A language for metaphysics
(Vocabulary and Grammar)

Anil Mitra

Copyright, 2002 – 2024

Updated – February 8, 2024

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Contents

introduction	2

function and source	2

work needed	2

alternate terminology	2

the language	3

experience	3

meaning	11

being	16

possibility	19

metaphysics	21

path	30

return	32

the world	33

A language for metaphysics
(Vocabulary and Grammar)

introduction

Presently, the language is incomplete (i) the vocabulary is near sufficient for the metaphysics of the way (ii) the grammar is an outline of principles and forms (iii) definitions are sparse (iv) comments and explanations stand to be improved and supplemented to provide basis for construction of a metaphysics.

function and source

The aim is to provide a system (i) adequate to general metaphysics based on criteria of validity, precision, and comprehensiveness (where desired and possible), which shall include ‘rationality’ of the criteria (ii) for the way of being and its metaphysics (iii) from which to develop a database that is updateable and dynamic in allowing automated restructuring from alternate metaphysical perspectives, neutral and substance.

The system has been constructed from sources in the history of ideas, experiment in forming a metaphysics that is well founded – ultimate, at least as a framework – and reflexive in having cross reference and consistency of the ideas (including self-reference of the system), application, and correction for internal and empirical consistency.

The system initially derives from the metaphysics of the way and will feed back into further and related developments.

The initial structure will begin with the subjective given, experience (and as if world, abstracted for precision, and move outward through meaning, knowledge, being, possibility, metaphysics (with value, cosmology, method, and world), and pathway.

work needed

improve structure, add definitions and comments (only a few are provided so far), improve structure (i) in itself (ii) so as to be easily restructured from alternate perspectives (e.g., the main structure relative to being vs experience and sub-structures relative to materialism vs idealism or empiricism vs rationalism vs a unitary approach that, at least at root, does not recognize the distinction of the empirical and the rational

modify to match the improved structure of the brief version, language for metaphysics-short

alternate terminology

Terms for which alternates may be an improvement are—metaphysics, abstract or ideal metaphysics, real metaphysics, void or nothingness, universe, world (enter below, define), religion, morals, god, Brahman, experience, abstract, abstraction, general logic, reason, yoga.

the language

experience

conscious awareness in all its forms

this is the first conception of experience; the later will extend the concept to all awareness and the object to the primitive

Givenness

there is experience

immediacy

the medium of awareness rather than just immediacy to the world

abstraction

retaining in ‘experience of’ only whatever is capable of perfect correspondence depiction or representation

it is not necessary but often desirable that what is retained is all of what is perfect

naming

structure

experience of-the experience-the experienced, or

concept-relation-object

these are associations; ‘concept’ and ‘object’ are defined later

experience is relational

even pure experience is a relation (i) internal to the experiencer (ii) external relation is potential

reflexivity

self-reflexivity

experience of experience

there is experience of experience

i.e., I am aware of my awareness, and the awareness of awareness is sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit, and sometimes, of course, zero

self-reflexivity is a source of intentionality

world

entirety of existence

with emphasis on how we experience it and what is important (identical to the universe if our understanding of the world of experience is objective)

“the world as we find it”

as if

when we adjust and correct for subjectivity and illusion as best as we can, we often treat the residue as if it is real, even though subjectivity and illusion may remain

there is a philosophy of as if which may argue (i) the world is as if (here we do not subscribe to this view) (ii) pragmatically we have no choice but to treat the world as ‘as if’ for the as if already includes our corrections and remaining doubts, but (iii) we will find significant areas where all doubt can be removed and other significant areas where doubt remains but is and ought not to be problematic

formally, from subjectivity and illusion, experience of the world is ‘as if’ until established as objective

till such objectivity as there may be is established, unnecessary ‘as ifs’ are omitted

aspects of the world

The following is an outline; a more complete description is in the later main concept ‘the world’

place of being

retreat

human situation

narrative

significance

the real

place of what the world is—what we are, i.e., the place of our identity

i.e., of ‘our being’ (here, quotes indicate informal use as ‘being’ has not yet been defined)

meaning of life

experience as place of

elaboration in development of the language

meaning of meaning

i.e., concept and linguistic meaning, taken up later

identity

this is the first entry on identity and is about how the ‘concept-object’ is the place of the identity of things—this entry has overlap with meaning; the second is a repetition of this entry and refers back here for content; the third is about the use of identity in the construction of the concepts of space and time

of self and things

experience as place of

concept

experience of

concept

subject

first order

of the world

first vs second order subject or concept is useful and pragmatic but not a true distinction because concepts are in the world

second order

of a concept

inner

of self, body, or concepts of concepts

the inner vs outer is useful and pragmatic but not a true distinction because self, body, and concepts are in the world

outer

of the world

icon

a concept that is intrinsically depictive

i.e., the concept corresponds to the object structurally rather than formally

sign

a concept or token thereof that has no intrinsic depictive quality

thus, as a concept, a sign is empty

symbol

associated icon and sign

simple

word

vocabulary

compound

syntax

relata

the experience

with or without intention

object

the experienced

object

real

as if

fictional

illusory

object

(redefined)

thus, the object must be more than object-in-itself (i) because the as if show that the concept (conception) is essential and on reflection even the real requires the icon for recognition (ii) ‘object-in-itself’ is a conception and therefore the first definition above must be modified—

the experienced as identified by the experience or concept

psychology

detail under dimensions of experience

structure of experience

dimensions of experience

There is an improved version of the dimensions of experience in program for the way of being.

fundamental parameters that may be used to specify the variety of experience including relation and process

ideal

universe and world as field of experiential being

formlessness in transaction with form and formation—relation and change—of the world to and from the limitless ultimate

individuals are centers of intense focal experience in transaction with one another and the field and merging as one in the limitless ultimate

dimensions of experience are axes of variety and place and means of transformation

elements

from the real metaphysics, there are no true elements—the void or any being or fragment may function as an element (a fragment is a being)

on the field view, unit experiences and their compounds may serve as pragmatic elements for the dimensions of experience; historical examples are Leibnizian monads and Whitehead’s actual occasions

pragmatic axes

attitude-pure experience-action

one-dimension, pure experience itself, with three directionalities—active and passive—world to being or attitude, null or pure experience, and being to world or action (note being includes self); this is contra some accounts that see the axes as independent; here, attitude and action are essentially experiential

attitude

pure

action

inner – outer axis

though there is a distinction, it is relative, and the demarcation is blurred

self

with body

world

bound – free continuum

bound

perception

autonomous motor control

bound feeling

relatively bound to world as object

perception of spatiotemporal form with change and formation, the result of perceptual intuition in the sense of Immanuel Kant, which is both inner (feeling of place and action, intuition of time, recall and memory) and outer (symbolic, formal, speculative, and real representation of the inner)

free

conception

(higher)

conscious motor control

free feeling and emotion

relatively free

includes concept formation

body – inner – feeling

with degrees of freedom

world – outer – iconic and symbolic concepts

and conceptual intuition or capacity for concept formation (emotion is a join of conception and free and primitive feeling)

spatiotemporal

concepts of spacetime, past – present – future, will and sense of purpose

related concepts of science, philosophy, and the transcendent

aesthetic

syntheses of forms and properties that speak to the being

synthesis

expansive operation of mind—perception, thought, concept formation, feeling and emotion come together in realism regarding the world

range of function

there is a distribution of degrees of relative binding and freedom (i) which is expected as a result of variation in genetics and environmental effect (ii) given that variety in a population is functional, the measure of the range (e.g., standard deviation) may be functional (iii) extremes may be dysfunctional but the boundary between function, hyperfunction, and dysfunction is blurred (iv) genetic abnormalities may also contribute to the range of binding and freedom

hyperfunction

examples—higher conceptual ability, greater imagination, powerful and waking dreams, interaction between dream and waking states

neutral

examples—occasional hallucination, dreams

dysfunction

examples—intrusive hallucination, delusion, frozen thought

intensity continuum

it is functional for some experience to be intense in the sense of imperative to action (of which non-action is a case), and for other experience to be of low intensity; for this is the root of reflection and foresight

the reflective and the imperative interact—

reflective

perception

thought

foresight

imperative

fear

pain

joy

range of function

there is a distribution of degrees of intensity (i) which is expected as a result of variation in genetics and environmental effect (ii) given that variety in a population is functional, the measure of the range (e.g., standard deviation) may be functional (iii) extremes may be dysfunctional but the boundary between function, hyperfunction, and dysfunction is blurred (iv) genetic abnormalities may also contribute to the range of intensity

hyperfunction

examples—degrees of greater reflective intensity and lesser imperative intensity

higher conceptual ability, greater imagination, powerful and waking dreams, interaction between dream and waking states

dysfunction

examples—excessive degrees of greater reflective intensity and lesser imperative intensity

interaction of the continua

the topic is complex and at present is treated superficially

there are two types of interaction (i) conceptual, in which the concepts overlap, e.g., the reflective and the free (ii) ‘real’, in which the aspects of experience interact, e.g., the inter-diffusion and inter-action among thought, emotion, and feeling (the inter-diffusion shows the boundaries between the categories to be blurred, e.g., all thought is associated with some feeling, which conditions the thought, but need not dominate it)

form and property

form

that which requires extension

property

intensive attribute, primary or secondary

symbol and feeling

feeling and symbol may occur together; yet symbol and feeling may be dissociated—adaptive in some contexts, dissociative in others

symbol

associated with form

feeling

associated with quality

form and formation

eternal forms

abstractions; have being but omit dynamics; their pragmatic approximations have dynamics

pragmatic forms

are associated with formation and dynamics; in which space and time or spacetime are immanent

personality

a person’s patterns of behavior, cognition, emotion, self-conception, and interpersonal interaction

the ‘definition’ above is does not fix a precise notion; yet we have an intuitive notion of ‘personality’ such that it has definiteness and significant differences from one person to another, and such that we recognize and may theorize, at least roughly, a variety of kinds

perhaps the phrase ‘patterns of behavior’ ought to be replaced by ‘dominant patterns of behavior’; there is a question of whether multiple significant patterns are empirically known to exist (and are explainable or predictable from theories of personality and personality formation)

it is overdetermined as patterns of behavior include interpersonal and world interaction

the patterns tend to be relatively stable over time but change over a person’s lifetime

sudden changes are possible

theory

i.e., theories about personality

currently, detail is omitted; examples are limited

structure and dynamics

factor

psychoanalytic

typology

elements

i.e., elements of structure and dynamics

range

the concept of range

range in terms of the elements

kinds of personality

exceptional personality, kinds

disorders, kinds

formation

biological influence

environmental influence

meaning

the full heading for this concept is ‘meaning and knowledge’

meaning has been rejected on the notion of meaning as an abstract object, but this follows from one ‘meaning of meaning’; however, a concept can be rejected (or accepted) only on a notion of it; here, the notion of meaning is different from the vague and abstract one; and the present notion of meaning will render meaning as real

concept meaning

a concept and its possible and intended objects

definition of intention is deferred to the concept of knowledge, just below

linguistic meaning

a symbol and its possible and intended objects

language

the defining requirement of language is to adequately describe objects

… (and to communicate descriptions), for the universe its elements are objects (questions describe potential objects), and objects include the real and the fictional

explicit description (and knowledge) of the universe is necessarily recursive for the descriptions (and knowledge) are part of the universe; thus, a limit of language—which can be suppressed, of course, via implicit description – ‘in using language, the world describes itself’ or, properly, but with implied recursion, ‘a part of the world describes the world’

for ease of representation, language is linear and discrete; there is always some divorce from context, especially for written language; these define further limits

some of these limits are overcome with art; but being itself requires no overcoming

it is pragmatically effective to identify simple objects via words (and the lexicon defines a standard collection of simple objects) and leave open the specification of complex and compound objects via word combinations, for which, grammar defines (our knowledge, pragmatic or ideal) what combinations are (correspond to) the real or, in the case of fiction, the as if real

grammar and vocabulary encode meaning—though the main elements of language may be grammar and vocabulary, the distinction is fluid: words and grammar contain elements of one another

though sentence structure varies among languages, the variance has arbitrariness relative to meaning

many languages encode some sentence structure in words

some languages encode all or most sentence structure in words

if a word designates a simple object and a sentence a definite object, it is valid to inquire into the distinction between word and sentence; the distinction is somewhat arbitrary; it depends on the subject predicate distinction, which assumes an ontology; here ‘definite object’ stands for a subject and a predicate; and the ontology is one in which ‘man’ or ‘run’ do not refer to definite things (even though they do so under abstraction, i.e., universalization), but ‘The man ran’ is regarded as referring to a definite object

though there is arbitrariness to its (concrete) notion, (i) the sentence is a pragmatic linguistic concept in that it is (arrived at) as efficient in use (ii) the sentence reflects subject-predicate ontology, while not universal, is particularly useful in everyday life (hence its pragmatic character) (iii) the sentence’s subject-predicate ontology lends it to a clear theory of meaning and the sentence and the predicate logical calculi

vocabulary

the distinction between the lexicon and the particles is described below; the distinction is somewhat blurred—sometimes, “particles can be considered part of the lexicon, especially if they have a more clearly defined meaning; additionally, some words that are typically considered part of the lexicon can also function as particles in certain contexts” (ChatGPT)

lexicon

terms designating simple objects

in greater detail—standard but open collection of terms designating what are seen as simple objects, somewhat fixed by lexica (dictionaries), convention, and use—but, for living natural language, necessarily open, and invariably possessed of some indefiniteness

lexical elements

kinds of terms essential to construction of sentences

as noted below there is an arbitrariness to the notion of ‘sentence’

though standard grammar recognizes nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs (it is standard to recognize particles as separate from the lexicon because they function, at least superficially, as linguistic devices rather than as ontological), and a range of kinds of these, which correspond to an ontology, the list may begin with only what is essential to the ontology—the subject-predicate ontology in which a complete object is an ordinary object (name) and predicate (description); it should be clear that the ontology, though pragmatic, is limited and that the terms ‘subject’ and ‘object’ are being overloaded

subject-predicate form

subject

the ordinary object that a sentence is ‘about’

predicate

description of the subject (‘aboutness’)

on abstraction

tense and place may be explicit or suppressed—existence, in the sense later, has both tense and place free and tensed and placed use

being is of all things, but what lies outside things also has being—therefore, being encodes nonbeing

Concept-object form

concept

experience of

object

the experienced

As if

impossible

possible

necessary

real

Precise

by abstraction

abstract object

the ultimate in abstraction leads to being (as being), regarding which the ‘is’ of being and the ‘is’ of predication are identical

pragmatic

particles

indicate grammatical relationships between words and phrases

phrases

group of words that function somewhat as a word, but not as a sentence

phrases clearly straddle the word-grammar divide for their construction ‘must’ be grammatical (‘clearly’ because words and the grammatical constructions straddle the divide though not as obviously as phrases do)

examples—‘the ball’ is a simple phrase ‘the red and fast spinning ball’ is a complex one

grammar—subject-predicate

sentence

word combination that defines a definite object (‘makes complete sense’)

if a word designates a simple object and a sentence a definite object, it is valid to inquire into the distinction between word and sentence; the distinction is somewhat arbitrary; it depends on the subject predicate distinction, which assumes an ontology; here ‘definite object’ stands for a subject and a predicate; and the ontology is one in which ‘man’ or ‘run’ do not refer to definite things (even though they do so under abstraction, i.e., universalization), but ‘The man ran’ is regarded as referring to a definite object

though there is arbitrariness to its notion, (i) the sentence is a pragmatic linguistic concept in that it is (arrived at) as efficient in use (ii) the sentence reflects subject-predicate ontology, while not universal, is particularly useful in everyday life (hence its pragmatic character) (iii) the sentence’s subject-predicate ontology lend it to a clear theory of meaning and the sentence and the predicate logical calculi

Clause

group of words that (typically can) function as a sentence or part of a larger (compound) sentence

independent Clause

clause that may function as a sentence

dependent Clause

clause that cannot function as a sentence

example—in “I will eat lunch if I am hungry”, “I will eat lunch” is independent and “if I am hungry” is dependent; dependent clauses typically begin with a ‘subordinating conjunction’ such as ‘if’, ‘because’, or ‘when’

grammar—concept-object

includes subject-predicate grammar as a special instance

abstract-concrete continuum

concrete

subject-predicate

limits of concrete language (from earlier)

because expression (description) is part of the universe, it is necessarily recursive

for ease of representation, concrete language is linear and discrete

there is almost always some divorce from context, especially for written language

abstract

vocabulary subordinate to grammar; grammar of being; ‘to be’ is not necessarily to be manifest; allows abrupt change of meaning of ‘to be’ in transition from the manifest to the void

limit of explicit description overcome by implicit description—“in using language, the world describes itself”; recursion is implied “a part of the world describes itself”

abstract language need not be linear or discrete (pragmatically we seem to be beings in a cosmos marked by discreteness but, ultimately, we are limitless)

divorce from context may be overcome by ‘thick text’ and story-telling, art

Art

general form

linguistic

issues of directness vs reach, emotive form, persuasion, storytelling

speech

written language

medium

media

linguistic form

knowledge

meaning realized—a meaning and its actual objects

this entry is on the intension of the concept of knowledge—that is on what knowledge is; concepts relating to problems of knowledge are entered later, under method

the range of knowledge content is entered later, under system of the world

criteria

i.e., criteria for knowledge to be knowledge; ‘justified true belief’ is an example of a criterion (not a conception of knowledge)

intention

recall that an object is ‘the experienced as identified by the experience or concept’, then intention is the—

aspect of knowledge or meaning for which the object as experienced is itself experienced or conceived

kinds

i.e., kinds of knowledge

there is a number of classifications, some with seven or more kinds; one common one classifies knowledge kinds as factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive; fundamentally, however, we might recognize just the two kinds and other kinds as cases of the two that may it be useful to recognize

propositional

fact, concept, theory, ‘knowledge that’; since cognition is in the world, these include the metacognitive

nonpropositional

includes some aspects of tacit knowledge, ‘know how’, and tacit aspects of the metacognitive

being

in some developments, existence and being are different, with existence sometimes broader and being sometimes richer, here it is effective to define them as identical, and to retain both terms; it is effective to define being such that it is simple and transparent and to contain the richness of existence rather than to have the richness as its essence

Existence

existent

a concept-real object pair, colloquially the real object of the pair

experience

meaning

plural: existents

existence

existence

property in virtue of which existents are existents

trivial, yet fundamental

a being

an existent

‘that which is’ in any situational sense, neutral or other, of the ‘is’ (the verb to be)

that which is

terse alternative but equivalent definition, especially useful if development begins with being and beings

plural: beings

is

form of verb to be, but ‘is’ is to be used in a generalized sense (lower case may be used when the use is clear from the context)—we usually think of physical being as existing in space and time; however, our measures of space and time are most likely approximations to something deeper and there may be measures other than space and time; examples, which I am neither promoting nor denying, might be mental and spiritual; that is, there is a manifold of ‘situation’ which is, perhaps, immanent in being; then a generalized sense of ‘is’ shall refer to existing over any collection of situations, which may be single or multiple, discrete or connected or continuous or combinations thereof, and shall not refer to further qualifiers such as gender or number and so on

being

being

existence

property in virtue of which beings are beings

here, contra-Heidegger, richness of beings and the world is framed by being rather than of being as being, approach to questions of richness and existenz; however, in a non-axiomatic treatment, it is inevitable that ‘being’ will do double duty

per Heidegger, ‘what is the being of beings’ is fundamental (is it in spacetime etc.), and it must have something to do with people since only people ask the question, and the fundamental thing that is being, Heidegger calls ‘Dasein’

on the other hand, given the real metaphysics, the fundamental thing that is being, is ‘higher’ than human being

significance of being

foundation

contrasubstance

depth

superficiality of, from the concept of being, but not merely trivial

breadth

variety, frame for richness, place of discovery, ever open for limited beings

beings

the material under ‘beings’ serves as a catalog of beings

focus here is the object of the concept ‘beings’ and the system of beings - the aim is to show and specify the inclusivity of being

being itself

with sufficient abstraction, being is a being

Experience

existence

Concepts

concepts are causative in two ways (i) the conception precipitates action – this is not understood to be classical physical causation (even if there is an underlying physical mechanism of the precipitation) (ii) the concept is itself physically immanent in the brain; however, the configuration of the brain is not the concept

nonbeings

As if objects

fictional objects

since the objects are not beings, they are not physically causative, but the concept may precipitate action

Logical objects

anything that is a true (i.e., not as if) reference of a concept of a possible being

examples—entities, states, processes, relationships, concrete and abstract objects, experiences and concepts, universals (e.g., redness), tropes (e.g., the redness of a red ball)

Mereological objects

mereology

Whole

part

null part

note that allowing a null part leads to contradiction on some but not all systems of mereological axioms

Physical mereology

the universe, cosmoses (super cosmoses, cosmological structures), worlds, elements, the void, inter mereological interactions, e.g., transients from the void

being as being

chain of being

chain of being

suggests a Christian hierarchy that is not useful here

a recognized medieval Christian and modern concept, placed here as suggestive rather than definitive

reality hierarchy

nonexistent, fictitious, as if, possible, probable, actual, contingent, conditionally necessary, and absolutely necessary

hierarchy of abstraction

concrete

symbolic

pure abstract

hierarchy of form

god and other ultimates

god and other necessary beings

from elementary beings (particles or fields as far as real) to elementary living beings through animals and human beings, to higher beings (higher than we see on Earth), to local ‘gods’, and on to peak being (the hierarchy of form and of experience overlap

experiential hierarchy

sentience through agency—feeling, sensation, inner (proprioception), outer (perception), recall, conception (‘higher’), emotion (pleasure, pain, suffering, enjoyment of experience, identity—self and shared, foresight, value, imperative, will, agency), and limitless or peak being, god

peak being

possibility

possibility

an object—a concept object pair—is possible if its existence is possible (this would be circular but for the definitions of logical and real possibility below)

possibility

possibility theory

possible object

nonexistent object

problem of negative existentials (resolved by the theory of meaning used in the way of being)

impossibility

necessity

necessary object

conceptual possibility

a being is conceptually possible if nothing in its concept rules out its existence or being

logical possibility

conceptual possibility

it is understood that, for full conceptual possibility to be known, the power of conception should be limitless

logical necessity

deductive, absolute

logic

constraint on concepts in themselves for realizability

it is understood that conditions in the world or universe for realizability are over and above the logical

propositional logic

since there is more than one formulation, what ought to be written is ‘propositional logics’

first order logic

higher order logics

propositional logic

first order logic

higher order logic

extended logics

modal logic

modal logic

possible worlds

deviant logics

many value

paraconsistent

paraconsistent logic

dialetheia

dialetheia

symbol in the form of a contradiction, which has or may have a real object

generalization of dialetheia

allowable symbol

diction

disallowable symbol

contrareal

set theory

set theory

metaphysics

metaphysics

possible worlds

inductive logics

scientific method

form

formation

science

law

real possibility

physical

human

economic

…and more

real impossibility

real necessity

greatest possibility

most inclusive

paradox

apparent paradoxes are false or merely apparent; all paradoxes are relative to some system of understanding; there are no ultimate paradoxes

limitlessness

limitlessness is not paradoxical

limitlessness

metaphysics

the topics of value (ethics, axiology) shall fall under metaphysics; the meta-topic of method and foundation is, after all, a topic at the same level as metaphysics and shall also fall under metaphysics

metaphysics

knowledge of the real

the intension (logic)

the abstract metaphysics

fundamental principle

the ultimate

range of being

identity

entered under identity

the first entry on identity, earlier, is about how the ‘concept-object’ is the place of the identity of things—it has overlap with meaning; this entry is a repetition of the first and refers there for content; the third, below, is about the use of identity in the construction of the concepts of space and time

variety

individual

limits

real but not absolute

birth

gateway to realization

death

gateway to the ultimate

realization

ways

pathway

intelligence

enjoyment

imperative

yoga

reason

peak being

dissolution

the real metaphysics

dynamic join of abstract metaphysics and pragmatic knowledge

framework for received metaphysics (knowledge) and its problems

tradition

received knowledge, what is valid in it

pragmatic knowledge

an ultimate value

realization of the ultimate in and from the immediate

corresponding perfection of the real metaphysics

real metaphysics as knowledge

method

concept formation, free

imagination

recombination

fact

inference

deduction

certain, necessary

induction

likely

best fit

projection

heuristic

hypothesis

… and more

demonstration

general logic

argument

argument

validity

validity

soundness

soundness

reason

yoga

yoga

rationality

the real

two seeming levels of truth for limited being

this world

the ultimate

value

value

ethics

ethics

aesthetics

aesthetics

cosmology

knowledge of the real

extension of metaphysics (science)

general cosmology

logic

concept formation

possible worlds

substance

material

object

ideal

subject

being

neutral, not a true substance

preferred, inclusive, no prejudgment

field of experiential being

relation

change

identity

the first entry on identity, earlier, is about how the ‘concept-object’ is the place of the identity of things—it has overlap with meaning; the second entry is a repetition of the first and refers there for content; this is the third entry and is about the use of identity in the construction of the concepts of space and time

difference

sameness

this is a second take on this material which has been also entered earlier

situation

duration-extension-being

space-time-matter

argument for no further parameters of situation

duration (time)

extension (space)

spacetimebeing

dynamic

cosmology of form

i.e., cosmology of form and formation

form

relative stability due to near symmetry

perfect symmetry is frozen

dynamic form

static form

study of symmetry

origins

transients

from the void or other formed systems

selection

for relative stability and near symmetry

evolution

variation and selection

variation

initial neutrality to stable form

selection

for relative stability of near symmetry

forms, the

interaction

with change

determinism

with residual indeterminism

determinism as approximation

mechanism

causation

physical cosmology

physical cosmology

our cosmos

general

speculative

evolutionary biology

variation and selection

paradigms

cosmology suggests paradigms which, with others, are that are incorporated to dimensions of being

dimensions of being

intrinsic and instrumental modes or ways of description

pure

of being, relatively fixed

experiential being in form and formation of worlds on the way to the limitless ultimate

pragmatic

relatively changeable due evolution or change in knowledge and culture; chosen from a western material perspective as balance to the perspective on the pure dimension, but easily altered to perspectives from being and experience

metaquestions

what choice, selected or conceived, of dimensions and elements is most effective and according to what criteria

how are these to be selected or conceived

nature

ground

physical

living

experiential

paradigms

these paradigms are suggested by natural science and philosophy

indeterminism

variation and selection

mechanism

determinism

with and without residual indeterminism

causation

society

form resulting from interactive cooperation, which may be intelligent

born of nature, which is found more flexible than once thought to be, which leads to conceptions of transcendence, limitlessness, and the universal

structure

social groups

institutions

change

culture

power

economic-political-ethical-legal

local through global geo-economics-and-politics

thought on the topic(s)

philosophy of political economy

(with ethics and law)

emphasizes ideal target (institutions to benefit) and arrangement of political and economic action

example—the individual is the target; but to benefit the individual, accommodation is made for a range of institutions

prefers rational analysis based in values that are rational so far as possible; but note that ‘rational’ does not exclude value or emotion—as understood here, it includes them—and it is not logically necessary to mention value or emotion, even though the explicit mention is useful

not primarily about naming and classifying different arrangements but, rather, about ideal forms of arrangements (e.g., liberal democracy over plain democracy)

there is overlap between the philosophy and the science; particularly, the science is subject to rational analysis and the philosophy to science (i.e., the distinction is blurred at the boundaries)

law

encoded prescription and restriction of behavior

in liberal societies

primarily compelled by psychology of the individual in relation to the whole, which includes human as social being and ethics

secondarily compelled by force

reasons

prescription and restriction

ethics

order

safety

social

economic

other

non-liberal element

imposition by the few on the many

authority

the foregoing features

numbers

ethics of law

give and take between autonomy and essentiality of the individual and the pragmatic needs and encodings of society

science of political economy

emphasizes (i) how to achieve ends (ii) a range of sub-issues capable of scientific and data analyses

secularism

transsecularism

cultivating awareness and realization in experiential being

paradigms from the social and ethical realm; the following are tentative themes (and also incorporated under themes in the manual)

sustainability vs growth

political-economics and ethics in wealth distribution

theoretical or conceptual ethics, morals, and their relation to choice, decisions and action, for individuals through the universe

charisma and institution in power

populism vs liberal democracy in stable and effective governance

power and history

secularism and transsecularism in history and ultimate being.

universal-ultimate

immersive

cultivating awareness and realization in experiential being

instrumental

science and technology in the world civilizing the universe

paradigms of form and formation

ultimate, proximate, certain, probable, spontaneous, absolute, variation and selection, emergence (of kind, of complexity), mechanism, robustness, apparent design, necessary design

paradigms of thought

general logic, explanation and prediction, creativity, criticism

method

topic—method and foundation for knowledge and action (for the way of being)

discovery and validation

method is content

means and criteria

meta-issues how are the means and criteria arrived at; what are the criteria of the criteria and what is their source, e.g., metaphysics, science, epistemology, value

note that from reflexivity, the meta-issues are implicit in means and criteria

general logic

unification of method, process, and content under knowledge as being, with abstraction

unification of fact and inference under abstraction

unification of certainty and necessity with likelihood

search

in dual space of concepts and objects

hypothesis construction

that it applies to all phases of discovery

evaluation

reflexivity

meta-analysis

vertical

systemic analysis

horizontal, parallel

foundation

begin where we are

problems of epistemology (see problems of knowledge below)

knowledge

the concept, theories of

knowledge was seen as meaning realized, but here the concept concerns what it the state of knowing is

correspondence

knowledge corresponds to objects

coherence

knowledge as coherence

pragmatism

knowledge as behavioral

knowledge as instrumental

problems

(of knowledge)

illusion

truth

justification

kinds of knowledge

i.e., of propositional knowledge; for non-propositional knowledge, see discussion of knowledge under meaning

fact

theory

path

ways

primal

religion

ultimate search, rational-emotive search under all degrees of certainty and uncertainty, all aspects of being employed in realization of ultimate being

religions

note the crucial distinction between religion and the religions

abrahamic

buddhism

hinduism

brahman

secularism

secular humanism

spirituality

modern transsecularism

morality

good

evil

truth

utilitarianism

tolerance

practice

yoga

meditation

intrinsic

instrumental

retreat

action

prayer

pathways

in received ways

this list is incomplete—it is a beginning

eightfold way

in Buddhism and Yoga

mysticism

Christian

for the way of being

principles

i.e., of ways

design

path programs

shared path

templates

everyday-immediate

dedication

the immediate and the ultimate as one

affirmation

tat tvam asi

yoga-reason

the world and the ultimate

self

world

the ultimate

universal-ultimate

retreat

renewal

authentic life

‘being real’

resources

return

return

the world, afresh

into the world

being-in-the-world

cycle of life

birth

gateway to realization

death

gateway to the ultimate

narration

universal narrative

the future

prospect

eternal return

the world

the remarks below show that ‘the world’ as conceived here lie between subjectivity and objectivity (i) in contrast to the idea of the universe, the world admits how we experience it as part of what it is (ii) on the objective side, we are at least pragmatically certain of some knowledge but not all—especially at the boundaries and forefront, e.g., in political reality (because of its complexity and the issues of perspective and interpretation) and in science (for example, the issue of the reality status of the fundamental entities of physics) (iii) also on the objective side, questions such as that of solipsism (under which what is experienced as the world is nothing but conscious imagery), whose value is not so much that it is a serious position but that it invites us to consider and improve upon issues of the meaning and object of ‘the real’

therefore, perhaps we ought to begin with ‘experience’ from a foundational perspective; however, from a grounding perspective, it seems better to begin with the world and defer foundation in such a manner that is sufficient to issues of both foundation and ground.

the world

entirety of existence

with emphasis on how we experience it and what is important (identical to the universe if our understanding of the world of experience is objective)

“the world as we find it”

as if

the issue of ‘as if’ has been addressed under experience > world

place of being

here, ‘being’ is used informally

the immediate

possibility

secular

transsecular

limits

necessity

contingency

real

absolute

the ultimate

realization

aim of being

retreat

phase of reflection and reaffirmation

temporary, for a retreat is not to avoid the world but to know and function better in the world and in truth

human situation

the individual

birth

death

birth and death are among some concepts that occur more than once

history

foresight

destiny

acceptance

seeking

search

human endeavor

knowledge

appearance

illusion

no foundation

foundation

relative

regress

absolute

no apriorism

process

final

the real

worldview

projections

agency

intention

action

retreat

narrative

narrative lends to our experience of the world and thus to the world itself (which is over and above narrative as part of the world)

Metanarrative

aim

audience

narrative aim

design

flow

readability

impact

planning

reading

reflection

study

experience

writing

publication

structure

prologue

non-uniqueness of optimal point of entry even from pedagogical, metaphysical, and epistemic perspectives taken separately

themes

reference

internal and external cross-linking

index

glossary

vocabulary

grammar

epilogue

universal narrative

summation

revision

historical thread

System of the world (encyclopedia)

the term ‘encyclopedia’ refers to an explicit and developed system of human knowledge

that—has structure, first, as an interconnected system, which derives from unity and structures of the world, both hierarchic and horizontal, and second, derived from a principled view of knowledge as knowledge

that—is reasonably complete at sufficiently high levels and does not exclude knowledge at the forefront

that—is written with expertise as a system of articles of foundations, fundamentals, and essentials

from items i and iii, there will be articles at different levels of generality; articles at different levels may have parent-child relationships – and children may have sibling relationships; focus on everyday fact or news will not be a priority

the principled view will most likely not be unique, but modern database technology will allow rearrangement according to alternate principles

the contents may be arranged (if text) or linked (if electronic) according to multiple principles—alphabetic for convenience as well as according to the principles and for the latter, there may be systematic tables of contents

modern database technology will make update efficient

for which—the primary principle of arrangement shall be real metaphysics

for which—the sub-concepts will be those relevant to the concept and outline rendering of ‘encyclopedia’

source—system of knowledge; the system and the outline below should be revised together

ground

humanities

humanism

philosophy

knowledge

reason

tradition

religion

the universe

…and the given world

science

sciences

general

abstract

symbolic systems

metaphysics

method

concrete

physical

life

psychological

social

applied

abstract

concrete

methods

history

artifact

…and the created world

art

technology

established

history

use

elements

fields

recent

artificial intelligence

technology of language, mind, and being

developing—technology for advanced civilization and being

being and the universe

transformation of being

being the universe