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The Way of Being [ home ] [ recent outlines ] [ previous version ] Contents About the structure of this last version of The Way of Being Canonical documents for the outline 1.1 Introduction to The Way of Being 1.2 Origins, motives, and reasons 1.2.1 Seeking, experience, action, learning 1.2.2 Personality – accepting vs seeking; degree of basis in the received and in authority 1.2.3 History of ideas and endeavor 1.2.5 Criticism, imagination, and sharing 1.2.7 Contribution to the human endeavor and destiny 1.3 Overview – content and structure of the way 1.3.1 The essentials and core of The Way of Being 1.4.1 Not a review or text, an original work that builds on received thought 1.4.2 Based in neutral being and abstraction rather than prejudiced foundation 1.4.3 As far as possible self-contained— 1.4.4 But an evolving document 1.4.5 Development, necessity, sufficiency, and holism (of the concepts and their system) 1.4.6 Pre and post metaphysical treatment of some topic 1.4.8 Being is found to be essentially experiential 1.6 Living the way – shared pathways 2.7.2 The program and its design 3.2 Past, present, and future as one 3.6.2 Writing and updating universal narrative Part IV Experimental (not intended for reading)
The work is an in-process outline, plan, and beginning for the ‘last’ version of the way of being. It will be updated frequently. Plan for the documentAs it speaks of the ultimate, this work cannot be complete. Further, every culture necessarily recreates truth. So, residual plans will be absorbed into a section on resources. About the outlineThe outline flows from a system of concepts and their relationships. About the structure of this last version of The Way of BeingThe version has (i) a minimal center – out, top – down core with essentials (ii) a main part with foci on realization and concepts, also realized in a table of content, with explanation, sources, and relevant historical material (iii) a part on parallel developments, i.e., implications for endeavor and ideas (iv) a reference part. Parallel action planDone
there is to be ongoing simplification of this plan— Healthy livinghealthy living… improve and expand and identify main statements – consider the phrase ‘healthy living’, incorporate person vs experience as ‘atom’ of being and morality, politics-economics, essence of religion; why is religion a thing – does everyone have a religion ( / spiritual side) – what is religion – what does it mean to ask what religion is; QD and univ lists > combine with this the world.pdf – ‘my program’ (../../2022/theway/my life/the world.pdf) (essentials) (auto vs manual) Essentialscombine the essentials and concepts part of the core and identify main statements; identify key points and concepts; focus on k-system rather than the disciplines, e.g. philosophy, science, metaphysics, and so on Importdo the following in the sequence (i) realization > return (ii) into the way (iii) reference > (iv) the remaining (main) content in the given order § import from the earlier outline with simplification—outline structure (with stars for parallel material), concepts, material, sources, study topics, explanations… Comment 1. The essence of the following on the development of the concepts will go to ‘Into the way’ § hierarchize concepts > review, improve concept organization (hierarchic, around main concepts), development, and content, focusing on weak parts first; use this template— · meta-issues (meaning, definition, method, concept holism, epistemic and existential motives for the concepts, co-development across the world) are among the concepts, so that talk about the system is part of the system · what—definition (as used here), noting that existence of the object must be established · alternate and related terms; reasons for choice · meaning—concept-object, nature of the object – intrinsic, definite vs indefinite (and in-process) · why—significance, place in whole – relation to other concepts · main vs subordinate · related concepts (on the same and distinct levels) · place among received meanings (historical), reasons for differences Databaseimplement in a database of concepts (with hierarchic structure, definition, significance, and so on) Writewrite, co-edit, publish Canonical documents for the outlineWhat are the canonical documents –where to place them? Here are some – which are to be reduced, essentialized, and imported from! § other links in this document § the world.pdf – ‘my program’ (../../2022/theway/my life/the world.pdf) | program for the way of being.html (../../2023/supporting/program for the way of being.html) | design.html ‘site design’ (../../2024/resources/design.html) § outline of the way.html ‘current working outline’ (outline of the way.html) – keep while importing its content to this doc § templates and dedication.html ‘pathways’– (templates and dedication.html) § the way.html – i.e., ‘traditional ways’ (../../2021/topic essays/the way.html) § brief essentials – some possible canonicals – the way of being.html (../essays/the way of being.html) | the way of being-plain.html (../../2024/resources/the way of being-plain.html) especially the preview § of general interest – metaphysics and vocabulary for the way.html (../../2023/supporting/metaphysics and vocabulary for the way.html) | a system of knowledge.html (../../2021/resources/a system of knowledge.html) | a system of knowledge-supplement.html (../../2021/resources/a system of knowledge-supplement.html) | what is philosophy.html (../../2021/ek project/what is philosophy.html) | toward a database for philosophy.html (../../2021/ek project/toward a database for philosophy.html) § long and resource versions – journey in being.html ‘resource version 2021’ (../../2021/resources/journey in being.html) | the little manual.html (../../2022/theway/little manual.html) has material on dialetheia and the source of logic; has a vocabulary for metaphysics and the way § special interest – abstract objects.html (../../2023/supporting/abstract objects.html) | dialetheia.html (../../2023/supporting/dialetheia.html) – also see the year.html ‘journal 2024’ (../../1. World and Being/Journey/Journals/J 2024/the year.html) for material on dialetheia and planning an essay on dialetheia § sources of sources – index.html ‘2023 – supporting essays’(../../2023/supporting/index.html) | resources.html ‘2024 resources’ (../../2024/resources/resources.html) The Way of Being is abbreviated The Way or the way. 1 Into The WayComment 2. / Prologue Comment 3. The way and its aim— “Into The Way” is an informal introduction, overview, and guide to the way; the significance of ‘into’ is not departure from the world but temporary retreat so as to return with a fresh attitude, inspiration, and greater power. Comment 4. … and preface 1.1 Introduction to The Way of BeingThis section tells you about the aim of the way and what kind of work it is. The Way of Being is shared discovery and realization of the ultimate, in, for, and from the immediate world. This is the aim of the way and it requires knowledge and action in interaction. The way is a system of knowledge of the universe based in experience and reason, its implications for living in our world and the universe, acting on the implications, and improving the system of knowledge. It is not a synthesis of received thought. It is grounded in but goes beyond received thought – beyond received worldviews. Sharing and contribution are among its aims. It is not merely a developed system of knowledge. It is a system but it is in process – a foundation, a system, experience, and action… all in interaction with one another… and in historical interaction with the world of ideas and action. It is thus a non-dogmatic and evolving document. It derives and used an ultimate and well-founded worldview—of the universe as limitless, which exceeds the ultimate of most worldviews. Shows that the immediate—our world—and the ultimate are one – that they are mutually enhancing. 1.2 Origins, motives, and reasons1.2.1 Seeking, experience, action, learningComment 5. Seeking vs search. 1.2.2 Personality – accepting vs seeking; degree of basis in the received and in authority1.2.3 History of ideas and endeavor1.2.4 Sources1.2.5 Criticism, imagination, and sharing1.2.6 ParadoxComment 6. Shall this section be maintained? Why is paradox critical? 1.2.7 Contribution to the human endeavor and destiny1.3 Overview – content and structure of the wayComment 7. The elements of the overview may be re-organized. 1.3.1 The essentials and core of The Way of BeingComment 8. This is to be (i) simplified (ii) reviewed in parallel with development of the main narrative. Comment 9. It—especially the final paragraphs on pathways and my plan—is to be aligned with realization, in this document, and other documents – pathways, traditional ways, and my program. The Way of Being (abbr. the way) is shared discovery and realization of the ultimate in, for, and from our world. To appeal to being – the concept – as existence is to take the world as it is rather than to prejudice discovery by appeal to or denial of substance (e.g., matter or mind), relationship, process, trope, spirit, or other kinds (so it is implied that the ultimate is under discovery rather than given). Then, to conceive the universe as all being does not distinguish spirit from matter or assert or deny the nature and existence of these kinds (and so, whether a god created the universe is falsely regarded as fundamental). The void is the absence of being—though it is a being it harbors no beings. Laws, i.e., natural laws, are patterns that are immanent in the world (or the universe or parts of it such as a cosmos or cosmoses, and, thus, laws are beings. The void has no laws. As the void has no laws, all possibility emerges (possibilities emerge) from it—of absolute necessity; it is of necessity that there is no eternal nothingness. The manifest universe may be seen as emerging from the void, from any being, or from itself—it is not created except if necessity is seen as creative force. The universe is the realization of all possibility; it is experiential and has identity, which phase eternally between nothingness, the manifest, and peak states of being (note: experience is awareness in all its varieties). Is this contradictory? No, for (i) there is no self-contradiction for possibility is an inherently consistent concept, that is—there is no internal or logical contradiction (ii) there is no contradiction of observation or science, for the possibilities that we do not see or that may seem to contradict science, occur outside the boundary of observation—in other words, there is no external, scientific, observational, or empirical contradiction. The universe and its identity are limitless in duration and extension; in variety, peak, and dissolution (it phases eternally between the void and the manifest). There are cosmoses of limitless number and variety, whose isolation is at most temporary, and which must be connected at the edge of their boundaries (in extension-duration)—but not only at the edges – there are and at any of their times, there must be effectively no-interaction or negligible-interaction cosmoses passing through one another, especially through ours (thus the connection is everywhere). We are experiential beings in an experiential universe; in experience there is a relation between ‘experience of’ and ‘the experienced’; the former is the concept or subject or as-if of mind; the latter is the object or as-if material, i.e., as-if of matter). Here, object is not restricted to ‘thing’ but includes relation, process… whatever can be the object of experience including experience itself; nor is object restricted to the physical—it includes natural, living, and social entities, e.g., the political and the economic, and as-if mind and as-if spirit as the object of perception or thought. We are beings in an experiential hierarchy—neither the zero of sentients, nor the merest, nor the peak, but phasing between the ends of the sentient continuum; we – all beings – inherit the limitlessness of the universe, which is not a contradiction as beings merge as one in the peaks of the universe. That we will realize peak and dissolution eternally is given; however, there are (intelligent) pathways to the ultimate, which, to be effective, should be shared and negotiated rather than merely followed (traditions may be useful in charting paths); ultimate god is not remote, it is in process – a process in which all beings take part. Birth and death are real but not absolute. In death, we go back into potential being (i.e., minimal being merged with all being or, in the extreme, the nonbeing of the void). In birth, we are (generally) not copies of our previous beings. Why, in general, do we not have this explicit awareness? Explicit pan-awareness of universal existence occurs at higher levels of experiential being – beings that populate cosmoses with perhaps greater forms than ours. Perhaps this is not the most common mode, but from limitlessness it is necessarily one mode of panbeing. Thus, even discounting those who say they perceive past lives, we do have the conceptual power—here and now—to see our panbeing. Therefore, the ‘why’ question above is really—ought to be—a ‘how’ question and the answer is that while we do not (may not seem to) have perceptual awareness, we are at that place in the hierarchy of experiential being such that (i) we can think the question (ii) answer it conceptually even though or if we do not see it now, in this life, perceptual awareness of it will arise in going back into potential being and emerging again, higher in the experiential hierarchy. An alternate perspective is not that we are ‘this being’ and will emerge again, higher, but that we are all just one being, constituted of many, discrete beings relative to the time frames of our cosmos, but continuous – one – on sufficiently long time frames or at a level of description above time and change. Now, given this reasoning, we can intuit or sense our oneness of being, but can we perceive it? It may depend on what we regard as our instruments of perceiving. From the point of view of an individual self, the boundary between the body and the environment is the location of instruments of perception; from a universal perspective, that boundary as locating what is to be called perception is arbitrary and internal-internal and internal-external flows of information have the same status; neither perspective is in error, neither is finally basic, but each is more illuminating for some purposes and less illuminating for others. Perhaps, however, it may be possible to be aware of our panbeing in some states of consciousness, e.g., in meditation or cathartic experience (as awareness of a signature of panbeing in our being). Limitlessness reveals an ideal metaphysics, which is perfectly faithful to the real in virtue of an abstract (character) of being and the void (which are not essentially abstract—the abstract is what remains when what is essentially distortable from the concept is filtered out). It shows an ideal of perfection but needs a complement to develop concrete vision of and paths to the real. The complement may be chosen as our pragmatic knowledge which is not perfectly faithful. The join of the two—the perfectly faithful and the pragmatic—is not perfectly faithful but as the only and necessarily effective guide to the ultimate it is perfect and seamless relative to the ideal of realizing the ultimate in this world and beyond. This join, named the real metaphysics, entails a worldview at the core of the way (i) of the immediate and the ultimate as one and, in what follows, (ii) with pathways of enlightenment for living with attention to material and ultimate aspects of individuals, societies, and the world. This system reveals dimensions of being (abbr. dimensions)—(i) the pure dimension—experiential being in form and formation of worlds and beings on the way to the ultimate and (ii) pragmatic dimensions from our received knowledge—which, since imperfection is allowed in process, may be chosen from the western system: natural (material, living, experiential), social (group, political-economic-value, culture-education-discovery-meaning, i.e., meaning in the sense of significance), and the universal (experiential and object-like aspects of approach to peak being), together with paradigms projected in process to the universe (e.g., non-determinist variation and selection for near equilibrium, mechanism with and without probabilistic change, dynamics of systems and societies). At levels of description over long times, perhaps, e.g., far greater than the life of a cosmos, individual selves approach universal self. At a level that is above time, universe and self are identical. On the other hand, in a process view, from nothingness come selves, then universal self, which repeats eternally, beginning with nothingness once again. Comment 10. Thus, narrative may begin with self-experience or being-universe. In beginning with being and the void, the emphasis is on realization. To emphasize academic metaphysics first, it could begin with either experience or being. Comment 11. The material on pathways is repeated later in realization > overview, with greater detail on planning. Comment 12. The material below is paste special to later in this document, and templates and dedication.docm. The material should be edited here and updated where it has been pasted. The aim of an enlightened, healthy, or effective lifeway or pathway is effective realization of the ultimate, beginning with its best form in this world (i.e., the world of the seeking beings). That is, there is dual focus on quality of life in our world and the ultimate. The effective path recognizes that experiential human being is discrete over time but ultimate – peak being – over long enough times or at a level of description above time; that is, birth and death are real but not absolute—locally but not absolutely real. In this world the individual experience—perception, thought, feeling, will, and action—is the focus of ends – political, economic, moral and other (positively because it is where all significance lies and negatively by elimination of inanimate / non-feeling objects). Groups and institutions are important but their importance derives from the significance of individual experience. In the universe at large, experience itself is the focus and generator of all ends (and, thus, ‘inanimate objects’ are included because, when primitive experience is taken into consideration, they are not essentially non-experiential). A healthy pathway (physical, mental, communal, and spiritual) attends to needs and effective action individual, society, and world, in meditative, material, and immersive aspects of the dimensions on a path to the ultimate. A healthy life emphasizes the needs of the individual and society in this world and on the way to the ultimate. An enlightened path (i) seeks intelligent and shared negotiation (not just following received ways or masters) (ii) results in a replica – typically incomplete – of the ultimate in the being – body and mind – of the individual in ‘this’ life and rarely in the ultimate itself (iii) but is on the way to the ultimate and while realization is given, the enlightened path is efficient in realization of the ultimate as we cross from life to life, from form to form, amid the myriad of cosmoses, while dwelling in nothingness in between. Pleasure and pain (physical pain, doubt, anxiety) are unavoidable. The issues of pleasure and pain are addressed (i) pleasure for its own sake need not be avoided, but paths emphasize pleasure in being on the way—on the path (ii) by shared negotiation of pathways (in which leaders may arise but are not seen as absolute in truth) (iii) with therapy – the best therapy of the time (iv) by the able and fortunate giving aid to the less able or fortunate (v) by attention without obsession to healthy living – physical, mental, communal, and spiritual (vi) and above all that local enlightenment which avoids illusions of ideal perfection but seeks a pragmatic balance of pleasure and pain on shared paths—i.e., as far as reasonable, seeks process through and not around pain. The path of enlightenment is one of seeking balance and integration of emotion, reason (fact, inference), and action in interest (service) of self, community, world, and approach to peak being. Effective pathways address living in the immediate world on the way to the ultimate—they address the everyday and the universal, (and, as elaborated in the document outline of the way-new.docm), dimensions of being (i) at a high level the pure subject and object aspects of experience (ii) in the world, the pragmatic. Particularly included are (a) meditation, calming, analytic, and visionary (including an attempt to visualize and ways to actualize panbeing) (b) (yogic or) healthy living directed at individual, family, work, and community – local to global. Thus, enlightenment pertains to being in this world for the ultimate is not in need of enlightenment; in received religion, enlightenment is often thought to be a kind of ideal perfection; however, the real perfection emerged here sees it as a good to best mix of an idealized notion of perfection and the work – even struggle – of being on a path. The mix of (i) the ideal and the struggle vs perfection and (ii) negotiation vs following are two differences between the path described here and common received ways. As the worldview of the present system is ultimate, the paths here frame received pathways. The present system gives preference to those received pathways that see limited being as on the way to the ultimate rather than the ultimate as a remote reward. Still, all systems are recognized for symbolic and community value. The focus of an individual-as-individual-as-communal-and-for-discovery-and-realization is day routine and discipline including health issues – diet, mental and physical exercise, sleep, and physical and mental health concerns; preparation for the day – affirmation, dedication, sustaining a good attitude, setting times for activities; developing and living the way (‘their way’) – ideas, attention to self – meditative and physical; attention to community – social, political and economic, cultural, and spiritual – and networking; urgent action (if any); tasks; planned excursions and physical activity; evening review, preparation for the next day, relaxation, social activities; sleep. Planning – a sample – my current planning. The following is flexible (i) morning routine and tasks (ii) the way – foundation and transformation, with relationships and sharing (iii) urgent agenda – security, safety, push twb, zero now (iii) tasks and lunch (iv) exercise (v) pm routine (vi) sleep early. Comment 13. My planning and routine above is a sample—its principle will be integrated with the routine in templates and dedication. 1.3.2 The system of conceptsThe purposes of this section are (i) to present a brief picture of the system of concepts of the way of being, (ii) to show that and how the system stands together as a whole—in itself and in interaction with (human) life and endeavor (iii) to show that the system is self-contained with regard to content and method—i.e. that method is part of content (iv) to show that while beings are limited, their system of knowledge (content and method) remain in process-interaction with action. The aim of the way is to know and realize what is good and ultimate in our world and beyond—i.e., at least to be in process toward that aim. Therefore, we need to know what the universe is like—to understand knowledge and value as guide and motive. We begin the way to knowledge, value, and realization with experience as awareness in all its varieties and which is grounding and anchor in the real—without experience we are (effectively) nonexistent: to understand experience enables initial characterization of our nature and grounds what comes next. The concept of experience includes consciousness and agency, awareness in its feeling and cognitive modes, its levels from sense to thought, and its receptive and active or agentive aspects (this conception of experience is more inclusive than in common received use; we prefer the term experience to consciousness because the latter is less inclusive; agency is ability to conceive and act toward outcomes and includes will and perhaps freedom of will). What is knowledge and what are its criteria of validity? The following emphasizes ‘knowledge that’, i.e., fact, over ‘know how’; however, it has been argued that knowing how is not distinct from knowing that. The form of experience is experience of in experiential relation to the experienced (in ‘pure experience’, the experienced is absent though potential, and the ‘of’ may be dropped from ‘experience of’). A concept is an experience of an object (‘object’ just means ‘referred to’ and is not restricted to things or kinds and may be empty); thus, here, concepts are referential concepts. Meaning is a concept and its possible objects and linguistic meaning is a sign attached to a concept via habit, use, and, sometimes, by formalization. Knowledge is meaning realized—a concept and its actual (and intended) objects. Now this presumes that concepts depict the real. However, intended depictions may be in error and, further, the depiction model itself may be in error (for there is no ‘picture’ in the brain but what we have is a picture of a picture model). With perfect representation as criterion, we cannot validly claim perfection unless it is demonstrated. However, ‘everyday knowledge’ has obvious pragmatic validity. On the other hand, perfection is an ideal that is sometimes desirable to achieve. Here, there will be significant cases in which perfection is achieved by abstraction, which is to filter from the referential concept, all elements that are necessarily distorted. The outcome of understanding is a metaphysical system. Here, we find deficiencies in classical substance metaphysics, in science as perfect or complete, and religion (though not necessarily the aims of religion), which leads us to a neutral approach from being (beings are real objects—not fictional or as-if, being is the property of beings as beings; that is, with being an account of the world begins with the world as it is, unprejudiced by preconceptions such as substance, process, relationship, spirit, word, trope and so on; not that though being is often thought too trivial to be useful, too inclusive to be a concept, or too deep to be contemplated, we will shortly get around these problems and find being to be powerful and useful—the means of the get around will be abstraction, which is to remove from a concept those details that necessarily contribute to distortion). From abstraction, there are abstracts of being and the core concepts that follow, which are perfect. The concepts of universe, cosmos, natural law, and the void, form the core of the approach, and enable showing the universe to be the realization of all possibility. Therefore, we develop the concept of possibility, which leads to an ideal system of metaphysics (initially, knowledge of things as they are—made possible by abstraction) and cosmology (knowledge of the variety, extension, and duration of beings), which shows us the nature of the universe and our place and path in it. At this point in the main development, we return to our nature and the concept of experience with a more mature understanding. From limitlessness, even though primitive reals may not be experiential, they must be capable of being experiential (in a primitive way and not necessarily in the way that animals are), and the real is then essentially experiential in a hierarchy of experiential being from primitive to limitless peaks. The abstract framework above is perfectly faithful to reality. However, that knowledge is ideal – an ideal metaphysics—and only a framework—and to make it useful in mundane matters and in developing paths to the ultimate, it is complemented with paradigmatic knowledge from our received traditions; the consequent real metaphysics (‘the metaphysics’) though imperfectly faithful is found perfect in terms of realization of ultimates here and beyond as value. The key to this perfection is to form a seamless dual of perfect and pragmatic metaphysics, which is apparently unrecognized thus far (perhaps a result of a desire for a false purism, which is also found in metaphysics as substance and in ethics as in right ends vs right action vs right principles or consequentialism vs deontology vs virtue ethics). Note that this ultimate system does not displace received metaphysics and epistemology but places them in context. The metaphysics reveals that our status in limited time contexts, is value-perfect and incomplete, and that we are moving toward (and then away from) ultimate being, which is perfect in that its knowledge is perfectly faithful and complete and its being is ultimate in that there is no greater (in senses to be discovered rather than postulated). As far as our language is inadequate to capture the real, a (partial) complement is found in art and immersion in the real (remarkable because, though it is our situation, it often passes unrecognized). The full cosmology, system of knowledge, and realization and pathways to the ultimate (in and from the immediate) flow naturally from this system as in the essentials and core of the way of being. The real metaphysics could be criticized—it is neither absolutely precise nor scientific (i.e., hypothetico-deductive). In response, let us repeat that it has a precise ideal framework that frames pragmatic detail which includes science and is obviously not absolutely precise. Thus, it is precise where precision is possible, scientific in the realm of science, as perfect as possible in (i) the sense of precision and (ii) relative to the value of ultimate realization. It accepts dual criteria, thus avoiding unnecessary epistemic purism and places precision, reason, and pragmatism in a larger (ultimate) context. Talk of the system of knowledge brings up issues of the disciplines of knowledge and their range. I argue that all knowledge is metaphysics as knowledge of the world—as knowledge, value, and reason are in the world, epistemology, value theory, and logic (in its most general sense), are implicit in metaphysics, i.e., philosophical knowledge is part of metaphysics (and similarly metaphilosophy and metametaphysics are part of metaphysics). Metaphysics has two kinds—real (e.g., the abstract metaphysics above) and speculative which is similar to the hypotheticodeductive approach to science—and thus science, too, is implicit in metaphysics (further the real and the speculative have integration as in the real metaphysics). What of the abstract disciplines, e.g., mathematics? Though its current ‘method’ is the axiomatic approach, (i) the real metaphysics shows that all mathematics has realization (ii) mathematics may also be seen as abstraction from the world. An argument similar to this one could be made for philosophy; however, some parts of philosophy would be excised as not all philosophy is (intended as) knowledge. In review, the approach from being enabled freedom from assumption generally and freedom from limiting (even crippling) received approaches grounded in substance metaphysics including general metaphysics, science, and religion. Regarding the purposes of the section, we see how the system stands as a whole; that it is in interaction with life and endeavor; that it is self-contained with regard to content, method, in process with action. 1.4 Features1.4.1 Not a review or text, an original work that builds on received thought1.4.2 Based in neutral being and abstraction rather than prejudiced foundationComment 14. E.g., substance, relation, process, God… (see the overview) 1.4.3 As far as possible self-contained—1.4.3.1 Proper conceptions of meaning and knowledge are crucial (and related)Comment 15. Though concept and linguistic meaning and knowledge are fully developed later, a preliminary is useful 1.4.3.2 Method and content are oneComment 16. Method is content. They may be and are developed together Arguments against—a method cannot found itself and for—elementary nature of essential method, pragmatism, moving forward 1.4.3.3 Foundationally closedComment 17. Arguments regarding foundationalism. Topic 1. Fundamentality (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). 1.4.3.4 Design of the system and its place in history are part of the system1.4.3.5 Self-summarizing via automated tables of contents1.4.3.6 Design for dynamic re-organizing according to a range of perspectives – ideas vs use, subject vs object, core material vs general implications1.4.4 But an evolving document1.4.4.1 From objectivism to idealism to being as fundamental1.4.4.2 From being as limited to limitless1.4.4.3 From spatiotemporal causation to a dual – description above and at the spatiotemporal1.4.4.4 From mind and matter to the real as aspects of experience related in experienceComment 18. Mind and matter are not denied; rather they are allowed an as-if status which is neutral with regard to their real or substance status. 1.4.4.5 So far the worldview is incomplete, does not begin at a beginning, a center, or an end—but is ever in process1.4.4.6 A program of development1.4.5 Development, necessity, sufficiency, and holism (of the concepts and their system)Comment 19. Should reflect content and method Comment 20. The holism is shown in overview > the system of concepts, above. 1.4.6 Pre and post metaphysical treatment of some topic1.4.6.1 IntroductionWhat this means. How it is useful to have pre- and post-treatments. How it is useful to have only post-treatments. 1.4.6.2 Substance vs being1.4.6.3 The universe and all beings as experiential1.4.6.4 Being, extension, and durationThere is nothing beyond this 1.4.6.5 As-if mind – the subjective and as-if matter – the objectThere is nothing beyond this 1.4.7 Not based in metaphysical or epistemological purism or pragmatism but in an ethically grounded join of the pure and the pragmatic1.4.8 Being is found to be essentially experientialComment 21. … in a sense of ‘experience’ that (i) crosses the range of passive to active (ii) form to intensity (iii) extends to the root and to the peak of being 1.5 How to read the way1.6 Living the way – shared pathways2 The Way of Being2.1 Experienceexperience (experience-of or mind-like, the experienced or object-like or matter-like, relation; sensation, sentience, feeling, perception, thought, imagination, intuition, self-knowledge, agency), value (ethical, aesthetic, significant – in the sense of the ‘meaning of life’), concept (referential form – related to intentionality, referential concept), definition (real, linguistic / axiomatic; circularity of definition and escape), object, meaning (received and/or in use; infixity, indefiniteness, and multiplicity; search in dual space of concepts and objects; atomism and holism), abstraction, knowledge (what – adequacy of representation – pure and pragmatic, for the present purpose; how, criteria; ordinary knowledge, philosophy of perfection and its problems and pure-pragmatic resolution), method, reason (rationality, pure-pragmatic), sophistication (the problem of) Comment 22. Topics to add to amplify meaning—language, grammar, and syntax (and experimental syntax) and relation to logic, semantics. Topic 2. Re: method – Abduction (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) – Topic 3. Re: imagination – Possible Worlds (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy), Impossible Worlds (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy), Imagination (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy), Intuition (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Comment 23. Combine and minimize method / reason / rationality / pure and pragmatic. Comment 24. Abstraction does not necessarily de-concretize the referent or result in an abstract object (more on this later). Comment 25. In contrast to linguistic definitions, in real definitions one locates things or kinds in the world, finds words to specify them, show the specification is valid, and name them; one approach to locating an object and showing validity is abstraction. 2.2 BeingComment 26. Consider reverting to the title, ‘Being and beings’. 2.2.1 Beinga being (plural: beings), being (existence), ontology, metaphysics, foundation (substance – matter, mind / idea / spirit – vs process / relation / word / trope, infinitism, regress, self – superficial vs deep / trivial vs powerful, modal – e.g., necessity), grounding (constitutive determination or explanation) Comment 27. It should be shown that knowledge—content and method—is immanent in being, perfectly at the ideal (abstracted) level and pragmatically at the concrete level; ideally, the demonstration or ‘showing’ shall be immanent in the concepts. 2.2.2 Beingsexperiential (self, other), (experiential) hierarchy (primitive; societies, world; experiential—animal / person / human—god / God / peak / greatest / ultimate), dimensions of being (categories) – pure and pragmatic, real, universe, cosmos, law (natural), the void Topic 4. dimensions of being 2.3 Possibilitypossibility (impossibility), coherent possibility (logical possibility), greatest possibility, real possibility, natural possibility, possible being, contingent being, necessary being (relative, logical / absolute) Comment 28. On universe as realization of logical possibility (i) this does not contradict science or experience for science is—ought to be—silent on what lies beyond the empirical boundary and while our cosmos is one possibility, the other possibilities lie beyond the empirical boundary (ii) the universe would have identity; the universe and its identity would be limitless in variety, extension, duration, peak, and dissolution; there would be cosmoses of limitless number and variety, which may be temporarily causally disconnected from our cosmos; the other cosmoses may be beyond the spacetime boundary of ours or may be passing through ours but without interaction; all beings would inherit the limitlessness of the universe and merge with one another in peaks of being. 2.4 MetaphysicsComment 29. Of course, metaphysical content has already begun with consideration of experience. Topic 5. For the real metaphysics—Bounded Rationality (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). existence (extended to the void), dialetheia, limitlessness of the universe (fundamental principle of metaphysics), metaphysics, ideal metaphysics, real metaphysics, doubt (knowing doubt) 2.5 CosmologyTopic 6. Re: cosmology – Philosophy of Cosmology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy), Cosmology and Theology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Comment 30. A more complete title would be ‘Cosmology – metaphysics continued’ cosmology, general cosmology, concrete objects, abstract objects, knowledge (repeated from experience), value (repeated from experience: ethical, aesthetic, significant – in the sense of the ‘meaning of life’), birth, death (their absolute vs non-absolute nature), cosmology of form and formation (paradigmatic principle and principles, mechanism, determinism, indeterminism, probability, sameness, difference, identity, extension-displacement-space – relation-identity-being – duration-change-time, space-being-time, properties), experiential cosmology (hierarchy, peak, god, gods), physical cosmology, pure dimension of being, pragmatic dimension of being: nature (experiential, living) society (individuals and groups, economics and politics, law, culture, religion), universal Comment 31. What is religion? The concept should not just be empirical. Conceptual and rational perspectives come from religion as (i) about the real – beyond immediate experience and science via reason (ii) from dogma vs reason (iii) symbolic truth (iii) cultural meaning and social bonding (iv) source of power – within and among cultures and societies (v) lie (vi) and therefore, dialetheic Topic 7. The experiential aspect of nature is (as-if of) matter and mind. What are politics and economics and how do they join or interact? What are the forces of social division and unity and what is the nature of their interaction – stable or otherwise? What is the law? Comment 32. On concrete and abstract objects—a received view is that while concrete objects are ones that we sense, take part in causation, and are located in space and time, the status of abstract objects, while they exist, is in question; yet one view is that they are conceived, rather than perceived; here, abstract and concrete objects have the same kind of existential status, that both partake of abstraction and concretion, but the more abstract objects have aspects of existence filtered out in abstraction—thus objects can be more and less abstract; there is, however, a difference in how we treat the more abstract objects such as number (for example); since number has had causation and spatiotemporality filtered out they are not sensed and are therefore (today) usually defined in abstract terms, i.e., by specifying undefined terms, definitions, axioms, and rules of inference; which means that their existence and nature is not guaranteed and must be investigated, e.g., by studying the system as well as systems of inference as objects – and by developing formal methods of such study 2.6 System of knowledgeComment 33. Knowledge was discussed in experience, above; the aim here is to discuss the extent of knowledge, the disciplines, their nature, their relations, how they constitute a system; and how all that informs the individual disciplines disciplines, over-discipline, general logic (with art) and argument, system, formal metaphysics, living or lived metaphysics (a continuum rather than binary distinction and the mutuality of the lived vs the formal) Topic 8. Politics and economics 101, sources, reflections, solutions (and relation to world problems). 2.7 RealizationComment 34. Sources for this section may be useful for return. Comment 35. Also need integration with the world.dotm. Topic 9. Sources – (i) pathways (templates and dedication.docm) Topic 10. Sources – (ii) traditional ways (yoga.docm in the folder ../../2021/topic essays/) Topic 11. Sources – (iii) the way of being—a field manual #realization. Topic 12. Need more path detail, especially on ‘healthy living’, which will draw from received ways. 2.7.1 BackgroundThe essentials so far for realization are (i) the universe and its identity are limitless in extension, duration, variety, peak, and dissolution (ii) all beings merge in the peaks (iii) there are intelligent and effective pathways from our world and cosmos to the ultimate which are a best balance of pleasure and pain in the process (iv) shared negotiation of pathways beginning in our world are a moral imperative which do not ignore but require attention to the quality of life in the world. 2.7.2 The program and its designTopic 13. concepts-detail.html#pathways for latest path elements of 11/2/2024 2.7.3 PathwaysComment 36. This material is paste special from discussion beginning ‘The aim of a lifeway…’ in the section: the essentials and core of the way of being: The aim of an enlightened, healthy, or effective lifeway or pathway is effective realization of the ultimate, beginning with its best form in this world (i.e., the world of the seeking beings). That is, there is dual focus on quality of life in our world and the ultimate. The effective path recognizes that experiential human being is discrete over time but ultimate – peak being – over long enough times or at a level of description above time; that is, birth and death are real but not absolute—locally but not absolutely real. In this world the individual experience—perception, thought, feeling, will, and action—is the focus of ends – political, economic, moral and other (positively because it is where all significance lies and negatively by elimination of inanimate / non-feeling objects). Groups and institutions are important but their importance derives from the significance of individual experience. In the universe at large, experience itself is the focus and generator of all ends (and, thus, ‘inanimate objects’ are included because, when primitive experience is taken into consideration, they are not essentially non-experiential). A healthy pathway (physical, mental, communal, and spiritual) attends to needs and effective action individual, society, and world, in meditative, material, and immersive aspects of the dimensions on a path to the ultimate. A healthy life emphasizes the needs of the individual and society in this world and on the way to the ultimate. An enlightened path (i) seeks intelligent and shared negotiation (not just following received ways or masters) (ii) results in a replica – typically incomplete – of the ultimate in the being – body and mind – of the individual in ‘this’ life and rarely in the ultimate itself (iii) but is on the way to the ultimate and while realization is given, the enlightened path is efficient in realization of the ultimate as we cross from life to life, from form to form, amid the myriad of cosmoses, while dwelling in nothingness in between. Pleasure and pain (physical pain, doubt, anxiety) are unavoidable. The issues of pleasure and pain are addressed (i) pleasure for its own sake need not be avoided, but paths emphasize pleasure in being on the way—on the path (ii) by shared negotiation of pathways (in which leaders may arise but are not seen as absolute in truth) (iii) with therapy – the best therapy of the time (iv) by the able and fortunate giving aid to the less able or fortunate (v) by attention without obsession to healthy living – physical, mental, communal, and spiritual (vi) and above all that local enlightenment which avoids illusions of ideal perfection but seeks a pragmatic balance of pleasure and pain on shared paths—i.e., as far as reasonable, seeks process through and not around pain. The path of enlightenment is one of seeking balance and integration of emotion, reason (fact, inference), and action in interest (service) of self, community, world, and approach to peak being. Effective pathways address living in the immediate world on the way to the ultimate—they address the everyday and the universal, (and, as elaborated in the document outline of the way-new.docm), dimensions of being (i) at a high level the pure subject and object aspects of experience (ii) in the world, the pragmatic. Particularly included are (a) meditation, calming, analytic, and visionary (including an attempt to visualize and ways to actualize panbeing) (b) (yogic or) healthy living directed at individual, family, work, and community – local to global. Thus, enlightenment pertains to being in this world for the ultimate is not in need of enlightenment; in received religion, enlightenment is often thought to be a kind of ideal perfection; however, the real perfection emerged here sees it as a good to best mix of an idealized notion of perfection and the work – even struggle – of being on a path. The mix of (i) the ideal and the struggle vs perfection and (ii) negotiation vs following are two differences between the path described here and common received ways. As the worldview of the present system is ultimate, the paths here frame received pathways. The present system gives preference to those received pathways that see limited being as on the way to the ultimate rather than the ultimate as a remote reward. Still, all systems are recognized for symbolic and community value. The focus of an individual-as-individual-as-communal-and-for-discovery-and-realization is day routine and discipline including health issues – diet, mental and physical exercise, sleep, and physical and mental health concerns; preparation for the day – affirmation, dedication, sustaining a good attitude, setting times for activities; developing and living the way (‘their way’) – ideas, attention to self – meditative and physical; attention to community – social, political and economic, cultural, and spiritual – and networking; urgent action (if any); tasks; planned excursions and physical activity; evening review, preparation for the next day, relaxation, social activities; sleep. Planning – a sample – my current planning. The following is flexible (i) morning routine and tasks (ii) the way – foundation and transformation, with relationships and sharing (iii) urgent agenda – security, safety, push twb, zero now (iii) tasks and lunch (iv) exercise (v) pm routine (vi) sleep early. Comment 37. My planning and routine above is a sample—its principle will be integrated with the routine in templates and dedication. In greater detail— Morning routine Meditate – affirmation, dedication, setting and resetting attitude; (review) priorities, plan, and planning – life+, year, day, trips; and… Review ground – money and place; one thing – “nature, me, life, death” and the way; health – medical, diet, exercise, sleep; discipline and routine. The way of being Develop – foundation in ideas – ideas, experience, reflection, writing, co-editing, publishing, and presenting. Implement and transform via shared local – global action in the dimensions of being – (i) yoga and universal – physical, spiritual with meditation (ii) nature – immersion and travel – nature as real and as inspiration (iii) society and relationships – immersion and travel, shared path – essential economics-politics-values-education-spirit via appeal, influence, and acting. Urgent issues – (i) security – money and a path conducive place to live (ii) safety – 888, where to live, immigration law (iii) push the way (iv) zero now and the end solution. Tasks and lunch. Exercise – regular walk or bike &or excursion &or photo essay. Evening – (i) preparation for evening and the next day (ii) activities – the way, share and network, walk, entertainment, sleep early. 2.7.4 Pathways – conceptsthe way of being, ideas, transformation (realization), pathways (lifeways) – shared-intelligent-negotiated paths in the pure and pragmatic dimensions of being, immediate, ultimate (immediate and ultimate as one), pure and pragmatic (aspects of real metaphysics and cosmology), mind and object (aspects of experience); (human) being (as discrete and limited in time, but peak being over long enough or above time), peak being (god, gods, ultimates, all-possible-being-as-one) 2.7.5 Pleasure and painpleasure, pain, enlightenment (contentment, salvation—inner and outer, individual, and shared, worldly, or immediate and universal or ultimate; intelligent, shared negotiation; therapy; healthy living – physical, mental, communal, and spiritual) as process with or through rather than around pleasure and pain. 2.7.6 Programprogram (everyday, universal), dedication, affirmation, commitment with acceptance of pleasure and pain. Topic 14. For printable templates, see resources > printable templates (p. 38) 2.7.7 Everyday program2.7.7.1 Conceptsideas (the way, metaphysics, science, dimensions of being, art), action (path, meditation, yoga; risk, urgent imperatives; community), ground (discipline, routine, safety, urgent issues, and security; planning – set up a flexible daily schedule with priorities, perhaps in the form of a table) 2.7.7.2 A programComment 38. This section is tentative – see the way of being-plain.html and templates and dedication.docm. AffirmationDedicationPlanningSample schedule2.7.8 Universal programComment 39. For details of the elements, see the everyday program. 2.7.8.1 Conceptsbeing in the world (ideas – knowledge and its means, art; pure – yoga, meditation, immersion, ideas to action, retreat and renewal; community – education, work, relationships, paradigmatic action), becoming (immersion in nature and animal being as catalyst and inspiration; immersion and action in society and civilization as a place of being and as vehicle and path to the real; artifact—civilizing the universe, especially with technology; universal – following paths of pragmatic perfection); planning (review phase of life and needs for action in the dimensions of being; assess current situation and review and select activities of focus – immediate, short, and long term; set and review a time frame of action; build these elements into everyday planning) 2.7.8.2 A programComment 40. This section is tentative – see the way of being-plain.html and templates and dedication.docm. A menuTopic 15. Beyul. Design of a timeline for immediate and ultimate actionSample plan3 ReturnLife is reflection and action. A phase of reflection, though not of inaction, comes to fulfilment; it is now time to RETURN to an emphasis on action—a phase emphasizing immersive action and commitment, though not of unreflective life. Narration will continue in-the-world and its foci shall be improvement of the way via imagination and criticism, an issue of what I have not seen due to focused seeing in some regions of the real, and universal narrative—i.e., collapsing the essential history of narrative and thought so as to extract what is essential and to have balance against tendencies to infinite detail and the sheer weight of the cumulative record. Death will be unremarkable in itself, but, if, at death, one is incompletely realized, it will be a gateway to the ultimate. Comment 41. / Epilogue / Next / Passing the torch / The future Comment 42. Communication, text, ideas, and being; The future of Comment 43.
Sources for this section may be useful for realization.
Sources used for this section will be Topic 16.
Comment 44. Some possible section titles follow 3.1 To step into the world3.2 Past, present, and future as one3.3 RenewalComment 45. Should renewal go to realization? 3.4 Living in the world3.5 Sharing the way3.6 Universal narrative3.6.1 On universal narrative3.6.2 Writing and updating universal narrativeSee outline of the way. Part III Reference See outline of the way. 4 Resources4.1 Printable templatesevery day - home.docm (pdf), every day - away.docm (pdf), universal.docm (pdf) Part IV
Experimental This space is for discovery of repeated definitions. |