Introduction

The preview to the essential way of being states the purpose of this document as providing background material to the essential way and address of certain issues—

“The way of being (i) critiques our common worldviews as having real and symbolic truth and limits (ii) goes beyond to a new view in showing the universe to be the realization of the greatest possibility (iii) works out the meaning, significance, and some consequences of the new view, of which the main consequence is that we are inevitably on the way—in process—to peak being (this is a process view—in view of the universe as containing extension-duration, all beings are identical to peak being) (iv) addresses the problems of pleasure and pain (v) works out intelligent, efficient, and enjoyable pathways to peak being primarily in the form of in-principle frameworks more than prescriptive formulation.

Problems of understanding the work are not those of complexity or sophistication but of (i) unfamiliarity with the new view, especially in that its gestalt or world picture and imperatives to action view include but are otherwise very different from those of the common views (ii) its system of meaning—the terms and how they hang together—is not anticipated in our common systems of meaning. So, to understand and appreciate the work it will be essential (a) to reflect on the new view, its reasoning, and its detailed consequences (and, so, the limits and constrictions of thought and life of the common views) (b) to attend to definitions and the resulting metaphysical system.”

Plan (a temporary section)

This is a temporary section.

Modify the item in quotes above, in the essential way of being and this document.

Copy and paste the longer introduction here as an extended introduction (a temporary designation; the material is to be appropriately absorbed to the other sections).

The plan for the material for this document is indicated by the following tentative sections (search for further relevant material in other essays).

On human motivation

Use the brief paragraph in the introduction to the guide to the way.

Find and introduce appropriate material from other recent essays.

On worldviews

Use the first few sections of the guide as a beginning. The sections are worldviews and their foundation, received worldviews and their limitations, overcoming limitations, approach to a worldview without limitations, foundation.

Origins and sources of the way in history

Origins of the way in a personal search

Addressing difficulties in understanding the way

Metaphysics and its power

The aim here is to pose a problem that can show the power of metaphysical thought.

In the way of being, metaphysics is conceived as study of the real—i.e., knowledge of and knowing the real. That this is possible, potent, and in the same family of meaning as received and modern philosophical metaphysics, is shown in the way. Further, its realization as the real metaphysics is shown to be ultimate capture of the universe as ultimate being. It is also argued to capture the essence of received metaphysics and its problems—and to provide significant address of those problems.

Here is some background. As science is empirical, it does not show what lies or what does not lie beyond the empirical boundary; thus, those who claim it shows the essence of the entire universe make an unfounded claim. As search beyond the empirical boundary and to the ultimate, most myth and religion is either significantly deficient or in error.

The problem. Imagine a person on an island. They are educated in art, literature, observation, reason, and much more. However, they are not taught the modern physical or biological pictures or theories of the world. The problem is—what can they conclude about the nature and extent of the universe (the word ‘extent’ is to be conceived logically, for space and time are not given as real or ultimate).

Essence of solution of the problem from the way of being. As the absence of being, the void contains no law. If a possible being or world did not emerge from the void, it would be a law. Therefore, the universe is the greatest possible in the greatest sense of possibility.

Objections—(i) this violates science (ii) it violates the spirit of science (iii) we do not observe all possibilities (iv) it is trivial and uninteresting (v) it is not useful knowledge.

Responses—(i) as noted above in the remarks on science as empirical, there is no violation (ii) the spirit of science in this context is reasonable empirical certainty aimed at pragmatic uses but not all human endeavor ought to fit this mold (iii) we are one possibility and other actual worlds lie beyond the present empirical boundaries (iv) it is indeed trivial in the sense of being easy to see but not in terms of consequences (v) the consequences include that we merge with the ultimate, to which there are pathways (consequences for living in this world and received and modern systems of knowledge and knowing are developed in the essence and details of the way).

Comments. In its development, the metaphysics of the way of being was developed in the context of modern world culture, especially art, science, philosophy, and religion. To begin at ground level and to see beyond received culture required time and insight. The problem posed and its resolution show (i) the simplicity of the metaphysics and its derivation (ii) that while science and philosophy are useful instruments in the development of the metaphysics, they are not necessary (iii) that, in fact, the complexity and sophistication of our modern systems may mask the simplicity of the metaphysics (iv) that a scientifically, philosophically, and technologically basic culture has access to the ultimate which is not less clear or less powerful than ours.

On the metaphysics of the way

Though this material also addresses issues of understanding, it is its own section because of its intrinsic interest.

Why should we develop an explicit metaphysics? The reader might think that metaphysics is esoteric, but it is not, even though much formal metaphysics may seem remote. Every ordinarily aware human being has an at least tacit worldview that is metaphysical and though such views may seem obvious, they conflict with one another and, without making them explicit and subjecting them to criticism, they cannot be known to more than partially true and complete. Is it possible to develop a true and complete metaphysics?

The metaphysics to be developed is an amalgam of (i) an ideal part that is true and complete with respect to depth but not the variety of being (ii) a pragmatic part that is at most roughly true and in-process somewhat complete. It is found that as long as we are beings with limited form, the roughness and incompleteness cannot be avoided but the system is in-process complete and true relative to the value of ultimate realization.

Furthermore, to begin and end with immediate experience is limiting in two ways, (i) what we commonly—scientifically—think of as the experienced world is significantly less than the truly experienced world (ii) our experience is fundamentally limited with regard to the nature of the universe and what is in it for it reveals neither the nature of what is experienced nor what lies beyond the experienced. Now, to go beyond those limits would seem to require rational or mystical development, of which both are suspect. Here, we will find, as explained in the previous paragraph, that the rational can (and will) go beyond the limits. And though we do not depend on the mystical for demonstration, it may provide motive for the development, and intuition into the nature of the universe and thought about the universe (which may then be confirmed or rejected by the empirical-rational).

A word of caution—the metaphysics of the narrative is not a common tacit scheme, nor is it one of our standard material, ideal, process, or pragmatic systems. Most readers will be unfamiliar with the present view, and it is likely that almost no one will be aware of its demonstration and consequences. The caution, then, is to be prepared for the unexpected—to be prepared to rethink one’s views and go beyond. And it is natural, then, that the meanings of terms in the development will not be fully familiar to readers even though the terms themselves are in common use.