JOURNEY IN BEING
COMPLETE EDITION PRÉCIS EDITION BARE EDITION
ANIL MITRA
DOCUMENT CREATED OCTOBER 9, 2012
ANIL MITRA, © COPYRIGHT 2012—2013
DOCUMENT CREATED OCTOBER 9, 2012
ANIL MITRA, © COPYRIGHT 2012—2013
DOCUMENT CREATED FEBRUARY 1, 2013
ANIL MITRA, © COPYRIGHT 2013—2013
FIRST INTERNET VERSION JUNE 2003
Anil MITRA, PHD © COPYRIGHT JUNE 2003-February 2013
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Contents | Narrative
This is the shortest narrative of Journey in Being; it provides essentials but is skeletal.
The précis version provides flesh and the complete version provides elaboration,
application and other details.
This précis version for the general reader is the shortest version that provides flesh to the skeletal received version.
This précis version for the academic reader contains the entire text of the general précis version which is supplemented by material that might require academic exposure to appreciate. The ‘supplements’ include focus on method, development of a theory of objects, and development of a new conception of Logic, and treatment of mind body issues.
The document has two narratives: a précis version within and part of a longer narrative.
The purpose and formatting of the narratives is explained in The Format of the Narrative and its Functions.
Contents: SHORT NARRATIVE
Link to Contents for the Complete Edition
Narrative
Preface to the Précis Edition
On Publication of this Work
A Journey in Being
World Views and the Ultimate View of the Narrative
New Meanings in the Narrative
Experience
Meaning
Existence
Being
Universe
The Void
Fundamental Principle of Metaphysics
The Meaning of the Principle
Using the Principle
An Interpretation of Scientific law
General Cosmology—Universe, Identity, and Power
Journey, Individual, and Eternity
General and Physical Cosmology—Variety of Being
Civilization as a Vehicle of Realization
Growth, Processes, Aims, and Ways of Civilization
Civilization, Human Being, and the Universe
Ideal or Ultimate Religion
The Way of Transformation: Analysis and Synthesis of Being
Transformation of the Individual Being
Civilization of the Universe
A Vision For Our World
Charting the Journey—Dimensions
Charting the Journey—Assessment of Progress
Charting the Journey—Wide Perspective Plan
Dedication and Affirmation
The Future of the Narrative
Influences and Sources
Contents
JOURNEY IN BEING
PREFACE
The Format of the Narrative and its Functions
Preface to the Précis Edition
On Publication of this Work
Maturity of the Main Themes
Practical and Necessary Aspects of In-Process work
Suggestions on Reading the Narrative
Definitions and Capitalization in the Narrative
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
A Journey in Being
Brevity Empowers Precision, Criticism and Action, Breadth of Framework, and Revisability
A Balance between Brevity and Detail
World Views and the Ultimate View of the Narrative
Secular Thought and Science
Religion and Myth
The Standard Paradigms and their Limits
The Place of Metaphysical World Views
The World View of the Narrative and its Contrast with the Standard Views
Do the Developments of the Narrative Depend on Science and Tradition?
Fundamental Principle of Metaphysics
The Principle is the Foundation of the Metaphysics of this Narrative
The Principle is the New
Power
The Metaphysics
New and Ideal Meanings Result from the Metaphysics
Traditional Metaphysics. Criticisms. Initial Response to Criticisms
Consequences for Identity
The Concept of Identity
Identity and Death. Issue of Pain and Suffering
On the Title ‘Journey in Being’
Contents of the Narrative
Development of the Ideas
A Journey of Realization
Reference
New Meanings in the Narrative
A Personal Perspective
BEING
Experience
Comments on this Conception of Experience
Is there Awareness without Consciousness?
More on the Meaning of Experience in this Narrative
Experience is so Basic that it Does Not Need Definition in Terms of Other Ideas
The Nature of Experience with Illustrative Examples
Why the Main Development Begins with Experience but only its Most General Aspects
Perfect Objects
Arguments against the Being of Experience. Counter-arguments
The Solipsist Argument that there is nothing but Experience
A Counter-argument to Solipsism that shows that there are Selves and that there is a Real World
Comments on the Significance of Doubt
Experience is the Theater of the World of the Individual
Meaning
Concepts, Reference, and Meaning
Necessity of Iconic Content for Meaning
Understanding of Meaning requires acknowledgement of its two sides—Idea and Reference
Meaning Derives Stability and Flexibility from Context
New Meanings in this Work. Possibility of Definiteness
The Decomposition to Concept-icon and Reference is Crucial to Understanding and Use of Meaning
Comments on Meaning, Paradox, and Logic
Existence
Does anything exist? Significance of the Question
Is existence a trivial concept?
The problem of negative existence
Preliminary Discussion of Being. Reasons for the Discussion
Being versus Existence. Emptiness of the Distinction
The Grammar of Being
Relation to Phenomenological Thought
Feeling. Know-How
First Comments on Metaphysics
Being
Neutrality of the Concept of Being as a Source of its Power
Power of Experience
Analogy to Algebra
Universe
Justification this Concept of Universe—i.e., Proof that the Universe Exists
A Possible Objection to this Concept of the ‘Universe’. Response
Significance of this Concept of Universe
On Possibility
The Universe and the Void
On Creation. The Universe contains all Creation but is not Created
One Part of the Universe may be implicated in the Creation of Another
Law
A Law is a Pattern. Laws have Being
A Law is a Limit. There are no Universal Laws
The Universe Contains All Laws
The Void
Existence of The Void
The Void contains no Law and therefore has No Limits
On the Number of Voids
A note on Doubts
Power of the Concepts of Being, Universe, and Void
Comments on Knowledge and Method
METAPHYSICS
Fundamental Principle of Metaphysics
To what degree does the Principle Expand the Scope of Being?
Does the Fundamental Principle contradict Cumulative Experience?
Something from Nothing
On Education of Common Sense and Intuition
A Loss of the Sense of the Mystical?
Relation to the Principle of Plenitude and Ockham’s Razor
Originality and Power of the Present Demonstration
The Meaning of the Principle
Interpretation from the Analysis of Meaning
A Comment on Facts
Another Form of the Fundamental Principle
The True Fundamental Problem of Metaphysics
Using the Principle
An Interpretation of Scientific law
Scientific Laws are Descriptive Rather than Limiting
On Scientific Law as Necessity in a Limited Domain
Scientific Theories Are Not Universal
Explanation for this conclusion
To Jump off a Cliff
Universal and New Conceptions of Realism and Logic
The Fundamental Principle of Metaphysics in Terms of Logic
On the Nature of Limits
Merging of Science and Logic
The Empirical Character of Science and Logic
Metaphysics, Science, and Necessity
Notes on Probability
Metaphysics so Far
The metaphysics joins the rational and the empirical
The Empirical-Rational Achieve Perfection via Abstraction
For Limited Forms Knowledge is Ever in Process. For Limited Form, eternal process is Ideal
A Sense in which the Universe is Ideal
The Issue of Suffering in Light of the Metaphysics
Infinite Suffering?
The Practical Issue of Pain
Objects and Identity
Whatever Is Logical is Real—i.e. has an Object
Dissolution of Distinctions of Kind and Abstraction. Expansion of the Scope of General Cosmology
Unity of Kinds of Concrete Object
Abstract Objects and Unification with the Concrete
The Abstract is not Essentially Non-spatial or A-causal. Rather, these Features are not Pertinent to the Abstraction
Intuition is an Imperfect Guide to Objecthood
Mathematics and Mathematical Objects
Objects that Straddle the Abstract-Concrete Divide
The Abstract and the Ideal
Identity
Anticipating Applied Metaphysics
REALIZATION
General Cosmology—Universe, Identity, and Power
General Cosmology and its Foundation. Identity
Nature of Identity. Soul
Power. God
The Power of the Universe is Conferred on the Individual
Journey, Individual, and Eternity
Individual identity Merges in Identity
Ideas are Essential but Incomplete
For a Limited Form Realization is a Journey without End
On the Demonstration that Realization is a Journey
For Unlimited Form Realization is Eternity in a Moment
The Absolute and its Nature
For a Limited Form Knowledge of Limitlessness Requires Experiment
As Science, Realization must grow to include Participation and Immersion
General and Physical Cosmology—Variety of Being
Extension and Duration as precursors to Space and Time
Process
Relative Character of Space and time
The Nature of Space and Time
Cosmology in a Phrase
The Variety and Extent of the Universe are Unlimited
Origins and other Cosmological Phenomena
Kinds of Law
Emergence of Cosmological Systems
Ghost Systems. Annihilators
Every Cosmos is an Atom, Every Atom a Cosmos
Structureless Particles Emit Fields of Force?
The only true Fictions are Violations of Realism
Death
Science, Participation, and Immersion
Mechanism, Symmetry, Stability, and Conservation Laws
Determinism
Determinism and the Universal Metaphysics
Cause and Mechanism
Experience and Being
Matter as Exclusive Substance is Untenable
Experience is—the Essence of—Mind
Mechanical Intelligence
Suggestions Regarding Intentionality and Action
Interpretation of Matter and Mind as First and Second Order Being
Rejection of Spinoza’s theory of Attributes
Experience and the notion of Truth
Experience and Being are Coextensive and are the Place of Significance
Consciousness, Life, and Mechanism
METHOD
Metaphysics
The Concept of Metaphysics Reviewed
Criticism of this Concept of Metaphysics. Response
Metaphysics is Logic
The Metaphysics is a Perfect, Unique, and Ultimate Universal Metaphysics
On Form and Substance
Possibility of Metaphysics has been Demonstrated by Constructing The Metaphysics
Doubt and Doubting
Doubt Regarding the Fundamental Principle
The Fundamental Principle is Worth Doubting
The Value of Doubt
The Path to Certainty Requires Doubt
Doubt and Certainty as Duals
Absolute Doubt?
Our Most Certain Endeavors Harbor Uncertainty
These Considerations of Uncertainty are an Occasion for an Existential Attitude
Allocation of Resources
Further Demonstration of the Fundamental Principle
The Goal of Demonstration is to Now Further Investigate Certainty of the Principle
Nature of the Demonstrations of the Principle
An Improved Proof that also shows Existence of the Void
Heuristic Arguments whose Function is to help Remove Doubt
Doubt and Existential Attitude
Remnant Doubt and its Sources
Existential Attitude
A Comment on Humor
Existential Realism
Even Under the Fundamental Principle, Limited Forms have no guarantee of Realization in ‘this’ Life
An Appropriate Existential Attitude will be Potent in Realization
Attitude as Dual to Doubt
Fundamental Principle as Hypothesis
Truth, Assertion, and Declaration
Ideas, and Metaphysics, and their Method
This Section Collects and Formalizes the Method of the Metaphysics So Far
Analysis and Synthesis of Meaning
Analysis and Synthesis of Meaning: Brief Critique
Systems of Concepts and System Meaning: The Metaphysics
System Meaning: Science and Logic
Comprehensive Character of Analysis and Synthesis of Meaning
Experience of ‘All Knowledge’ by Limited Form Requires Analysis and Synthesis of Meaning in Process via Participation and Immersion
Applied Metaphysics
The Metaphysics Implicitly Covers Detail of All Being
The Metaphysics includes Science and Mathematics
The Metaphysics versus Science
Systematic Approach to the Interface between the Metaphysics and Science
An Example: Modern Physical Science
An Example: Human Nature
Interaction (in the examples) with the Metaphysics requires recognition and Transcendence of Substance
Review of Development of Applied Metaphysics
The Metaphysics and Philosophical Thought
Principle of Adequate Specification
A Principle that Encourages and Requires Admission of Ad Hoc and Systematic Elements of Thought in Process
Extension to Practical Cases
Good Enough Criteria
Valuational Criteria of Perfection
Art, Humanities, Philosophy, and History
Method as Content. Method and Content as Coeval
Method and Content as Coextensive?
CIVILIZATION
Dimensions of Being
Civilization as a Vehicle of Realization
Science and Yoga as Disciplines of Realization
Civilization and its Disciplines
Growth, Processes, Aims, and Ways of Civilization
Civilization, Human Being, and the Universe
Purpose of the Section—Deep Relations between Human Being and Being
The Tension between Human Freedom and Received Nature
The Question of Human Freedom
Morals, Freedom, and Metaphysics
Freedom and Death
A Time to Die
Civilization—Society, Culture, Political-Economic Process, and Religion
Understanding Religion
A Preliminary Ideal Conception of Religion
Ideal or Ultimate Religion
A Broad Conception of Religion
Need for this Conception
The Ideal of Religion
Religion, Realization, and Suffering
Religion, Civilization, and Experiment in Transformation of Being
TRANSFORMATION
Approaches to Transformation
Choice of terms—‘Way’ or ‘Approach’ versus ‘Method’
The Way of Transformation: Analysis and Synthesis of Being
The Way of Transformation is Analysis and Synthesis of Being
Way and Path—and Method and Content for Ideas—are Coeval
Analysis of Ways of Transformation
General Remarks
Practice and Action
Catalysts of Transformation
Consciousness and Continuous Transformation
Catalysts and Continuity
Description of the Ways
Outline
Core Knowledge: Universe, World, Human Being
Core Knowledge: Morals
Practices and Practices-in-action
Catalysts
Sources for the Catalysts
Retreat and Return
Cumulative, Charismatic, and Reflexive Process
Synthesis of Being
Transformation of the Individual Being
Civilization of the Universe
A Vision For Our World
A Delineation of the Vision
Some details of the Vision
Politics and Economics
Culture
Religion
JOURNEY
A Document in Process
Charting the Journey—Dimensions
Planning
On Plans and Commitment
Being
Civilization
Charting the Journey—Assessment of Progress
Being
Civilization
Charting the Journey—Wide Perspective Plan
Being
Civilization
Dedication and Affirmation
The Future of the Narrative
Some in-process Aspects of the Work
Assessment of the Developments so Far
The Ideas
Transformation of the Individual
Civilization
Civilization—Concepts for Implementation