Welcome Metaphysics Realization Resources Anil Mitra

The system of knowledge is grounded in the ultimate and pragmatic sides of the real metaphysics.

A System of Human Knowledge
and reason, practice, and action
for the way of being

[Supplement to the system]

Anil Mitra © January 2018—October 2023
Most recent update October 4, 2023 8:32:59 AM

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Contents

Introduction – Aim, framework, and system

This version

The aim of the system

A framework for the system

A brief account of the system

Ground – The world

The humanities

Preliminary

Humanities and humanism

Philosophy

Knowledge and its disciplines

What is philosophy?

Reason

Tradition

Religion

A problem of religion

Resolution

Value of religion

What religion shall be

The universe, real and given – A discovered world

General and abstract sciences and method

Introduction—abstract and concrete sciences

Metaphysics

The real and the artifactual

Method

Abstract sciences and symbolic systems

Concrete sciences

Physical sciences

Biology

Psychology

Society, social science, and sciences

Analysis of society

Applied science

Physical sciences

Biology and psychology

Social sciences

Abstract sciences

Science for advanced civilization and being

History

History

History of the world

History of ideas

History and the linear future

Artifact and the created world – Design

Art

Art

The arts

Technology

Technology, its history, and use

Elements of technology

Fields of technology

Technology for language, mind, and being

Technology for advanced civilization and being

Being and the universe – The ultimate

Transformation of being

Theory of transformation of being

Intrinsic modes of transformation

Instrumental modes of transformation

Dual modes

Being the universe

A System of Human Knowledge
and reason, practice, and action

Introduction – Aim, framework, and system

This version

This version now has 2022 formatting. There is a backup with original 2021 formatting.

The aim of the system

The purposes of the system are as the contribution of a general resource and an outline of knowledge with foundation based in the metaphysics of the way of being. The system is intended as a guide for civilization and individual transformation and realization of the ultimate in and from the immediate world as revealed and demonstrated in the way. It is further intended as foundation for a knowledge database and encyclopedia, for which there is further information in a supplement to the system. The supplement focuses on (i) further topics for research and action (ii) developing a knowledge database and encyclopedia.

Though the system is a human one, that implies possible but not necessary limits for there is an aspiration to universal knowledge. The title might therefore be A System of Human Knowledge, Reason, and Action.

A framework for the system

Every system of knowledge has a framework, explicit or implicit, carefully thought out or otherwise, and as ‘complete as possible’ or not. (The single quotes indicate that it is not clear a priori whether the phrase has definite meaning. It will be seen that it does indeed have definite meaning).

While the account begins with ground for context, it is important to specify the framework. Without the framework, readers will find departures from modern accounts puzzling and, more importantly, they will not understand the foundation and nature of the system and its departures from modern accounts.

The framework is a real metaphysics, which shows (i) the universe is limitless, which entails that our cosmos is one of limitlessly many of limitless variety, all in some level of interaction with one another (at times perhaps below thresholds of significance), and all in contact with the void or nothingness (ii) it is experiential in nature (iii) all beings merge in realization of limitlessness—peaks, followed by dissolutions.

This implies that while our sciences have empirical validity and that our religions have validity of symbolic content but are immensely limited in capturing the universe and ultimate knowledge.

A brief account of the system

The account begins with ground—where and what we are in the immediate—the humanities, tradition, and religion, because they motivate and—in principle—encompass all other disciplines. This beginning (i) regards humanities as a way into the system but does not place humanities in relation to the system – above, to the side, or below (ii) has a broad view of what the humanities are and their place in the system (as it does of all disciplines, for it aims to put the whole above the parts).

The remaining divisions are the universe, (more precisely, representation of the universe – concrete and, as far as it is achieved, perfect) the sciences and method, (science is understood broadly to include abstract sciences, especially metaphysics, and method), and being the universe. (the possibility and actuality, thereof, as revealed by

The System

Ground – The world

The system is constructed by the human mind. This implies possible but not necessary limits for there is an aspiration to universal knowledge. The title might therefore be A System of Knowledge, Reason, and Action.

The account begins with the humanities because they motivate and encompass all other disciplines and activities. The remaining sections are the real and given universe and artifact and the created universe. The distinctions between the humanities, the real, and artifact are artificial.

The humanities

Preliminary

There is overlap among humanities and the other divisions of knowledge; however, where illuminating, redundancy is appropriate.

Humanities and humanism

What should we know to live well, and relate and contribute to the human side of culture? Adequacy of this rough definition of humanism and the humanities. That it suggests but does not specify the disciplines. The methods are critical or speculative, comparative, and have a significant historical element. There is no central discipline, but the humanities include ancient and modern languages, literature, philosophy, geography, history, cultural anthropology, religion, art, and musicology. Some details follow.

Philosophy

Process of bridging with the unknown; philosophy of meaning in the sense of the deepest aspects of our being, e.g. ‘the meaning of life’, the universe—our place in it, our destiny, what gives us a sense of having significance or meaning; disciplines—metaphysics as, particularly, the study of the real, and its extent, duration, and variety; logic (and epistemology), and value theory in its most general sense, particularly, ethics and aesthetics; attention to language, concepts as symbolic or sign-icon entities, and concept and linguistic meaning (via meaning, philosophy is about the world… via synthesis of meaning, it is about discovery)—meaning as concepts and their possible objects and knowledge as meaning realized or as concepts and their objects; the roles of holism and context in fixing meanings; special branches—critique, understanding, and development of disciplines and human endeavors.

Knowledge and its disciplines

Knowledge, the disciplines, and their history; it is essential that though method and content are distinct in extension, they have identity in intension.

What is philosophy?

This is a critically important question, for understood appropriately, philosophy—the endeavor and the content—lies at the center of our being and seeking.

It is not the intent here to answer the question ‘What is philosophy?’ but to note some thoughts in relation to the perspective of the ‘system of knowledge’.

To answer the question it is not enough to give a definition and an explanation; definition and explanation ought to go hand in hand with reading from an adequate range of sources and at least some endeavor in doing philosophy; and to see that the purpose of the reading and doing is more than exposure and experience—the purpose includes that the development of philosophical thinking will in turn inform us on the nature of philosophy; and there should perhaps be a recognition that the nature of philosophy may, perhaps, never be completely defined but always in process).

It is natural that there will be different thoughts on what philosophy is and how to address the question. Some of these thoughts will be based on the nature and aims of human action and knowledge, others will be based on the parochial activities and interests of various disciplines; and it will not be trivial to separate these bases.

While there are many disciplines and many ways to organize them, there is a place for the question—Is there a synthesis of human knowledge and action and their methods? This question is close to the heart of philosophy. It was method and synthesis, even if not fully conscious, that was at the beginning of philosophy. And perhaps it is at the beginning of any investigation into philosophy today.

Thus, we may suggest that philosophy is the discipline that investigates all knowledge with method, and that both recognizes and integrates the system of disciplines.

Must it be systematic? It will include system, but it will also allow the ad hoc within its boundary.

Will it be poetic? It will allow poetry.

Will it be reflexive—i.e., will it study itself? Some philosophers relegate such questions and more to ‘metaphilosophy’, which they see as distinct from philosophy. The approach here recognizes the value of the label and meaning of metaphilosophy but sees it as part of philosophy.

What of the sciences that were once part of philosophy but have broken off? Here, they are seen as still part of philosophy but, since they are studied intensely and with special techniques over and above those of philosophy, in different academic departments, are not the main focus of philosophy. Yet, those disciplines and philosophy overlap more than in principle (i) the analysis of the disciplines and their methodologies is philosophy, regardless of who does it (ii) the analysis of concepts of the disciplines, especially in times of change, is acutely philosophical (as recognized not only by ‘philosophers of science’ but also by revolutionary scientists, e.g., Einstein in founding and motivating his theories of relativity) (iii) knowledge is both structured and one (depending on perspective and time scale).

Does philosophy have methods of its own? It is preferrable to see method and reason as a one and the methods of the disciplines as specialized instances.

We conclude with the thought—Philosophy is all knowledge and method, systematic and unsystematic, that at any time has particular foci, and which may historically vary between specialism and integrative generalism.

Reason

May be considered as falling under or parallel to philosophical and other reflexive thought. “Reason arises in the present and its foundation is not remote; is reflexive (self and cross applying); involves value, feeling, and intuition; deploys tradition imaginatively and critically; includes and is continuous with action; is continuous with philosophy, especially as a way of life that emphasizes reason with feeling.” “Reason includes critique of proof.” See reason.

Tradition

Tradition is the valid content in knowledge, reason—and action—for all cultures; its modes: primal, religious, or trans-secular, secular, and integrated.

Religion

A problem of religion

Religion is contentious—there are believers and apologists and there are rational secular critics. The latter often argue that the basis of religion is psychological but has no realist foundation. Here, the speculative and dogmatic elements of the religions are recognized.

Resolution

However, any claim that science and secularism have shown anything near complete and perfect knowledge of the universe is overreach, for science, especially physics, is essentially empirical and has no purchase beyond the empirical boundary. Therefore, any claim that it has such purchase is based on explicit or tacit assumption that science-so-far has purchase over the entire universe. Now, since science is limited thus, the question of the universe as a whole arises, but is not (yet) answered by science. And the fact that it is ‘not scientific’ does not invalidate speculative reflection provided that it does not claim more than that it is speculative and that it is not inconsistent with what we definitely know.

Value of religion

This, together with symbolic value, is motivation for ‘religion’. In saying this the distinction between the concept of religion and the religions must be recognized.

What religion shall be

Religion shall be knowledge and negotiation of the entire universe by the entire individual, groups, civilizations, and civilization in all their faculties and modes of being; reason applied to religion—its nature as asserting the trans-secular (consistently with experience, with an evaluation of the necessity of the assertion); omni-functionality; psychology of religion and religious experience; the religions.

The universe, real and given – A discovered world

General and abstract sciences and method

Introduction—abstract and concrete sciences

Let us first take up the idea of an abstract science. The real metaphysics of the way of being is a union of a perfect correspondence abstract side with a pragmatic side. When the pragmatic side is interpreted by pragmatism itself under the umbrella of the abstract, it too is perfect (it remains imperfect and useful in its traditional use whose value is changed but not eliminated in light of the perfect metaphysics). Thus, the pragmatic side is abstract because the correspondence precision is irrelevant under the abstract umbrella. The perfect metaphysics is, even while pragmatic, an abstract science.

What of the other abstract sciences listed below? It is sufficient to consider mathematics. Mathematics begins as empirical but becomes abstract with the axiomatic method. It is abstract as either (1) abstraction from the empirical or (2) study of symbolic structures in themselves and not as representation of the concrete. Is mathematics about this world? As abstraction, some fields of mathematics are. However, with the universal method, all mathematical systems have objects. Thus abstract vs. concrete can be seen as not about an ontological distinction but about degree of detail omitted. This characterization applies to the other abstract sciences.

All abstract sciences fall under metaphysics. They are studied in themselves because of their special interest, methods, and extensive development.

It was seen that the distinction between the concrete and the abstract is not one of kind but of degree of abstraction versus concretion. But the ‘concrete’ sciences also partake of abstraction—while the quantum theory of fields does talk at least approximately of reality, the fields are not known to be ground level reality itself (if there is one) and are almost certainly not a ground level. Therefore, a further difference between the concrete and the abstract sciences is means of study; yet the differences are at root pragmatic rather than essential; they all refer to the world (universe). And they all fall under metaphysics as the most general science. Thus, metaphysics is the most general science with all sciences under its umbrella.

Metaphysics

Study of being and the given, experience (and metaphysics of language—its metaphysical possibilities and limits, especially given that language is a fundamental tool for metaphysics itself, and indeed of most if not all disciplines), categories, knowledge, and principles of action; possibility of metaphysics; the abstract, the concrete, and the nature of perfect knowledge; the fundamental principle of metaphysics; all knowledge and action fall under the umbrella of metaphysics—including epistemology, reason, logic and ethics; the perfect or real metaphysics and recognized problems of metaphysics (being; substance, category, and cause; possible and necessary being; spacetime; identity; cause, determinism, freedom; mind and matter), cosmology, and agency.

For more on the problems of metaphysics, see applied science > abstract sciences, below.

The real and the artifactual

The real and its nature; whether the real and the artifactual are essentially different and the consequent question of whether the division of knowledge into ‘universe of real being’ and ‘universe of created being’ marks an essential distinction.

Method

As noted earlier, method and content have the same intension; method overlaps other entries in this document and must—for method and content are not essentially distinct, for method is an aspect of content when knowledge and values are the objects…

… Method is found in and as epistemology, argument, logic, establishment of fact, inductive and scientific method, comparative method, transcendental method in philosophy, artistic and engineering design, rhetoric, and persuasion—general and political.

… Possibilities of method are exhibited by and in the perfect metaphysics of the way of being: perfect knowledge by abstraction, necessity from abstraction, complete absence of universal applicability of empirical knowledge and generalization there-from.

Abstract sciences and symbolic systems

An abstract science is a systematic study of a system of abstract objects; the question of the nature of abstract and concrete objects and their reality is considered in Metaphysics.

Metaphysics of symbolic systems

Metaphysics of symbolic systems generally (meta-symbolic and metaphysical study of the expressive and demonstrative possibilities of symbolic systems); and in and for the following

Linguistics and study of language

Meta-linguistic study of limits and possibilities of language.

Sign and word, compound linguistic constructs, metaphysics of grammar (e.g., as depicting the real), concept, and object

Logic

Logic as theory of inference vs theory of the world; deduction and induction; argument; logics.

Mathematics

Mathematics begins as an empirical endeavor, which may be scientific.

However, with the introduction of the axiomatic approach, it becomes abstract and mathematical systems may be seen as theories of signs.

Thus, mathematics may be seen as purely syntactical. This has the advantages that (i) it has no particular application but a generality of application (ii) as it is not empirical, it presents as if certain.

But certainty requires consistency, and except in simple enough finite systems, proof of certainty is either (i) relative to another system, e.g., an abstract model or (ii) absolute in that the system is realized (semantically) in the world—but then the question of the certainty of the realization remains. Thus, except in trivial cases, certainty remains an issue. Still, however, there are two distinctions from the questions of certainty in science (i) the certainty of a syntactic system is of a different kind, which does not require semantic or empirical justification (ii) the transparency of syntactic systems may lead to near universally accepted and significant putative certainty.

There remain issues of uniqueness and completeness of the abstract models.

The issues of certainty, uniqueness, and completeness also pertain to logic.

LOGIC or logic, mathematics, and science

Can logic, mathematics, and science be put on a single footing? It seems not for the method of science seems to be generalization or induction from cases (or projection onto cases via hypotheses), while that of logic and mathematics is seems to be that of deduction.

But while these are among the methods, the comparison is invalid.

For the comparison ought to be that of arriving at a logical, mathematical, or scientific theory (uncertain, lacking absolute justification, which we have seen to be the case even for logic and mathematics), and derivation under the theories which has certainty—at least putatively.

Thus logic, mathematics, and science may be brought under a single umbrella, where the distinctions are continua rather than polarity of certainty. This umbrella may be named logic.

Further, even if it is argued that logic and mathematics have absolute certainty in simple enough finite cases, the same is true of science—by restricting the universe of application or by using abstractions of scientific concepts, there can be certainty in science.

Computer science

Meta-disciplinary study

The study of disciplines and application to the disciplines.

Realism and truth in the abstract sciences

Generalizing from the question of realism and truth in mathematics, some viewpoints on realism are (i) the objects are real and exist in this world (one interpretation is empiricism, which is largely abandoned in logic and mathematics today), another is Platonism, which holds that the objects are real but exist in another world—real (realism) or of mind (idealism, which is not necessarily distinct from realism) (ii) the objects are not real (formalism, constructivism, of which the latter includes intuitionism).

Some viewpoints on truth are, corresponding to the above distinctions, (i) truth consists in mathematics identifying objects in the worlds (ii) truth consists in valid proof under the viewpoint (formalism, etc). Under constructivism, the mathematical objects must be constructed and not shown by denying nonexistence.

From the real metaphysics, all non-contra-dictory systems must have real objects in the universe. The real metaphysics justifies realism.

A possibly useful distinction is that of ‘certaintism’ vs ‘non-certaintism’, the point of which is that under the latter we allow a degree of uncertainty and so there is associated risk which is balanced by a possibly greater outcome of results or application. That is, uncertainty is allowed because it may increase the expected value of the theory. The objection that non-certaintism would destroy the value of mathematics is invalid because the attitude would not be certaintism vs non-certaintism but would allow both. The true objection to non-certaintism ought to come from our attitude to and experience with risk.

Dialetheism

The term ‘contra-diction’ was used above. Let us explain.

A long-standing logical principle is the law of non-contradiction, lnc, —an assertion and its negation cannot both be true. The case for lnc is strong—(i) it seems intuitively sound, for example, how could it be both raining and not raining at a given place and time (ii) in standard propositional calculus, a contradiction leads to all statements being true (and to all statements being false) (iii) which would seem to destroy logic and rational thought altogether.

However, consider that if no thing exists, there is nothing, which exists. This is clearly questionable, but arguments for and significance of this and similar cases are given in dialetheism. Here, we accept and explain.

The main explanation is that the term ‘contradiction’ has more than one sense. One sense is words that stand in opposition, for which we use the term contra-diction. The second sense is that of the object of a contra-diction which is usually impossible and would be a contrareal. The apparent paradox above is resolved by noting that many but not all contra-dictions imply contrareals.

Thus, there may be true contradictions or dialetheia. The case is established and expounded in dialetheia.

The final and current conclusion of that article (dialetheia) is that all cases examined are relative dialetheia in that they involve conflation of meaning and so absolute dialetheia have not been establishes. Yet, dialetheia may be useful where meaning has not or perhaps cannot be disentangled.

How are dialetheias dealt with? One approach is to exclude them from the universe of standard propositional logic. A formal approach is to invoke a three valued paraconsistent logic, for which see a little manual for the way of being.

Concrete sciences

Physical sciences

Classical theories of particles and fields, special and general theories of relativity, quantum theories of particles and fields and their interpretations, standard theory of elementary particles and its problems, quantum theories of gravity—quantum loop gravity and string theory; theoretical and experimental cosmology, cosmological context and origins of the empirical cosmos, condensed matter physics, atomic – molecular – and optical physics, nuclear physics, chemistry and chemical origins of life, and turbulence.

Biology

Nature, variety, structural levels from molecules to multi-cell organisms, origins, and evolution of life on earth; co-evolutionary processes and mathematical evolutionary biology; human anthropology; exobiology and speculative biology.

Psychology

Study of psyche; primal, eastern, and western approaches; psyche: nature, functions, memory, dynamics; and growth and integration, especially as personality; the unconscious; change and changeability of personality; an objective science of experience; biological psychology; behavioral and group or social psychology; psychoanalysis and existential-humanistic theories.

Society, social science, and sciences

Society and its nature. Change and origins. Groups and institutions. Culture. Cultural anthropology. Civilization. Economics and politics. Law.

Analysis of society

Some detail for analysis, e.g., of equilibria:

Change and origins—evolution, dynamics: factors, stable vs unstable and transient.

Groups—person, family, small groups—e.g., clubs and bands, communities, villages – towns – cities – countries – nations – multinational alliances.

Culture—general; social institutions; language for expression, representation, and communication. Institutions of knowledge and information—creation and transmission: schools, universities, academies, and research establishments; distribution vs networking—physical and electronic.

Civilization—human civilization-(challenge and opportunity, see journey in being—challenges and opportunities) and universal civilization.

Economics and politics—science and philosophy. Local vs global. Economic: wealth and its distribution, money, producers – consumers, goods and services and their distribution, means of production – operators, e.g., ‘producers’ vs managers, resource assessment, economic feasibility. Political: rulers – ruled (governors – governed), rule by the few (aristocracy – oligarchy) – rule by the many (polity – democracy), appointment by force vs consensus, enforcement of rule vs rule of law). Political economy—the integration and intersection of politics and economics.

Law—creation, adjudication, enforcement.

Applied science

Method, research and development, design and planning, issues—from local to global to universal. Applied sciences have derivation from the abstract and concrete sciences and application to technology (more generally, there is interaction among the pure and applied sciences and technology).

Physical sciences

Technological sciences and engineering: drafting, engineering and its fields, industrial engineering and production management, and materials science.

Biology and psychology

Especially medicine and psychiatry, principles, fields, therapies, and therapeutic approaches—diagnosis and person (holist) oriented, and professions; physical science for medicine and psychiatry.

Social sciences

Principles and practice, fields, professions.

Abstract sciences

Metaphysics and logic—conceptual discovery of the universe; traditional applications to deduction (logic) and the traditional and modern problems of metaphysics—see metaphysics, above, and the document topics and concepts for the way under ‘topics in metaphysics’, ‘problems of eastern metaphysics’, and ‘problems of western metaphysics’. Note the sense of logic as including metaphysics, mathematics, and science in the way of being. Mathematics can be seen as the discovery of possible form and structure, with origin in study of and with application to our cosmos; however, from the real metaphysics, all mathematics has an object in the universe.

Science for advanced civilization and being

Examples—(1) up to control of the empirical cosmos and above and (2) embodiment of mind. Philosophical supplement—philosophy of mind, organism, and being; and the Advaita Vedanta and related systems of Indian Philosophy.

History

History

The nature of history; “the study of the past as it is described in written documents” vs “ambiguously used to denote either events or records of the past (‘historiography’ is used for history as record) … also ambiguous in denoting natural as well as human events, or records of either”; here, the more inclusive meaning is intended; methods; its instrumental or practical and intrinsic or ideal uses.

History of the world

The universe; the earth, life, origin of homo sapiens; pre-history and anthropology.

History of ideas

General ideas; history of culture, human endeavor, and disciplines.

History and the linear future

(It is not implied that the history of the universe is linear)

The use of history, reason, and the remainder of the system of knowledge, to talk of the future; what can be said at different levels of generality and abstraction vs what is conjecture and possibility; the possible roles of the hierarchy of being in the universe as we know it in the future—especially the roles of the modern cultural system as described here and the issue of whether the future will or may build upon it vs building may require return to a relatively primal or organic level.

Artifact and the created world – Design

Art

Art

Its nature; relation to metaphysics and to being-in-the world.

The arts

Literature, drama, music, painting, drawing, sculpture, and architecture.

Technology

Technology, its history, and use

What technology is; its development; and its transformational and utilitarian uses.

Elements of technology

Energy, conversion, and use; tools and machines; measurement, observation, and control; extraction and conversion of raw materials; technology of industrial production processes.

Fields of technology

Agriculture and food production; major industries—their technologies: manufacturing, transportation, chemical, extraction, mining; civil (buildings, highways, and other civil structures), mechanical, electrical, information processing (computation), communication and networking, knowledge, and information technology; military technology; urban community; earth and space exploration.

Technology for language, mind, and being

Speech, writing, and print; artificial intelligence, dual systems—mind computer interaction and interface, robotics, simulation, bio-machines, organism-machine transference of intelligence, (evolution of) civilization as human-machine-computer interaction.

Technology for advanced civilization and being

Select technologies from the foregoing items—and for the following.

Being and the universe – The ultimate

Transformation of being

Theory of transformation of being

The perfect metaphysics; with agency, intrinsic and instrumental (see templates for transformation). Evaluation of the present cultural system of knowledge, action, and exploration for the linear future (see history and the linear future).

Intrinsic modes of transformation

Ideas (analytic and synthetic)—the system of knowledge above, especially through art; earlier culture and tradition—yoga, mysticism, Beyul (immersion in nature as ground of self and perception), and other systems (e.g. primal and post-primal religion); existential approach (existentialism), modes of therapy, and transformation of body – psyche (consciousness studies, experience and nature, psychology, psyche as ground) – person (personality); other catalysts of transformation—alteration of environment, animal empathy, physical modes, e.g. rhythm and deprivation; immersive approaches to knowledge and becoming, politics and economics (complemented by metaphysics and science).

Instrumental modes of transformation

Culture and institutions of knowledge: research, communication, education; natural sciences, medicine, engineering, design, technology (see technology) and technological-ideational-shared civilization and population of earth and the universe; social sciences—economics and politics and effective local and global action on earth toward quality of life on earth and beyond.

Dual modes

The foregoing elements are not perfectly distinct and there is a cross-over.

Being the universe

Peak being is that which is ultimate; for which the universe is deterministic; is a phase—all is known; in other phases it is diffuse and potential—a disposition.

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