The way of being—complete edition, in process
Anil Mitra, Copyright © November 5, 2021 – May 2, 2022

Home | Essential edition

Contents

into the way

aim

the way

origins, history, and reasons for the way

in world history, esp. ideas, action, and exploration

in individual search

means or ways

tradition

received worldviews

an ultimate view

an imperative

the immediate and the ultimate

audience

characteristics

kinds

attitude

background

who

secular

transsecular

universal

the narrative

prologue—the story of the explorations and ideas

the nature of the narrative

history of the narrative

follows individual search

incremental development—a proliferation of versions

this version

another step increment

large cumulative increment

most of the content has appeared in earlier versions

about meanings

acknowledgments

understanding the way

foundations

the issues of foundation and ground

about experience and being

the foundational aspect of experience

experience

aspects or dimensions of experience

about interpretation

experience is the place of ‘significance’

concept and object

concept and linguistic meaning

what an object or referent is

existence and nonexistence

detail

reality

there is experience

real world

the idea of the world

‘experience of’ – concepts

‘the experienced’ – referents (‘objects’)

the world is (experienced as) relational

meaning

knowledge

being

interpretation(s)

standard interpretation

yes—external world

no—alternatives:

significance of the logical indistinguishability

the real

the questions

approach to answers

plan

what has been accomplished

how to present the material

method and content I pre-metaphysics

overview

ground

the beginning of metaphysics

foundation

being

about being and experience

meaning

knowledge

existence

being

beings as existents

beings as concept-referents

being

power and cause

being and kinds of being

universe

the void

method and content II being to the void

universe

metaphysics

the concept of metaphysics

Significance of this conception

Adequacy of the concept

Importance of the concept

Relation to received conceptions of metaphysics

metaphysics began with ‘being’

developing a ‘real metaphysics’

existence of the void

possibility

the fundamental principle of metaphysics—the universe is the greatest possible

some heuristic arguments for the fundamental principle

the number of voids

the void and the quantum vacuum

logic

cosmology of limitless identity

Pathways

consistency

method and content III developing a real metaphysics

method III and IV, the fundamental principle and its use

consequences III—fundamental principle

real metaphysics

motive

the metaphysics

general logic, reason

reason and reflexivity

doubt, attitude

doubt

consistency

attitude

a desire to believe

method and content IV the real metaphysics

method V and VI, the real metaphysics and its use

consequences IV—the real metaphysics

the power of emergent systematic metaphysics

how the real metaphysics is systematic

the system of the real metaphysics is emergent

emergent system is potent

the possibility and necessity of metaphysics

ontology and special metaphysics

ontology as general metaphysics

special metaphysics

reason

reason and metaphysics

reason the highest level of rational process

against exclusive specialization

reason and method – relation and contrast

problems of metaphysics

origin

aim

emergence

a modern account: western metaphysics

the problems of metaphysics

experience

experience and metaphysics

what experience is

significance of experience

we live in experience

the being that has no effect in experience is effectively non-existent

place of concept (linguistic) meaning

effective place of our being; place of significance (‘meaning of life’)

dimensions of experience

interpretations of experience (1)

universe as field of being

dimensions of being

method and content V interpretations of experience

method VII, equivalent interpretations

consequences?

cosmology

cosmology and metaphysics

the concept and its significance

general cosmology

what general cosmology is

principles

the block universe

interpretations of experience

metaphysics for cosmology

interpretations of experience (2)

what an interpretation is

significance of interpretations

there is experience; its aspects—experience of’ and ‘the experienced’

basic interpretation—map—of experience

next level interpretations; shown later to be of the real

equivalent interpretations

identity, space, time, properties; mind, and matter

cosmology of form and formation

principles

applications (examples)

interpretations of experience, continued

physical cosmology

general study

modern physical cosmology

metaphysics, cosmology, and physics

dimensions of being

pure

pragmatic

categories and the dimensions

development of the person

natural

experiential independence

universal

method and content VI cosmology

method VIII, cosmology

consequences?

realization

aim of being

the means

dimensions of being

pathways

significance

principles of development

the principles

method and content VII realization (twbf) (PM)

overview of planning

the overview

the way

life

day (week…)

everyday program

elements

systems

yoga or embodied knowledge

beyul

routine

rise

development and realization

ground

physical activity

evening

summary

sources

summaries

attitude, affirmation, dedication

Dedication

Affirmation

universal program

elements

the program, integration

pure being

becoming

being in the universe

summary

world problems and opportunities

about religion

what is religion?

the religions

religion and the way

into the world

universe

realization

epilogue—into the world

living, ground, the dimensions

sharing

past, present, and future as one

universal text

cumulative narrative

rewriting history

Outline

into the way

the purpose of this division is to provide an understanding that paves the way into the formal development; in aim and the way it explains what the way is; subsequent sections further pave the way in

aim

the way

origins, history, and reasons for the way

origins and history reveal reasons, point to means or ways

reasons include motives, esp. rational

in world history, esp. ideas, action, and exploration

in individual search

what is the best I can do? what is the destiny of the individual and other beings

means or ways

tradition

received culture to the present, reason, experience and experiment

received worldviews

the title was received paradigms or worldviews, secular and transsecular

an ultimate view

the title was the paradigm of the way

an imperative

the immediate and the ultimate

audience

detailed because new

characteristics

kinds

information seeking, general, academic, and committed readers

attitude

openness

negotiating and sharing, not just following

background

primary material may be followed by all readers; but ‘unprepared’ readers should expect only broad understanding

full understanding will be enhanced by some acquaintance with metaphysics, science, and reason and their methodologies, but this understanding may be acquired in parallel with reading

who

secular

those who accept secular limits—everyday – scientific – philosophical – and more, but think there may be a beyond with regard to (i) what is there in the universe (ii) received standards and paradigms of understanding, reason, criticism, and hypothetical imagination

transsecular

those who accept religious and metaphysical transcendence of the secular, but wish to avoid dogma, and limits of received general and special metaphysics and cosmology (especially with respect to the previous point)

universal

those who have moved beyond the limits in the two previous items, and wish to share

the narrative

prologue—the story of the explorations and ideas

place earlier? higher level?

the nature of the narrative

sources in history of ideas (selective, eclectic)

not intended as literature review or bibliographic source

not a compendium or text

tendered as synthesis and going beyond—the ultimate

open narrative or text

history of the narrative

follows individual search

incremental development—a proliferation of versions

this version

another step increment

large cumulative increment

most of the content has appeared in earlier versions

about meanings

acknowledgments

understanding the way

alt title ‘reading the way’

foundations

includes method and content

the issues of foundation and ground

begin with the way of being – database.docm > the way of being > the main narrative > the universe > foundation (this document has further significant information on foundations)

about experience and being

the foundational aspect of experience

an informal summary

experience

experience is conscious awareness in all its forms

aspects or dimensions of experience

there is experience of experience—we experience not only the world but experience itself—i.e., experience is part of the world

there is experience of (or as if of)

experience itself, ‘experience of’, and ‘the experienced’

experience of the world (or a world)—i.e., experience is part of the world (and so the world, less experience, is sometimes loosely called the external world)

the world as including self (which designates ‘my experience of the world’, ‘my body’, ‘my willing and my action’), other, and environment—

pure experience, which is experience itself without explicit reference to the world or action; but pure experience is pure-at-most-in-the-moment, and is potentially of the world and action

from which follows the three aspect description of mind due to some philosophers—experience, intention (‘of the world’), and action…

which, however, as seen above, all fall under experience

about interpretation

it is clear from the above that there is experience;

however, it is logically possible or consistent with experience but given nothing further, that experience is all there is and that the world etc are constructs of or places within experience

therefore, the following are consistent interpretations—(i) experience is all there is (ii) the standard view (experience, world, self, other, environment) (iii) other views to be discussed later; which of these interpretations is ‘real’—none, one, or more—will also be discussed later

the following discussion is easily but not necessarily understood in terms of the standard view

experience is the place of ‘significance’

by ‘significance’ we mean ‘what is meaningful’

without experience we are effectively nonexistent

experience is ‘where’ significance occurs (it does not follow experience is the source or creator of all significance)

experience is the place of our being (in terms of the concept of being introduced later, here ‘place of our being’ is metaphorical)

that which is cannot be experienced is effectively nonexistent

later, it is found that the two occurrences of ‘effectively’, above, may be eliminated

concept and object

the discussion from here on in ‘the foundational aspects of experience’ is a preview of what comes later

in concept-object terms, a concept is ‘experience of’ and a referent (‘object’) is ‘the experienced’

concept and linguistic meaning

concept meaning is a concept and its possible referents

in linguistic meaning, symbols are part of the concept (clear definition and elaboration come later)

what an object or referent is

we commonly and so far think of the referring as ‘concept’ and referred as referent or ‘object’

but this leads to difficulties, particularly that the idea of an object with no referrer whatsoever is empty, for to talk of objects at all is to refer generically, and to talk of particular objects is to particularize the reference

therefore, i.e., in view of the given that objects (the referred) are always bound together with concepts (the referring), a better and good (re) definition of an object is as the concept-referent pair

existence and nonexistence

an object is said to exist when there is a referent

it is nonexistent when there is no referent (given this definition the problems—not problem—of negative existentials, singular or otherwise, do not arise)

it is possible (possibly existent) when a referent is possible

necessary when there must be a referent

impossible when there cannot be a referent

detail

this is a preliminary discussion that sets up but is not part of the formal development

reality

there is experience

real world

the idea of the world

‘experience of’ – concepts

‘the experienced’ – referents (‘objects’)

the world is (experienced as) relational

meaning

knowledge

being

interpretation(s)

standard interpretation

yes—external world

no—alternatives:

significance of the logical indistinguishability

the real

the questions

approach to answers

plan

what has been accomplished

how to present the material

method and content I pre-metaphysics

overview

wide angle view and outline

ground

alt titles—‘being’, ‘being and beings’

the beginning of metaphysics

foundation

now in into the way

being

about being and experience

discussed in ‘into the way’ > ‘foundations’

meaning

knowledge

existence

being

beings as existents

beings as concept-referents

being

power and cause

preliminary; main discussion in ‘being and kinds of being’

being and kinds of being

includes cause and laws

universe

the void

The term ‘defined’ indicates that, for the void, definition does not imply existence. However, existence of the void is shown later

method and content II being to the void

universe

The division develops the worldview of the way.

metaphysics

the concept of metaphysics

Discussion of this issue is deferred.

Significance of this conception

Adequacy of the concept

Importance of the concept

Relation to received conceptions of metaphysics

metaphysics began with ‘being’

developing a ‘real metaphysics’

alt title—‘beginning to develop… the fundamental principle and its use’

existence of the void

possibility

the fundamental principle of metaphysics—the universe is the greatest possible

some heuristic arguments for the fundamental principle

the number of voids

the void and the quantum vacuum

logic

cosmology of limitless identity

Pathways

consistency

method and content III developing a real metaphysics

method III and IV, the fundamental principle and its use

How the fundamental principle is metaphysics and how it is possible was deferred. This is now taken up. What makes it possible?

consequences III—fundamental principle

real metaphysics

motive

the metaphysics

general logic, reason

reason and reflexivity

doubt, attitude

doubt

consistency

attitude

a desire to believe

method and content IV the real metaphysics

method V and VI, the real metaphysics and its use

consequences IV—the real metaphysics

the power of emergent systematic metaphysics

how the real metaphysics is systematic

the system of the real metaphysics is emergent

emergent system is potent

the possibility and necessity of metaphysics

ontology and special metaphysics

ontology as general metaphysics

special metaphysics

reason

reason and metaphysics

reason the highest level of rational process

against exclusive specialization

reason and method – relation and contrast

problems of metaphysics

origin

aim

emergence

a modern account: western metaphysics

the problems of metaphysics

experience

experience and metaphysics

what experience is

significance of experience

we live in experience

the being that has no effect in experience is effectively non-existent

place of concept (linguistic) meaning

effective place of our being; place of significance (‘meaning of life’)

dimensions of experience

interpretations of experience (1)

universe as field of being

dimensions of being

deferred to cosmology

method and content V interpretations of experience

method VII, equivalent interpretations

new

consequences?

cosmology

cosmology and metaphysics

the concept and its significance

general cosmology

what general cosmology is

principles

the block universe

interpretations of experience

metaphysics for cosmology

interpretations of experience (2)

what an interpretation is

significance of interpretations

there is experience; its aspects—experience of’ and ‘the experienced’

basic interpretation—map—of experience

next level interpretations; shown later to be of the real

equivalent interpretations

identity, space, time, properties; mind, and matter

cosmology of form and formation

principles

applications (examples)

interpretations of experience, continued

physical cosmology

general study

modern physical cosmology

metaphysics, cosmology, and physics

a possible section

dimensions of being

pure

pragmatic

categories and the dimensions

development of the person

natural

experiential independence

universal

method and content VI cosmology

method VIII, cosmology

new

consequences?

realization

aim of being

the means

dimensions of being

In the essential way of being, the essential way, the division is a compact development.

pathways

significance

principles of development

the principles

method and content VII realization (twbf) (PM)

new

overview of planning

the overview

the way

life

day (week…)

everyday program

elements

systems

this is new

yoga or embodied knowledge

beyul

routine

rise

development and realization

ground

physical activity

evening

summary

sources

summaries

attitude, affirmation, dedication

Dedication

Affirmation

universal program

elements

new; keep this here?

the program, integration

pure being

becoming

being in the universe

summary

world problems and opportunities

about religion

what is religion?

the religions

religion and the way

into the world

alt title ‘return…’ – real and metaphorical

universe

realization

epilogue—into the world

living, ground, the dimensions

sharing

past, present, and future as one

universal text

cumulative narrative

rewriting history