ii) Chagdud
Tulku, Gates to Buddhist Practice: Essential Teachings of a Tibetan
Master, 1993, Rev. 2001. A readable account of Tibetan Buddhism, its world
view, and practice.
(iii)
John Hick, The
Fifth Dimension: An Exploration of the Spiritual Realm, 1999. An
excellent account of ‘higher realms’ from within the modern world view of
science.
(iv)
Christopher
Wallis, Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a
Timeless Tradition, 2nd ed., 2013. An immense source of ritual for those who
may be interested. Somewhat aligned with Tibetan Buddhism.
(v) Pema
Chödrön, How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with
Your Mind, 2013. On the practice of meditation. The book is open with regard
to aims of meditation.
(vi)
Eknath Easwaran,
trs., The Bhagavad Gita, 1985. A practical guide to a world view
similar to that in this work, as well as an account of the realms of Yoga.
(vii)
Richard K.
Nelson, Make Prayers to the Raven: A Koyukon View of the Northern
Forest, 1983. Nice account of a primal world view and way of life.
Some issues in achievement are (i)
clear knowledge of the goal (ii) knowledge of the context and means (iii)
commitment—i.e. over and above just knowledge: visceral knowledge, belief in
the truth and value of the goal and means (iv) steadfastness of commitment
and action in the face of doubt and other internal blocks and lack of energy
and material resources, lack of support and affirmation and opposition from
others and the community.
In the way (i) there is knowledge of
the goal but it needs elaboration (ii) there is knowledge of the context and
means but these need continuing development as part of the process (iii) the
individual may face blocks as in #iii above and, further, as the way is
relatively new and contrary to the standard secular and many transsecular
paradigms, there is little community support and much inertia. Commitment to
other limited and false paradigms may manifest as opposition.
The individual—(i) strengthening
self: meditation (on internal blocks, resentments, and resolutions) and
therapy, (ii) healthy living with moderate diversion (iii) having source
literature with proof, example, and inspiration, e.g. the way of being
(iv) ritual, dedication, and affirmation (v) a community of similarly minded
persons and travelers (vi) nature as source.
These are addressed in the templates.
Begin
with the same section in a journey in being-outline.html.
Review
(1) main source essays (2) resource works.
As of April 29, 2022 the main sources
are—
The introductory essay, precis.html.
In process work at the site plan.html.
Priorities for integration of my life
and the way at First Priority.html.
The main influences
for the way.html.
The system of human
knowledge, reason, practice, and action.html.
Some traditional and
modern approaches to living in the world.html.
Resources for The Way of Being
This is
currently in reading;
continue to compile from the bibliographies.html and the Internet…
The way of being constitutes a formal
resource, i.e. emphasizing formal method, for the history of significant
meaning, common paradigms and their limits, metaphysics as knowledge of the
real, the real metaphysics as ultimate metaphysics, knowledge and reason,
developments in metaphysics, a system of the world based in the real
metaphysics, and ways of realization of the ultimate.
See lessons for the
way of being.html.
The way and its discovery as an
informal resource are about discovery rather than justification, process
rather than outcome, and creativity or construction over criticism.
The topics emphasized are the thread of
the way in history, my search in nature and culture, and reflexivity in
reason.
Some sources are—the
realizations-resource version.html—2015
(Chapter: Resource), Journey in
Being-detail.html*—2014 (Chapter: Reference), Journey in
Being-full.html—2013 (Chapter: Reference), system of human
knowledge, reason, practice, and action.html
(since it covers discovery as well).
The terms here are important to the
way. However, the meanings, while they are not and cannot be the received
meanings, ought to have some relation to the receive.
The aim of this dictionary is
1. Resource
for received meanings—it is not the aim to be definitive but only to provide
a sampling of the received,
2. To
emphasize that the meanings in the way are related to but different from the
received, and
3. To
remind readers that whereas received meanings constitute families of meaning,
the meanings employed in the way are definite, and yet significant.
The main source for the received
meanings is Dagobert D. Runes, Dictionary of Philosophy, revised edition,
1983.
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Every generation ought to its way as
grounded in and summarizing the received ways.
This may inherit the virtue but not the
burden of the past.
The way in paves the
way; experience, being,
and possibility, provide
foundation; and metaphysics, in turn,
founds the way, for which there are resources.
It is all tied together in a foundational framework.
The way, is the path.
(Tentative)
The following definitions are a
reference and springboard for further reflection and development. The
material is not essential to understanding and employing the way of being.
Small
capitals mark definitions.
A concept marked by stars is the main
of two or more occurrences. The number of stars shows the number of other
occurrences. A dagger† marks a significant concept that, even if noted, is
not yet defined in this appendix. Brackets mark (i) explanations (ii) related
terms (which are not necessarily less important than the ‘parent’ term).
A system of concepts for the way
is—destiny, knowledge, aims, aim, action, being** (the other occurrences are
as ‘beings’ and ‘kind of being’; related terms are substance, the immediate†,
the ultimate†, becoming†, process†, relation*, reasons), abstraction* (the
other occurrence of ‘abstract’ has a rather different meaning), beings,
awareness, universe, form (relation*), formation (change), determinism,
indeterminism, cause, material cause, reason (necessary reason), creator,
god, law (pattern), the void, the universe is the realization of the greatest
possibility (‘the fundamental principle of metaphysics’), concept (object,
linguistic concept, meaning, knowledge*, action*), possibility* (kind of
being and possibility, the following kinds of possibility—logical,
theoretical, real, sentient, scientific, mathematical, and metaphysical),
metaphysics (the abstract, the concrete*, the real metaphysics, pragmatism,
perfection, logic, mathematics, the concrete sciences), value (ethics,
pathways, realization, aesthetics, enjoyment), doubt (certainty, criticism,
conceptual creativity, reflexivity, text, continuous text, knowability,
metaphysical postulate, existential principle), reason*** (this is main in
the sense of being primitive rather than important; related terms are
understanding, inference, induction, deduction, certainty, the a priori,
negation of the a priori).
Summary
Destiny
is knowledge
of being higher than the knowing beings and of its possibility and
realization (and of course, meaning of the term ‘higher’).
The real metaphysics shows that destiny
is real (but not that its realization is given to beings while in limited
form or that it is ‘linear’) and that the term ‘high’ has definite if
abstract meaning. It allows the variety of aims,
coherent and otherwise, of beings including societies to be subsumed under
one cohesive aim.
Realization requires knowledge in
interaction with action or knowledge-action.
Essence
Being
is the property ‘what-there-is’, where ‘is’ is a form of the verb to be
without restriction, spatiotemporal or otherwise.
Thus, being is a property (with
sufficient abstraction,
distinctions between entities, properties, relations, processes, and even
reasons are vanishing; the outcome of such abstraction is not abstract in the
sense of remoteness—rather it is most immediate, perfectly knowable and
known, and immanent in or part of the concrete).
A
being is whatever has being. The plural of
‘a being’ is ‘beings’.
To talk of beings without qualification
lacks meaning and invites (i) absence of true reference or (ii) paradoxes of
reference. Therefore, with reference to the discussion below in concept,
object, meaning, and knowledge, a being is
the knowledge object or referent of a concept.
Essence
In its least inclusive meaning, awareness
is conscious awareness in all its forms, attitudinal or active (in other
essays on the site for
the way of being, ‘experience’ is used instead of
‘awareness’).
It includes pure awareness, which is
the case where the attitudinal or active object is nil.
Since pure awareness is internally and
potentially relational, all awareness is relational.
In its most inclusive meaning, awareness
will stand for proto awareness, which may be nil in magnitude, which is the
property of all being, necessary that there be awareness in the universe at
all.
The universe
is all being over all form (includes relation)
and formation
(merges with change
of form) (i.e., over extension-duration-being).
Form and formation lie on a continuum
of determinism
with poles of absolute determinism and absolute indeterminism.
The universe does exist. This does not
entail that it must exist.
The universe is a being. It is the
being for which there is no other (external) being.
The reason for the being of the
manifest universe cannot be a cause in the sense of interaction with
another being (i.e., material cause of the
manifestation is logically impossible—where the sense of the term
‘material’ includes any god or purportedly supernatural entity).
The cause, if any, must therefore
appeal to a reason in a sense other than material cause. It could be an
argument of the form “if the universe did not exist, there would be no
meaning in the sense of significance”—which would be deficient primarily in
presuming that there must be meaning. But the form of the argument is more
interesting than its truth. A reason is a reasoning for a fact or a
being—it may be a material cause but the emphasis here is on an argument,
which may be relative or absolute (in the absolute case there is no
premise—i.e., the premise is null), deductive or inductive (in the deductive
case the inference is certainly true if the premise is true; and the
inference may but need not be material cause). An argument that is absolute
and deductive is a necessary reason.
But we have seen that the void must
exist, and so FP
holds, from which the universe must exist (and be the greatest possible).
In other work at the site for the way of being,
necessity of the universe and that it is the greatest possible are shown from
an analysis of necessity.
Essence
A creator
is a sole material cause of the being (existence) of a being.
A being cannot create itself, for to do
so would presume it is, at least for an instant, at once manifest and
non-manifest.
All creators are external creators.
Since the universe is all being,
relative to the universe there is no other being.
The universe cannot have a creator, for
an external creator would be another being, and no being can self-create.
There is no god,
the creator of the universe (this does not rule out gods).
The god that is the creator of the
universe and has other characteristics of higher being, e.g., intelligence
and compassion, does not exist.
Essence
A natural law
is a reading of a pattern immanent in being or beings.
A law is a being.
The term ‘law’ may be used to refer to
the pattern.
Though the terms ‘law’ and ‘theory’
have the above use, but in a more specific form, the given definition is
sufficient to the use of ‘law’ in this text.
Essence
The void
is the absence of being.
That it may be taken to exist follows
from the equivalence of its existence and non-existence.
The void requires no reason for its
being.
The existence of the void is necessary.
The void has no laws.
Essence
A possible
being is a concept that may be realized (as a referent or object of the
concept).
The criteria of realizability define
the kind
of possibility or being.
Before considering kinds of
possibility, let us discuss a preliminary—concept, object, meaning, and
knowledge, which is important in itself.
A concept
is ‘experience of’ and an object is ‘the experienced’.
It is presumed that the concept has the
intended kind of possibility.
As in awareness or experience of
awareness, a concept may also be an object (and this is essential to
Descartes’ cogito argument).
A linguistic concept
is a (otherwise association free or meaning-devoid) sign-concept association
(the sign and concept may be compound).
Meaning
is a concept and its possible objects. Knowledge
is meaning realized.
The criterion of logical possibility is
that realizability is inherent only in the concept.
Given a form of expression, the
requirement for realization of the concept falls under logic.
Our standard logics are but some
logics.
All possibility presumes logical
possibility
In theoretical possibility,
presumed realization is restricted by a theory, hypothesis, or law.
In real possibility,
realization is restricted by a being or kind of being.
In a final analysis there is no
effective distinction between real and theoretical possibility.
Logical, sentient, scientific, and
mathematical possibility fall under real possibility.
Sentient
possibility is what is realizable for sentient
beings and their designs.
Under FP, either (i)
there is a highest possibility, which is sentient, or (ii) given a form,
there is a higher sentient form. If form includes process or if there is a
highest form, the foregoing can be interpreted—the highest form is sentient.
Scientific
possibility is possibility according to the known
theories of science (and perhaps their paradigms tentative but reasonable
extensions).
Physical, cosmological, chemical,
geological, biological, psychological, social, economic, and political
sciences are examples of scientific possibility.
A mathematical system is a system of
undefined terms, axioms, rules of definition and inference, and definitions
and inferences.
Mathematical possibility is the
property of consistent mathematical systems.
Knowledge of possibility (consistency)
of a mathematical is either demonstrated or relative. For systems so large
that they cannot be directly examined, proof of consistency, it seems, is
invariably relative.
The object of a mathematical system may
be seen as (i) its syntactical system (i.e., the system itself without
interpretation) (ii) interpretation in terms of mathematical models (iii)
real, on FP
(the real metaphysics). Item ii is questionable as a measure of consistency
where the semantic definition of consistency is that a model should exist.
In a general sense, all consistent
systems are realizable. In this sense, logical and metaphysical possibility
are identical, and all the foregoing kinds fall under metaphysical
possibility.
However, there is a more restrictive
use of the term ‘metaphysical possibility’, which is appropriate when it is
desired to model some real or conceptual aspect(s) of the world without being
quite as concrete as to be scientific or entirely empirical.
Metaphysical
possibility is a restriction of logical
possibility to modeling of real, hypothetical, or conceptual aspects of the
world.
The concept of metaphysical possibility
is useful in building special and general-purpose metaphysical systems and
ontologies.
An example of metaphysical possibility
occurs in considering whether ‘mind’ is possibility without ‘body’. Insofar
as mind requires form, and form requires body, mind is (a part of) body. This
is a consideration of metaphysical possibility in that it was not necessary
to invoke science.
Metaphysics
is study of the real.
Examples in the text are sufficient to
show that metaphysics in this sense is possible—i.e., it is not ruled out in
saying ‘all knowledge is tinged with possible error’.
How is that so? In the first place, the
ideal side of metaphysics was possible by abstraction—i.e.,
by conceptually filtering out distortable detail, leaving only the
undistorted (and thus the abstract in this sense is concrete and definitely
known). The concept of being is sufficiently abstract, that no error occurs
in saying ‘there is being’.
On the other hand, the sciences of nature,
society, and mind have at least pragmatic or merely concrete
truth, which, we saw fell under the real metaphysics (the concept of pragmatic knowledge—of
pragmatism—is
that which enables success according to an accepted value without reference
to the meaning of the concept). This invoked an extension of the concept of
metaphysics occasioned by the value of ultimate realization revealed from the
ideal side. This in turn is entirely rational (with best or optimal
realization as the criterion), provided it is not thought that perfect
representation is entailed (note that it is entailed on the ideal side).
The meaning of perfection
is emergent rather than imposed.
The Kantian and post-Kantian objections
to metaphysics have been removed, not by saying that the absolutely
non-empirical (i.e., what cannot be sensed by any conceivable being) can be
known, but by an analysis that has broadened the range of the empirical.
Note that there is no essential
distinction between the abstract and the concrete—rather, they lie on a
continuum. This stands in contrast to most modern conceptions of abstract
objects—see Abstract Objects (Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Without FP, all
abstract concepts are potentially realizable (as are all concrete concepts).
With FP,
the abstract and the concrete are equally realized. What is different may be
that since the abstract and concrete lie toward ‘opposite’ ends of a
continuum, they would be studied or known differently. The abstract generally
tend to (non-perceptual) conceptualization, the concrete to perception. In
any final analysis, however, it may be noted that the distinction between
non-perceptual conceptualization and perception break down.
Thus metaphysics may be seen as a
collection of abstract and concrete sciences—particularly, logic,
mathematics, and the ‘concrete’ sciences (see the system of human knowledge).
Essence
As seen above, the real metaphysics has
an emergent system of ethics (i) in showing an ultimate value that
is interwoven with the immediate (in part via pathways
of realization
(ii) in showing that there is an aesthetics of enjoyment
in balancing being on a path, joy, pain, and their appreciation (ii) which is
interactive with knowledge in contributing to determination of criteria of
validity.
In this short work, no further remark
will be made on value theory, axiology, ethics, or aesthetics, except to say
that the real metaphysics provides a source of (some) foundation for these
endeavors.
We will look at certainty, its
significance, where it is significant, where it is not, and what approaches
and attitudes may emerge where absolute certainty is less than certain. We
will find that doubt is essential to the establishment and critique of
certainty. Though traditional epistemic criteria are not seen as value
related, here we show that ethical and aesthetic concerns are important. We
take up approaches to constructive creativity, using the concept of
reflexivity.
If doubt is central to certainty—to truth,
why was it not taken up earlier and in the main text? The response is that it
is implicitly present in the early sections of the main text where we
considered questions such as what might order the diversity of human ways of
life. It is implicitly present in the introduction of being and awareness as
fundamental concepts, for in the history of thought both of those concepts
have been part of a response to the question What is fundamental or
foundational to knowledge, rational action, and our place in and relation to
the world?
Essence
We saw that knowledge is meaning
realized. The claim of certainty is not just
that the concept relates to the object but (i) in some sense there is an
object and (ii) the concept is faithful to the object. Of course, this raises
questions of epistemology—e.g., what does this faithfulness mean (what it
is), and what are or may be its criteria. And it also touches upon ethics for
the choice of criteria and perhaps, therefore, of the meaning of
faithfulness, might depend on what we value.
1. We sometimes want certainty in
knowledge, but not always. Regardless, analysis of certainty may inform us—
2. Where certainty is possible and
where it is not, where it is trivial, and where it is significant,
3. How to attain it where it is
possible and significant,
What criteria may be employed where
certainty seems difficult, impossible, and not relevant or fundamental.
And analysis of certainty where it is
trivial may inform us—
4. How to attain it where it is not
trivial.
Appreciate that these issues touch on
epistemology (obviously), metaphysics (because analysis of the world may show
its knowability—or even be inseparable from knowability), ethics or value,
religion and lifeways (metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, especially point
3), and reason (as intersecting epistemology and as tying the issues
together). Note that point 4 exemplifies the significance of philosophical
focus on what may ordinarily seem obvious—as informing us (i) as to the
nature of our being-in-the world (ii) how to move beyond the immediate and
the ‘obvious’ to the ultimate and not so obvious.
Because we sometimes fail to know
correctly, we come to doubt knowledge (perhaps we are ‘essential doubters’ in
that doubt is natural rather than consequent on failure)—we doubt
that the concept is faithful to the object.
So, when I doubt my knowledge or when
someone else asks me “How do you know?”, I might indeed reflect on how I
know, and to then seek to know how I know and implement it. Of all the things
we think we know, there are various reasons to doubt them (the main one being
that concept and object are not identical and that consequently any knowledge
may be uncertain until established otherwise). This is roughly the line of
reasoning that led Descartes to his method of doubt and his resolution that
began with the cogito argument. While that argument, especially if refined to
tie up some loose ends, is widely accepted as convincing, we may find disagreement
with parts of the remainder of his argument (e.g., is there a need to find
bodies with extension, over and above the establishment, for does not any
form, even a concept require extension, and if so, then, if the concept is
spatially extensional, the existence of the object would imply its
extensionality). But regardless of what we think of his entire argument, one
thing seems established—doubt is a potent approach to establishing truth and
(degree of) certainty.
But to leverage doubt, it is not enough
to just have doubt—it is not enough to stop at doubt. One has to do something
with it. What? Not just to think “this may be wrong” but to question “how or
why it is wrong”, i.e., to criticize, and then
to ponder (creatively), how to establish it right or wrong, and if wrong, how
to find what may be right. That is, criticism ought not to stop there (as is
often imparted in education) but to move on to creative
thought—essentially new thought, not arising out of method or what came
before. And once having had creative thoughts, again to criticize… and so on
and so on.
Doubt and certainty are dual.
Criticism and creativity are dual.
In the history of thought, established
approaches to criticism have arisen. A modern stand out example is
Wittgenstein’s critiques of philosophy (this is not intended as endorsement).
Criticism and creativity are sources of
logic and arrival at logical systems, scientific method and sciences,
mathematical systematics and mathematical systems, moral criticism and
ethics.
But criticism and schools may overreach
their own validity. Generations may accept a critical school, e.g., logical
positivism, only to find it wanting.
There needs to be—it is effective for
there to be—criticism of criticism.
Criticism of criticism is an example of
reflexivity—a discipline reflecting itself, a ‘meta’ discipline.
The notion of reflexivity
may be extended to potentially every element of reason, critical and
creative, interacting with every other (of course with attempt at and
practice of good judgment, formal and intuitive).
I leave general ‘reflexivity’ at that—a
potential and powerful element of ‘method’.
Essence
We saw that the possibility of
metaphysics arises not because we somehow transcend the empirical but in
questioning (i) what it is to be empirical and (ii) what things are or may be
empirically known. The response was, effectively, not to jettison the
empirical but (i) to expand to knowability and its
elements, of which one is the empirical and (ii) to see that while certain
objects are not known and perhaps hardly knowable in detail, yet they are
knowable with sufficient abstraction and / or with appropriate criteria.
Abstraction led to the ideal side of the real metaphysics, pragmatism even of
a rough sort leads to the pragmatic side, and while the pragmatic is
imperfect by, say, correspondence criteria, the join of the ideal and the
pragmatic, the real metaphysics, was perfect by criteria that emerged with
the metaphysics.
Its significant to see this
simultaneous and reflexive emergence of knowledge (metaphysics), method
(epistemology, criteria), and ethics (value)—in fact, to see their
inseparability.
A text
is something (an object) that can be read, regarded here in terms of its
content (rather than its physical form).
In publication, texts are often seen as
‘units’ that are or ought to be complete in themselves, and that are the
product of an author or authors.
The completeness of a text in itself
has efficiencies and inefficiencies.
Usability is an efficiency. Specificity
of authorship is an efficiency from some points of view. That a text can be a
self-contained unit has efficiency.
However, the following may be seen as
inefficiencies discreteness, lack of coherence and continuity and meaning
with other texts over time and geography, repetitiveness, lack of
directedness, false starts, incompleteness owing to the limited life span of
given authors. That a text is a self-contained unit emerges also as
inefficient with regard to a desired coherence and directedness of knowledge
and the human endeavor.
These ‘inefficiencies’ may be seen as
the result of just the way thought and its publication are—and even
productive of contribution to creativity.
It may be asked, however, whether there
is a means of overcoming the inefficiencies in parallel to (without
eliminating) the efficiencies of unit text.
Journals are of course one way.
However, especially in philosophy there
is another—it is interpretation, in which older texts may be positively
interpreted in terms of the thought of a later time.
Yet, interpretation becomes burdensome.
We seek a concept and way of continuous text.
The idea is that authors—some authors—would write their text in such way as,
perhaps, beginning with a summary interpretation and reformulation of
relevant extant literature, develop theses—particulate or entire, and
conclude their texts in an open-ended manner rather than just conclusions.
Many texts do that and so what is important is the manners and kinds in which
the texts would be open-ended.
These manners and kinds would include
(i) problematic issues (ii) areas in which thoughts may be elaborated (iii)
areas for development (iv) how the text fits together with others and how it
might be continued (v) the author’s plans for further writing and translation
of the ideas into action (which may already be part of the text).
The aim of continuous text is to
encapsulate a search—individual, cultural, human, or more—over history. With
regard to philosophy, it would emphasize philosophy as reason and
understanding of the world and ideas (a notion which has been more or less
abandoned in the face of the putative intellectual hegemony of science).
Text is an element of reflexivity.
A proof of the metaphysics was given in
the main text. Another proof was noted in this appendix
> universe.
Heuristic arguments can be given which though they are not proof, support the
reasonableness of FP (see the site for the way of being).
However, doubt remains (i) because of
the appeal and significance of tangible (strictly empirical) demonstration
(ii) regarding the necessity of the given proofs (iii) from the magnitude of FP and its
consequences and (iv) because I present the real metaphysics as a
contribution not just to knowledge but also to destiny and the consequent (a)
responsibility to society and (b) ego burden (with regard to which I ought
perhaps to be neutral but am not).
Essence
What can we do about this residual
doubt?
It is critical to note that while we
doubt the proof of FP and may doubt some interpretations and
consequences, it remains that FP is logically, experientially, and
scientifically consistent. That is, there is and can be no rational disproof
of its validity, and an empirical disproof is hardly at hand.
Further, consider the value suggested
by the real metaphysics, e.g., the magnitude and realization of the ultimate
which is ‘real realization’ and not just knowledge of the ultimate (I say
‘suggested’ because we are contemplating doubt of the metaphysics, but if the
metaphysics is true, the value is real).
This value may lead us to consider the
principle as valid so as to maximize the expected value of the outcome,
should we choose to base our knowledge and action on the
principle.
Concerning the value of knowledge,
we propose—
Concerning the value of the outcome of
action, we propose—
Reason
is the means of knowing, whether of knowledge or value or effective action,
and includes understanding
or direct knowing, indirect knowing or inference
as arriving at conclusions from premises, and experiment (Immanuel Kant
conceived of reason as indirect knowing or inference).
While we sometimes think of reason as
associated with the critical side of knowing, the creative side is essential
to knowing; it is essential for the critical and creative sides to interact
at more than one level—in regard to knowing the world, and in regard to
reason itself (which in principle need not be mentioned since reason is part
of the world. That the critical and creative sides ought to interact is an
aspect of reflexivity.
Under the real metaphysics, induction
or inductive inference (e.g., generalization) and deduction
or deductive inference (to what is implicit in premises), are (of course)
different with regard to degree of certainty (ability to
predict without error), but not fundamentally different with regard to value
and realization. Similarly, certain direct knowledge (by abstraction) and
uncertain concrete direct knowledge are not fundamentally different with
regard to value and realization. Thus, it is seen again, how logic,
mathematics, and science are brought under the umbrella of metaphysics (note
the parallels: arriving at a concrete scientific theory as well as a
mathematical system is an inductive process of trial and error, while inference
under the theory or system is as certain as given by the nature of the system
and in this sense is ‘deductive’).
Knowledge is a priori
if its ground or foundation is independent of experience of the world (which
is sometimes specified to exclude experience of learning the language in
which the knowledge is expressed). In a more inclusive meaning, the a priori
is also independent of reason.
Thus the a priori is that which is
received without foundation, partial or total.
The development of the real metaphysics
has shown regarding the ideal side of the metaphysics that results from
abstraction has no a priori. There is an a priori in contexts where certainty
is a value. However, from the point of view of the value of ultimate
realization revealed by the ideal side of the metaphysics, the a priori to
concrete knowledge has no significance. Thus, for the join of the ideal and
the pragmatic in the real metaphysics, knowledge and its ground emerge
together. Further, regarding the individual or society as part of the
universe of experiential, given the fundamental principle, there is and can
be no a priori—the meaning of ‘the a priori’ is nil in that there is nothing
underlying experiential being in terms of cause or reason.
There is no ultimate a priori.
Essence
Detailed System of Concepts for The Way of Being
To a detailed supplement
The purposes of the document are
To list the main concepts for the way
systematically
For use in the database.
The document has a number of Sanskrit
terms for which I do not yet have adequate English terms:
atman—the self
that in Advaita Vedanta is identical to Brahman
brahman—ultimate
real
citta—particular
meaning is the ‘heart’ aspect of mind; here it refers to mind in all its
aspects
sangha—community
of individuals, giving mutual support to realize Brahman in this life and
beyond
tat tvam asi—“Thou
art that” meaning that the individual is ultimate reality.
yoga—system of
ideas and techniques from Bhagavad-Gita and Yoga scriptures to realize Atman
as Brahman… to yoke self to universe… here used in a general sense of any
such way, regardless of cultural origin
Following are some important concepts.
Note the capitalization.
Being—the quality
of what is; that of which it may validly be said that it “is somewhere and
somewhen” and for which the where and when need not be simple or connected;
not defined as a substance; and indeed not a substance
a being—anything
that has Being; a part of the universe; plural: beings
logic—generally
any system of inference; most commonly deductive logic which is obviously
distinct from induction (however that this distinction is absolute is not
absolutely clear even thought it seems so)
Logic—logic to
which fact is appended; also: argument
matter—first
order Being; Being as elementary Being; elementary matter is sensed; as Being
is not a substance, matter and mind are not substances
mind—refers to
all aspects of mind, not just cognition; Being in experiential relation;
second order Being; elementary mind is sensing
reason—critical
imagination and experiential learning in relation to thought and action—the
proliferation of words such as rationality, logic, argument is quite
unnecessary as though there are so many different activities (except of
course that some technical distinctions have easy technical significance)
the void—the
null part; absence of manifest Being
universe—all
that has Being
Consider marking concepts repeated in The concepts.
This section lists only essential
and main
ideas; for secondary
ideas see the main part—The concepts.
Ideas in the overview are also listed
in the subsequent sections; ideas that are listed more than once in those
subsequent sections, are numbered with subscripts.
becoming, sangha
(sharing community dedicated in truth)
Being, ideal elements of Being
reason
metaphysics,
fundamental
principle, Brahman (ultimate real)
system of real elements
(system of real categories)
cosmology,
agency,
being human,
tat tvam asi
The Way of Being,
yoga,
death
This section is about the cultivation
and aim of Being
becoming
destiny, edge of the known,
paradigm,
(limit), sangha, truth
(sharing community dedicated in truth), persuasion, the greatest truth, understanding
Being, sameness, difference, existence, verb to be, abstraction, concretion
experience,
concept
self, object
ideal elements of Being,
(categories),
ideal element,
(all, whole, part, null, manifest, possible), power
conceptual model,
linguistic model
reason
We should doubt everything, even doubt
itself—i.e. we should doubt but still engage in becoming (absolutes, e.g.
‘doubt all’, should be rendered logical).
possibility,
limitlessness,
necessity
argument
science
religion
Value(1),
art
metaphysics,
possibility of
metaphysics
fundamental principle
consequences for identity,
peaking, merging, Atman, Brahman, Aeternitas
perfect metaphysics,
perfect epistemology
¿what has Being?
peak realization
perfect instrument
system of real elements
(system of real categories), (real element, abstract, concrete)
identity
dynamics
experiential modes
cosmology
method
form
matter, mind
life, evolution
psychology,
function,
personality
dimensions of experience
agency
value(2),
axiology
being human
becoming human,
emergence of reason
reflexive reason,
life roles,
remaining human,
function roles
tat tvam asi,
transcendence
civilization,
civilizing the universe
The Way of Being,
the highest pursuit
aim of Being
pragmatic agency
yoga, way of life, catalyst
path
death (as fulcrum), openness to the infinite,
finite resolution of
significant meaning
This part is a detailed listing with
explanation.
This section is about the cultivation
and aim of Being
becoming and
manifestation; also see a
relationship between Being and becoming
destiny (the
unrealized that is thought to be foreseeable and realizable), cycle of being
(i.e. of becoming), life, form, birth, stages of growth, limit, possibility,
decline, death
(reckon, day), merging with universal identity1,
yoga
(meditation), peaks of identity, limitlessness
means,
ideas, action; speech, persuasion (sharing, rhetoric), writing (text), and
life; text: resources, adaptable templates (universal, everyday, program and
priorities, stories)
edge of the known
(and unknown); (givenness of balance in) stability and fluidity in worldview,
paradigm
paradigmatic limit
and flux,
knowledge, and concept meaning (distinguished from significant meaning which
are the two uses of meaning in this document)—primal (holist), secular (open
vs closed: science, art, humanities), and suprasecular (secular plus:
religion, dogmatic vs open)
sangha (sharing
community dedicated in truth) and persuasion—state first and always: the greatest truth
and way (to other and self); then: explanation, reasons, lesser truth and
means
civilization
culture, significant meaning, the
immediate and the ultimate, tradition, paradigm
prologue (introduction, preface)
history of the way (stories, drama); a
human endeavor; an individual life (personal story, autobiography) and
motives
understanding
narrative (difficulty at the edge of the known)
reeducation of
understanding—intuition and system of referential
concept meaning
Being, sameness, difference
I.e. existence; not contrasted to
change—becoming—or non-being; derived from the verb to be2
used in a tense, place, and quality neutral sense)
¿how Being? It is precise by abstraction3—there
is existence; concretion.
¿why Being?
When and where Being emphasize being-in
and being-in-relation
to the immediate and the ultimate, becoming emphasizes being-toward an end.
From this characterization, ethics is immanent in Being.
experience4, (concept), experience as fundamental
or primitive
and so given;
ostensive
definition
near synonyms and
related terms: consciousness,
subjective awareness, phenomenal awareness, ‘what it is like’, qualia
alternate meanings not
used: cumulative experience, common experience, external experience
a standard model of the world (of
experience)—the following are real
experience as: given, experience-of:
pure experience,
attitude
(aboutness, of the world, intentionality), volitional, action
oriented (internal, external)
experience and effective Being
(effective existence)
self (‘I’, experiencer)
and world
(experienced;
object, null object)
or real world
(metaphorically but mistakenly thought of as the external world—for the world
contains the self and experience), freedom of will, other minds
and agents
standard model: details
reflexive
experience (experience of experience), referential experience
recall
(memory)
methodological skepticism,
(‘agnosticism’), system of philosophical problems to reconstruct the world
skeptical doubt: standard model—givenness of
experience etc; solipsism
reconstruction of
world: world as maximal field of being-experience
(standard maximal field of being-experience and its reduction), necessity of
from possible interpretations—world as field with selves and universe as
self, world as material—and their logical indistinguishability; strict
solipsism (untenability of), probable reconstruction
Study of all things of mind and behavior;
it is not academic
psychology—i.e. not merely academic psychology of the twentieth
and twentyfirst centuries.
Development
is deferred to psychology
where reasons for deferment are given.
element or ideal elements of Being (or categories,
ideal and real)
ideal element5 of Being (known perfectly, typically
abstract—i.e., sufficiently abstracted from experience to permit perfect
knowledge; note that even the concrete are abstracted)
a system of ideal elements
Being (i.e. Being itself, which is an
element or category)
the universe
(all, whole), beings
(singular: a being or existent6 or part7,
which may include the whole, proper, and null parts), the void
(null or null
part), reason,
manifest,
possible
(relative to the universe the possible is manifest somewhere in the history
of the universe), power
(experience as effective power), (possibility, and potential
Purpose: Kinds of being fleshes
the bare concepts of ‘Being’ and ‘beings’
kind (of Being),
elements of the
world8
natural
(material, living), experiential9
(sentient, referring, standard psychological, free willing or agent, human), social-civilization,
pan-universal
models of the world
(developed later)
E.g. dynamics10
(entity, interaction, change), form and formation (paradigms of)
conceptual model,
linguistic models
linguistic referential meaning11
(or linguistic referential concept meaning) (repeated later:
[symbol-object] or sign-concept-object) and its elements12
examples:
noun-object, verb-object, trope-object, sentence-object
reason (abstract –
allows perfect-ion, concrete – pragmatic to perfect)
rationality, method, reflex process, truth, knowledge,
knowledge system13, culture-tradition (validity), action (technology),
cumulative
experience, correction, learning
Entire mind—cognition, criticism
and construction
(imagination),
emotion
and feeling
as guide and datum
Role of doubt; canonical dilemmas
possibility
(logical
possibility, limitlessness real possibility—(logical), universal possibility,
natural
possibility, agentive possibility; metaphysical possibility—as real and
as hypothetical-for-argument); necessity
argument
fact,
observation (experiment, observation, repeatability, corroboration,
consistency with other observation), pure fact, confirmation (abstraction)
inference,
necessary inference, deduction,
logic, Logic,
validity, soundness,
likely inference
(generalization, conduction, scientific method—details below, under science),
strong argument, weak argument
science, scientific method
(data:
see fact, under argument
above; law,
theory:
induction, hypothesis generation, abduction, also see likely inference,
under argument
above)
sciences
metaphysics as science15
concrete sciences—natural
sciences, social sciences, historical sciences, linguistics
abstract sciences—logic,
mathematics, statistics, computer science
nature, pattern, law (Law,
theory), pure
history16
religion (as
exploration of the trans-empirical realm by intuition, symbol, metaphor, art,
metaphysics, and so on; without claim as literal knowledge or science; but
without violation of reason)
study of religion
cannot be scientific or empirical alone but must be empirical,
conceptual,
and ideal
in light of the perfect universal metaphysics
religion and spirituality intersect; some people
prefer the latter term but I prefer religion in all its aspects including
those that we see as limiting and destructive
value (sources
of; as premise) or axiology
art aesthetics,
ethics
affect
(emotion)
metaphysics,
(possibility of),
(abstract18,
concrete)
method(s)
existence of the void
heuristic
(if the universe is in a void state), proof (nature of the void and law)
the fundamental principle of metaphysics
(FP):
the universe has limitlessness i.e. is realization of logical possibility
A perspective on the universe as the
logically possible. A common approach to ultimate physics is projection from
history of physics. An uncommon approach is to enquire of the outer limit of
all knowledge so as to project in. What is the limit? It does not exceed
logical possibility.
And we have just shown it reaches this
limit. We are about to find this immensely empowering in itself and
addressing questions of science, the meaning of its fundamental concepts, and
a broad perspective on its future trajectory.
consequences for identity
universal, individual, finitude
limitlessness
peaking, merging Atman
(individual real, self, real self, permanent self, soul), Brahman
(ultimate real, Aeternitas)
perfect metaphysics
(dual,
abstract-concrete integrated)
perfect epistemology
(dual, integrated), meaning of the phrase ‘object of thought’ and possible
objects of thought
local metaphysics,
local epistemology, science metaphor, art, religion
the perfect metaphysics gives context
to the local and alters its significance—enhancing its existential significance
if somewhat diminishing its pragmatic significance, particularly the significance
of the standard
paradigms primal, secular, and suprasecular;
these do retain significance as in systems of human knowledge (knowledge
system) but they are no longer ultimate in significance
criticism
existence of the void
response: heuristic (fundamental explanation
will be necessary and make no assumption; will not distinguish among
manifestation of logically possible states), proof (equivalence of existence and
non existence of the void)
consistency
response: internal consistency (reason,
logic), empirical
consistency (science, common experience)
doubt: magnitude
of claim, utility
of claim, triviality
(including triviality of Being)
response: rationally irrelevant, yet
magnitude—motive
to doubt and resolution as above and comparison to science: the
metaphysics is more rational and globally empirical; less locally empirical,
which is irrelevant as the metaphysics is trans-local
utility—the
metaphysics is existentially powerful and, with local knowledge, powerful
both locally (the local is enhanced) and in realizing the ultimate
triviality—it
is trivial but powerful
essential problem of metaphysics
¿what has Being?,
subsumption of the problems
of metaphysics
The ideal
elements were real and perfectly known by abstraction. Via abstraction of the
essential from the particular, there is Being—there are beings. From an
abstract perspective, Being as quality may be seen as a being.
peak realization
The ideal elements were real and perfectly
known by abstraction.
The perfect universal metaphysics
extends the metaphysics of the ideal elements (the pure or abstract
metaphysics). The pure shows the ultimate; the unattainability of the
classical local ideals and therefore the absence of need for it; and the
local pragmatic knowledge as perfect instrument for attainment of the
ultimate and perfect in its pragmatism; and therefore a dual metaphysics and
epistemology as perfect (this does no negate the classical ideal in that we
want better local knowledge even though we know it cannot be perfect).
The real elements are a perfect instrument,
interacting combination of the ideal and the pragmatic.
(the ideal and abstract as real)
system of real elements
(system of real categories)
real element19 of Being
the abstract and the concrete
(elements)
truth
(or knowledge)
as correspondence
distinguishes the abstract as ideal from the concrete
on dual correspondence-pragmatic truth
the abstract-concrete merge as perfect
dual correspondence-pragmatic truth
modes, e.g. sameness, difference, proximity,
unimodal extension,
spatial extension, duration, and spacetime
dynamics (triad of object-interaction-process
or identity-interaction-change at material and agent levels22,
form and formation
(paradigms of)
identity-interaction-change
experiential modes23
experience-experienced
(roughly mind-matter)
attribute24, experience as the single world attribute
cosmology
is general cosmology and all its divisions
general cosmology,
method
method(s) (reason, descriptive paradigm:
the metaphysics, possibility, models of universe—of Being and
identity)
universe as limitless arrays of
cosmoses (in extension) and identities, merging into, peaking as, dissolution
from one identity; manifestation as one-step and multi-step
with transient
emergence from the void (emergence from the void); there is no external creator
for the universe but one cosmos may be implicated in the creation of another
form, cosmology of formation
and origins
one-step as remote possibility,
multi-step with transient emergence and adaptation (adaptation paradigm:
random variation
and selection for stability) as ‘symmetry capture’, stability
and relative
stability (symmetry and near symmetry), cosmological scales
physical cosmology
standard cosmology
and physics—big bang, general relativity, quantum theory and standard model
of elementary particles
physical models of
formation—out of quantum chaos, multiverse
(bubble universes), adaptive
systems models
ab initio models—see
cosmology of formation, adaptation, stability, symmetry, dynamics (superposed residual
indeterminism—e.g. quantum, models of cosmos), and conservation laws;
conservation and second
order dynamics; transience of origins as source of immanent physics:
physical identity-dynamics-extension
(as in general relativity); quantum behavior and quantum vacuum as vestige of
transients from the void
determinism
(general, absolute
determinism), indeterminism (general, absolute indeterminism)
cause, causation, causality, acausal process
mechanism,
teleology
With Being as Being or first order Being
as the preferred concept of matter, mind is Being in relation (experiential
relation) or mind
is Being in relation or second order Being, the preferred concept of mind,
which always has the potential to be experiential (from FP,
and from which there must be mind). Here, ‘mind’ is the most general term for
the mental, covering sensation, perception, cognition, feeling, and emotion.
Form is
logically necessary for mind but further material substrate is not—the form
is (part of) the material; multiple modes of mind (and matter) are
possible even in a single cosmos but in stable cosmoses it may be expected
that there is a single mode of matter and correspondingly a single mode of
mind; different modes from the same or different cosmoses may merge and
emerge as other modes or a single mode
life
ecosystem,
organism
biological function
scales,
micro to meso; molecular, chemical, and physical biology
reproduction
genetic material
evolution
theories of
evolution25, variation, selection,
adaptation
history of life
Psychology began in Being,
particularly sections experience
and the given, experience and the world,
ideal
elements of being, and kinds of being.
It is placed here to keep early development direct, to benefit
from the metaphysics, to use terms for mind and matter that are as
broad as possible in scope and that avoid their distorted connotations,
and to avoid circularity.
psychology
Here psychology is broader in scope and
method than academic
psychology which has appropriated the term ‘psychology’ in such
a manner as to distort it.
Psychology will mean study
Of all things about mind—all function: cognition,
emotion;
memory;
aspects of function, e.g. learning; personality and growth
Of all things related to mind—body and
brain (biological
psychology), mind and world
By all means—description; academic psychology;
conceptual or philosophical
psychology (initiated earlier)
reason, methodological skepticism
objectivity of experience26 (see being, experience, and
objectivity)
philosophy of psychology,
science of
psychology27
See the section real elements of Being.
It is convenient to repeat some terms
from section Being—the
subsections experience
and the given, experience and the world,
and kinds
of being
experience
experience-of
effective Being
(effective existence), real Being (existence, existence and effective existent
are the same; power and effective power are the same)
reflexive
experience (experience of experience), referential experience
recall (memory)
concept
(as general mental
content, as object capable of referring; higher concept), object, referential meaning (referential
concept meaning) as concept-existent or concept-object
language
and linguistic
referential meaning (or linguistic referential concept
meaning) as [symbol-object]
or sign-concept-object)
experience, dimensions of experience, experiencer,
experienced
(inner,
psyche, body, recall (memory); outer, world, other; holist), form-quality
(not currently for development:
phenomenon, subject, object or as-if object)
bound-free
content
bound content (percept-feeling),
free content (higher concept, emotion or concept-feeling),
freedom of will,
foresight
focal-background
intense,
neutral,
imperative
psychological function
cognition
(perception, conception, language), emotions (fear, joy), pain
personality
development, plasticity-fixity, elements, type and
relationship to Being
(conceptual) (see pragmatic agency and becoming,
below)
agency (deployment of ability,
emphasizing the following)
foresight,
dynamics,
will,
metaphysics, reason
transformation
intrinsic
transformation, instrumental
transformation
value, or axiology
aesthetics,
ethics
value as real
(from the metaphysics and nature of the abstract)
The Way of Being—the
highest pursuit
as seen from the metaphysics—see the
Way of Being.
recall that reason involves the entire being
being human
Being at the intersection of the
limited and the limitless; finite Being capable via mind of understanding and
negotiating the infinite in abstract and the concrete beginning of
limitlessness.
Grounded in the world (nature and
civilization) by body (and mind) and by mind in the universe.
becoming human,
growth
emergence of reason,
childhood
reflexive reason
understanding reason,
reasoning about
reason
culture, role, adjustment,
and achievement
life roles:
student,
adult,
relationship,
parent,
maturity,
ageing and dying
remaining human,
time,
death,
authenticity
function roles:
play,
education,
life path
(career:
maintained, maintainer, forerunner or outlier, leader), seeking
tat tvam asi
(“you are that”; self as ultimate real)
transcendence:
self-transcendence,
culture-transcendence
defining limits of culture and paradigm,
reason and the
ultimate, actualizing
In on the idea of spirit.html,
the concepts of spirit,
soul,
(and God),
are found ontologically superfluous.
There is no ontological need for
the concept of spirit over and above that of Being.
civilization28
local civilization,
human civilization,
universal
civilization, civilizing the universe
society
instruments
(of civilization)
reason,
metaphysics, social
science, information and technological science of
universal civilization, art, religion, pragmatic agency
The Way of Being—the highest pursuit
as seen from the metaphysics—to know and realize the real and valuable in the
immediate and the universal. From the metaphysics this is rates enjoyment
over avoidance of pain
in realizing, merging in peaks of Being.
aim
endeavor,
goal,
path,
destiny
aim of Being
The way of Being
(continued from psychology
> agency
above)
pragmatic agency
(feasible agency; as follows)
principles of agency
(the metaphysics, dynamics, reason)
knowledge system29 (intrinsic—‘internal’ and self-mind
oriented, instrumental—external
and world-body oriented)
yoga
(intrinsic), (principle, nature—to bind or yoke self to universe; practice,
action—yoga as instrumental), (traditional and non-traditional means to
“apprehend” the universe—i.e. to know – understand – become the essence of
the universe), meditation
art
(iconic, literature, metaphor, drama, ritual, architecture)
way
(religion)
way of life
(knowledge, metaphor,
attitude,
action
phases of life,
sangha)
walks of life
impediments
(resentment, fear, anger, …), overcoming in balance with achievement;
external resources
(the exemplary, the way, community), internal resources (reason…)
catalyst (catharsis)
physical
emotional
cognitive
(citta, vijñana)
mystic
beyul
science
(instrumental); science, sciences and immersion (intrinsic)
sciences
of nature, psyche, society and civilization; technology
(epilogue)
path
eternal
process
journey of Being,
individual journey,
being in the
present, the immediate and the ultimate
death
this life as
finite, death as end to this life
knowledge of death to enhance meaning and
experience in this life and beyond: the finiteness of this life as fulcrum to openness to the infinite
dual to finite
resolution of significant meaning in the present
planning <the date of> one’s death
planning death
templates
(universal
template, everyday template, program and priorities, stories—drama,
myth, metaphor,
allegory, parable, novel)
Concepts are marked below but
unnecessary to the database. Appropriate resource concepts are in the section
on becoming.
sources
concepts
topic,
influence,
thinker,
school, actor
work
discipline
publication
(primary, secondary, tertiary)
document
(personal, shared), biography, autobiography
library, media
database
database theory,
knowledge
generation, knowledge assistance
general, knowledge, metaphysics
concept30
reflex concept
source
author, text, literature, writing
(personal, shared), resource
1 The presence of these notions, secular
and other, at this point is ‘for consideration’, not as fact or dogma.
2 ‘To be’ may be specific or nonspecific
respect to place, tense, and quality. For Being, the nonspecific is the
primary interest. In abstraction suppresses the distinctions.
3 More on abstraction and the related
notion of meaning later. In an alternate development, language, meaning, and
reason could be preliminary to Being.
4 Definition and explanation.
Elaboration could fit here but is more effective in psychology.
5 An ideal element is perfectly
known, typically in a correspondence sense by conceptual abstraction. Thus
the ideals are typically abstracta. However, the abstract are real. What we
call concrete tend to be objects-in-direct-experience which are also known by
abstraction—i.e. perceptual abstraction. If pragmatic knowledge is admitted
then the concreta are also perfect. The abstract-concrete distinction or
continuum is rather metaphorical in character.
6 Plurals are ‘beings’ and ‘existents’.
7 A part need not be simple or connected
and the defining feature of a part need not be based in spatiotemporal-like
sameness and difference; a set of entities specified by the number ‘two’ or
exhibiting ‘two-ness’ or a range of energies (where energy has meaning) are a
part. A part is a being and a being is a part. There is no further
connotation to ‘Being’ and ‘beings’. Connotations are introduced via kinds of
being.
8 As defining the world, elements and
models are essentially metaphysical. The degree to which these may be precise
in general is not given in advance of identifying or defining and critiquing
the metaphysics.
9 Mental.
10 Mechanics is an alternate term. What
are some further possible terms?
11 See linguistic referential meaning
in the way-main.html.
See language, meaning, and
metaphysics for elements of language.
12 See grammar, language, and
metaphysics in language, meaning, and
metaphysics.
13 See system of human knowledge.html.
14 Kept separate from argument because
possibility has a special role in developing the metaphysics
15 As science, metaphysics is not
essentially as concrete-empirical as the concrete sciences and not
essentially as abstract-conceptual as the abstract sciences but employs
method, the abstract, and the concrete as they are useful in a science of
Being, beings, and the universe.
16 Refers to the temporally
indeterministic side of history.
17 Value falls under reason and
rationality because many of their uses require input from values and affect.
Further, though objectivity in values may be elusive, they will be seen real
and subject to critique and improvement even where consensus may be
difficult.
18 Previously ‘pure metaphysics’.
19 Extended category; equivalent to
‘element’. Includes the ideal elements or categories.
20 Identity is (sense of) sameness with
difference (change)—as experienced, existent, or object. Obviously some kind
of continuity is involved; it may be in memory and identification rather than
‘material’ continuity. As far as the principle of identity is concerned, it
is not necessary to explicitly resolve the nature of the continuity.
21 Generalized spatiotemporal—identity
derived—sameness and difference. Difference with and without identity mark
local time and space, respectively.
22 Why second order? Perhaps for
conservation and translation invariance.
23 I prefer experiential-experienced over
the varied and limited connotations ‘of mind’ and ‘of matter’ because of the
varied connotations of the latter. Thus, ‘mind’ often omits emotion; and
these equivalents all limited: material, physical, sensible, manifest,
effective, causal, energetic and so on. Some possibilities for matter are
first order Being; possibilities for mind are second order Being, psyche, the
Pali ‘citta’. Citta would be in an abstract-general use that suppresses
distinctions of process vs. entity etc and includes manas and vijñana.
24 In the sense of Spinoza who identified
our two attributes as thought-extension, or mind-matter. Spinoza explained
world as God who had an infinite number of attributes. I argued that there
can only be two attributes in the mind-matter series but that beings can have
an infinite number of properties. I now argue that there is a single
‘attribute’.
25 I.e. the major components of Darwinian
evolution. Not a reference to Lamarck’s theory or any teleological theory.
26 Meaning that existence and some of its
facets, e.g. freedom of will, are or can be known objectively… and not that
the putative objects experience are known ‘objectively’, or not, without
investigation.
27 What it is and how it is done.
28 Our civilization is the web of human
culture over time and continents; greater or universal civilization is the
interacting matrix civilizations and Being across the universe.
29 See system of human knowledge.html
(repeated footnote).
30 Concepts are objects or parts of objects that refer to other objects. Not all objects are capable of having reference but some beings with minds are. See referential meaning in the way-main.html.