Comment 1. The term ‘existent’ suggests but is not limited to entities and may include processes, relations, concepts, words, and tropes. Further, as far as matter, mind, and spirit are real, material, mental, and spiritual objects are also existents.

Comment 2. The following material may be placed in a separate strikethrough section to be placed after the section, universe.

Comment 3. The existence of particular beings may be questioned. Introduce abstraction—to filter from observation, detail that is distorted. This notion of abstraction is essentially concretion and shows that there are beings. Anticipating the next section, it further follows that there is exactly one universe, to which all beings and kinds of being belong. Thus, if there are such kinds as matter, mind, and spirit, they belong to the universe.

Analysis

In validly talking of a particular being, we must know that the being is there. That is, we must have a concept of the being. The hypothetical being that cannot be known is ~~effectively~~ nonexistent. To exist is for there to be a real object corresponding to a concept. Even in talking of a seemingly unspecified being ‘a being’ is a specification or concept.

Why being?

In asking what is real, what is in the universe, and what is not, there is a tendency to think in terms of individual and cultural experience, which may (i) be distorted, (ii) limited, and therefore (iii) proliferate existents, kinds, and categories. Being is neutral to the distinctions explicit or implied in these items, and therefore avoids the errors they entail. This is part of its power (another part is that it can also be a container for our being). However, that lack of kinds and distinctions could be a weakness—it could even render being as essentially a void concept. It will turn out that the reverse is the case—that being is ultimately empowering, metaphysically (we will find an ultimate metaphysics and that we are on a low to intermediate rung of a hierarchy of being), and, as will be seen, epistemologically, axiologically, and logically.

An approach from being promotes the view that there is but one realm and what is called spirituality consists in seeing its entirety. This view turns out to be (i) true in itself but not in denying different as-if realms which are allowed and have purchase (ii) effective in seeing the nature and entirety of the universe (iii) effective in eliminating unnecessary kinds and even categories and a plethora of of resulting artificial conceptual conflicts.

Comment 4. That we are on a low or intermediate hierarchic rung is not a judgment of value but a ~~(judgment of)~~ fact. It is a judgment that our sometimes over-optimistic estimation of our place on the hierarchy is negative in its consequences—e.g., how we treat other humans and species and how we limit ourselves when we think ‘we are it’ or that ‘our knowledge is it’. The limit to ourselves is, especially, that in thinking we are at some apex of being, we limit our achievement in this world and beyond.

Universe

The universe is all being.

Cosmos

Comment 5. What lies beyond the empirical? Can we talk about it? Realistically?

A cosmos is a causal domain whose interactions with the rest of the universe are presently negligible.

Currently, our observation does not extend beyond our cosmos. Our cosmos is the only cosmos observed or inferred by humans with pragmatic necessity.

It is consistent with observation and reason for there to be limitlessly many actual worlds or cosmoses of limitless variety – i.e., for all possible worlds to be actual.

Comment 6. Note that ‘beyond’ does not mean only in space and time but also (i) within our world but at too low a level of interaction to be significant (ii) beyond spatiotemporal description or even above such description.

Laws

Comment 7. Here and subsequently, strikethrough is used to indicate brief vs more complete treatment. It eliminates the need for two versions of assertions.

A ~~natural~~ law is a ~~summary reading of a~~ pattern of behavior for a ~~domain of phenomena within or across a~~ cosmos at the present limit of observation.

As they are immanent in the world, laws have being—that is, laws are beings.

The void

The void is the absence of being – nothingness .

Existence and nonexistence of the void are equivalent. Therefore, ~~it may be said that the void exists—that is,~~ the void is a being. ~~That is—~~

The void is the being that contains no beings other than itself.

Since laws are beings, there are no laws of the void

Doubt should arise here and at various points below and is addressed in doubt and certainty.

Possibility

If a concept is intended to describe a being and

(i) it is inherent in the concept that it can exist, it will be said to be conceptually or logically possible (this entails a conception of logic),

(ii) it is consistent with the nature of the universe (or sub-domain to which the object belongs) it has real (relative real or just relative) possibility.

Comment 8. The structures that deductive logics allow are examples of logical possibility except where such a logic has known or unknown errors. In that our logics are not all logics, the deductive logics are just examples of logic in the sense in item #i, above.

Comment 9. The laws of physics, so far as valid, define examples of real possibility.

Real possibility presumes logical possibility. When an intended description does not satisfy logical possibility, a corresponding real object cannot exist. Therefore, logical possibility is the greatest or most inclusive possibility.

Ideal metaphysics

Comment 10. Metaphysics is knowledge of the real. The analysis so far develops and thus shows that such knowledge is possible, even if only elementary. The validity of the development is addressed in the discussion of abstraction in the section on being. The development will now continue beyond the elementary.

Non-emergence of a ~~logically~~ possible being from the void would constitute a law of the void would constitute a law of the void. However, since the void has no laws, all ~~logically~~ possible beings ~~must~~ emerge from the void. That is, the universe is the greatest possible—limitless—in the sense that it contains all ~~logical~~ possibility.

That is, the universe is limitless in the sense that all possibility obtains. Particularly, the universe phases eternally between peak being and dissolution to the void.

Further, since a being is the void and the being, every being is unconditionally limitless – realizes peak being ~~(which is not contradictory, for beings merge in the peaks)~~. While peaking is given, there are (must be) enlightened, effective, and share paths to the ultimate.

This concludes a resolution of why there is something rather than nothing, i.e., to the problem of why there is being at all. Particularly, there must be phases of nothingness but they do not and cannot span the universe.

This will challenge intuitions that serve well in ordinary and scientific realms. However, from limitlessness, except that logic obtains, laws and paradigms from a cosmos – cause, variation and selection, mechanism, quantum behavior, and coordinate measure – have no necessary purchase. This may summarily be written – for the universe, cosmological realism is suspended.

The limitlessness of the universe shall be named the fundamental principle of metaphysics (abbr. fundamental principle, fp).

The argument to the fundamental principle and its consequences constitute a framework that may be called an ideal metaphysics. The ideal metaphysics is perfectly faithful to its object and as a framework it needs to be filled out with content that may be pragmatically faithful at best. Later we will see that the system that results from filling out is perfect in a value sense.

It is effective to place further conclusions later, especially in the real metaphysics.

Experience

Experience and being

Experience is awareness in all its kinds and levels.

We are experiential beings—it is in experience that all significance registers and without experience we are ~~effectively~~ nonexistent (it is later seen that ‘effectively’ may be omitted).

The hypothetical being that does not register in experience is ~~effectively~~ nonexistent.

The structure of experience

It is effective to develop the structure of experience later, in real metaphysics > dimensions and paradigms of being > the structure of experience.

Real metaphysics

Introduction

The ideal metaphysical framework shows that all beings realize the ultimate but not how to best realize the ultimate or what the ultimate is.

Real metaphysics

The perfect metaphysical framework may be supplemented by what is at least pragmatically valid in the system of ~~(human)~~ knowledge. The perfect illuminates and guides the pragmatic and the pragmatic illustrates and is instrumental toward what is revealed in the perfect. The join is not perfectly faithful to the real. However, in terms of the value of ultimate realization, as our best instrument toward guaranteed realization it is perfect. The join is named the real metaphysics or just the metaphysics.

While the real metaphysics has application in our world via, e.g., theories of science, how does it apply across the universe? It began in the ideal metaphysics, with the universe as the realization of possibility. It continues with dimensions and paradigms of being, below.

Dimensions and paradigms of being

Source or study topic 1. Aristotle’s Categories, Categories, (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

See essence of the way - short.docm for details of headings and content.

The concepts

Dimensions (i) are similar to categories, i.e., the highest kinds (ii) will include being itself (existence or existents without further qualification) and based in the co-category or co-dimension of being that is experiential being with subject – experience – object aspects (iii) include low level and pragmatic aspects of being, e.g., as known in a world or cosmos (and will be classified as pure and pragmatic in just the senses that the real metaphysics has pure and pragmatic sides) (iv) emphasize explanation and prediction therefore emphasize paradigms of behavior regarded as characteristic of our world.

The paradigms are general characteristics seen in the sciences rather than the sciences themselves.

The structure of experience

Experience

From experience, omitting ‘effectively’ as justified by the metaphysics—

Experience is awareness in all its kinds and levels.

We are experiential beings—it is in experience that all significance registers and without experience we are nonexistent.

The hypothetical being that does not register in experience is nonexistent.

From the metaphysics, it may be ssen that—

The universe is (effectively) a field of experience – from limitlessness, experientiality (i) cannot be inherently pervasive but (ii) can reach down in primitive form to elementary objects (i.e., to elementary levels of description) (iii) is therefore, effectively pervasive as an experiential, i.e., subject-relation-object field.

The main structure of experience

The structure of experience is (a) experience of – the subject or as-if mind (b) the experience – the experiential relation (c) the experienced – the object or as-if material.

Comments

In what is called pure experience there are no real objects but may be potential ones.

Matter and mind are neither affirmed nor denied but may be regarded as ‘as-if’ ways of speaking about experience.

Elementary distinctions

The structure will be based on the following aspects and distinctions

Source or study topic 2. The little manual has finer distinctions.

State

Bound – free (if there is free attachment to objects, there are intention and free will; that there must be free will follows from the metaphysics),

Quality – form,

Imperative (high intensity) – contemplative (low intensity),

Self – world (inner – outer),

Elementary – compound, reflexive.

Process

fast (seems like state but integrated) – slow (observed) – quasistatic (so slow as to not normally be observed per se but noticeable on introspection or retrospection, e.g., as in personality formation, growth, and change)

The structure of experience in detail

Comment 11. Collect and finalize detail.

Experience itself

See experience.

Subject aspect

The subject side has reason (perception and thought via intention to fact and inference), emotion (with feeling, especially pleasure and pain), value (e.g., ethics and aesthetics, which results from reason, emotion, and selection), and will to action.

Object

The object side includes person (self, body, mind), community, and world.

Relation

The subject side connects to the object via intention, will, and action.

The dimensions and paradigms

Pure

Experiential being, which subsumes subject – experience relation – object.

The general paradigm—as realization of possibility under logic (as explained in possibility).

An inclusive path paradigm is yoga understood in a broad sense, in process, inclusive of philosophical (and scientific) and technological categories. For western and Christian readers, yoga may be supplemented by mysticism in action.

Pragmatic

Pragmatic dimensions are categorized (i) according to the above aspects of experience (ii) and then, according to divisions of human knowledge and experience (pure or abstracted aspects included).

Object aspect of experience

A western emphasis emphasizes disciplines and paradigms from philosophy and the science (with justification from the metaphysics).

Metaphysics and abstract sciences

Metaphysics

Metaphysics as science (with epistemology, ethics, and logic), i.e., philosophy as general knowledge.

Abstract sciences

Abstract sciences – symbolic systems, linguistics, ideal metaphysics as an abstract science, formal logic, mathematics, computer science.

Paradigms for metaphysics

General logic

Concrete sciences

The sciences

The sciences – physical, life, social, and psychological; and their application including exploration of space, time, and the universe.

The social sciences and technology

Some detail on the social sciences and technology is relevant, especially to exploration of the universe from the as-if material side – sociology (individual and group, one and all, few and many), politics, economics, law, technology, exploration, resource location and extraction, and culture.

Culture is conceived as knowledge development and transmission and includes tradition, art, religion, and entertainment.

Paradigms from the concrete sciences

Paradigms include indeterminist (random) process; formation by incremental variation and selection to form (e.g., void to transients to structures to cosmoses and particles to molecules to replicators to species to species); causation and mechanism – with and without probabilistic process; groups – formation and process.

What is the role of these paradigms? Logic in its pure form allows worlds and beings that we would normally think of as absurd; the paradigms enable estimation of probabilities or likelihood.

Subject aspect of experience

Exploration of and with mind – metaphysics (knowledge, its development, and paradigms) and meditation (yoga is implicit, for though yoga transcends the subject-in-a-limited-sense, in reality the subject is not separated from the object).

Paradigms are similar to those of the object side.

The subject side is elaborated in the structure of experience in detail > subject aspect.

Joint considerations

E.g., economics as study of value; spirituality as creation of limitless value with cost in risk and pain.

General logic as paradigm

In possibility, logic was deductive logic. It may be extended to further include establishment of necessary fact, e.g., that the void exists. Parallel to the notion of argument, this extension may be called necessary or formal argument. While the establishment of logics is inductive, argument under them is deductive. Similarly, establishment of scientific theories is inductive, while deriving conclusions under them is deductive; and the establishment of facts and conclusions under then constitute argument which is good in some sense but not necessary. Given this parallel between necessary and good argument, they may be collected under one umbrella notion and labeled general argument or general logic. General logic contains both necessary and good but not necessary establishment of fact and inference.

General logic is the paradigm of being.

Category Theory, (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

Essence and summary of the dimensions and paradigms

Dimension—experiential being.

Theory—real metaphysics.

Paradigm—general logic.

Method

Metaphysics and general logic

The metaphysics implies that all ~~logically~~ consistent conceptions are realized.

Comment 12. That we do not experience all possibilities in our world is not contradictory, for the world is but one possibility. In and beyond our cosmos, the realization of all possibilities constitutes the universe.

Comment 13. Some possibilities seem absurd. Examples are that the world was created a moment ago, complete with histories and memories, and will be destroyed in a moment seem absurd. Similarly, that the world is nothing but the content of my consciousness, also seems absurd. That the world is as in the big bang cosmology seems robust. To rule out the absurd, and to rule in the robust we appeal to the paradigms. Incremental adaptation makes robust worlds more likely, and the fact it takes beings capable of high level perceptivity to experience such worlds makes their apparent preponderance great.

Imagination

Possible worlds

Source or study topic 3. Possible Worlds, Possible Objects, Impossible Worlds, Modal Fictionalism, Haecceitism, Leibniz’s Modal Metaphysics, all from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Binaries – opposites – and continua

Informal

Reflexive

Metaphysical

Epistemological

Axiological

Aesthetic, ethical

Logical

Limitlessness of being

It has already been seen that “the universe is limitless – it phases eternally between peak and dissolution to the void”.

Comment 14. Further conclusions now follow—with some repetition.

It follows that every being is unconditionally limitless, i.e., realizes peak being~~, for otherwise there would be a limit on the power of the universe~~.

~~The limitlessness of all beings also follows since a being is the void and the being. This is not a contradiction, for beings merge in the peaks.~~

While peaking is given, there are (must be) enlightened, effective, and share paths to the ultimate.

The limitless universe has identity; the universe and its identity phase eternally between peak and dissolution – are limitless in extension, duration, variety, peak of being and variety of peak, and dissolution; all beings inherit this limitlessness; birth and death are real but not absolute – in birth we emerge from potential to which in death we return; if we do not see this in human form we can know it (as here) and there are higher forms in which we will see it – in the peaks we see and are all.

Comment 15. The following to be reviewed for adequacy of the elements “reflection, valuation, and action—thought and emotion – pleasure and pain”.

There are efficient shared paths to the ultimate, which are a balance of reflection, valuation, and action—thought and emotion – pleasure and pain.

Cosmology

Cosmology is the theory of the variety and extent of being ~~over sameness, difference, and property~~.

General cosmology

The theory is general logic.

There is no distinction between real metaphysics and general cosmology except for emphasis—the metaphysics focuses on depth, the cosmology on breadth.

Cosmology of experiential being

General cosmology as experiential cosmology

Hierarchy of being

Cosmology of form and formation

In form we find symmetries and causation. The cosmology of form is the theory of behavior under form and formation. It is part of general logic.

Whereas cosmology of form is and has theories, these are locally but not ultimately foundational. The ultimate foundation is metaphysics > general cosmology in which there are explanations of form and formation starting from nothingness or, equivalently, from any being.

Physical cosmology

The theory of the general features of our cosmos based in cosmology of form and general cosmology (and modern physics).

Value

Comment 16. Add…

Doubt and certainty

General doubt

Doubt is important where we want reliability with confidence ranging from good to certain.

It is important that there are purposes for which we ought to have doubt about doubt. One such purpose is that living with risk may have better outcomes than any principle of certainty is the best option.

Doubt about the proof of limitlessness of the universe

Doubt ought to have arisen regarding—

A. The arguments—the basic issue being the existence and properties of the void,

B. The conclusions—for they seem to go against science and ordinary experience.

The following responses arise

A. The meaning of existence is that there is an object corresponding to a concept. We normally think that the object must be manifest. However, even if the universe is nonmanifest, the void is there. That is, for the void, the nonmanifest and manifest have the same meaning. Thus either (i) the meaning of ‘to exist’ must change in moving from ordinary objects to the void or (ii) the (deep) meaning of ‘to exist’ must be already different from the naïve meaning in ordinary and common philosophical use. That is, since the void is by its nature nonmanifest, it is manifest in the sense of being there. I.e., for the void, nonexistence is equivalent to existence.

B. The conclusions do not go against ordinary experience or science for they lie beyond the empirical boundary and there are contradictions only with projection of experience and science beyond the empirical.

Comment 17. Further, alternate proofs may be given.

Yet doubt may remain. Given that essential doubt should arise regarding existence of the void, the following options arise—

1. To regard the existence of the void as one or both of (i) a postulate for metaphysics – an ultimate system of understanding of the universe and beings as ultimate (ii) an existential principle to guide living and action.

2. To reject and abandon the system developed here.

Enlightened pathways

Enlightenment

Comment 18. In other documents, this may be ‘An enlightened pathway’; word ‘enlightenment’

Realization of the ultimate and its value are given; pleasure and pain (physical pain, doubt, anxiety) are unavoidable; however there are enlightened and efficient paths to the ultimate in which enjoyment (the ‘sum’ of emotion, particularly pleasure and pain—but note that emotion and cognition are intertwined) is ideal.

An enlightened pathway synthesizes (a) living well in and for the world (b) process toward the ultimate. It sees that pleasure and pain are unavoidable and seeks enjoyment via ~~four ingredients~~:

(i) Intelligent and shared negotiation and enjoyment of paths—given that entire experiential being is agent and object of realization, full realization requires full participation of being in be-ing and becoming (particularly as in dimensions and paradigms of being),

(ii) It learns from but does not just follow prescribed ways, even with understanding—leaders arise but are not (seen as) sources of absolute truth.

(iii) Seeing that pleasure for its own sake need not be avoided, but paths emphasize pleasure in being on the way—on the path,

(iv) Addressing pain by (a) healthy living – physical, mental, communal, and spiritual (b) the able giving aid to the less able or fortunate and where appropriate, ~~the best~~ therapy ~~of the time~~, and, especially—

Enlightenment that avoids illusions of ideal perfection but seeks a pragmatic balance of emotion, pleasure and pain, perception and reason, will, and action on shared paths—which, as far as reasonable, seeks process through and not around pain.

Comment 19. Regarding emotion, pleasure and pain, perception and reason, will, and action – have the italicized in one place and link or paste special from all other uses.

Enlightenment pertains to being on pathways to the ultimate; in received religion, enlightenment is often thought to be ideal perfection; however, real perfection as emerged here sees it as a balance of the ideal and the work – even struggle – of being on a path.

Attributes and issues

Dimensions and paradigms of being

Pure

Dimension—experiential being, i.e., subject – experiential relation – object.

Paradigms—for being – universe as realization of possibility under general logic; for beings – yoga or uniting of beings and being.

Pragmatic

Subject

Structure and processing of experience— emotion ~~(feeling, with enjoyment, and pleasure and pain)~~, intellect, intention ~~(will)~~, and action.

Comment 20. Revise other accounts accordingly.

Object

Metaphysics, science.

Focus – self, community, world, ultimate

Other

Individual with group—a see dimensions and paradigms of being for details.

Immediate with ultimate.

Every day with universal.

Here -now with everywhere -everywhen.

Risk with security, doubt with confidence.

Acceptance – be-ing – contentment with stirring – seeking – becoming.

Means

Comment 21. Consider order

General

The real metaphysics of the universe as experiential being emphasizing yoga, meditation, limitlessness, science, technology, and dual object-subject exploration of experiential space.

Received

We do not present received religion here but note that readers may supplement the narrative with their preferred tradition. Received ways and masters are informative but not merely followed (religion, philosophy of, …and science), e.g., Christian mysticism, the four truths and the eightfold way of Buddhism.

About religion and its use

Comment 22. Get religion – what, eightfold; combine with discussions of religion below.

What is religion?

Meta-questions

How can we best conceive religion? Is it via empirical study, finding common elements and differences among what are called the religions, and (i) in a simple or naïve empirical approach, leaving it at that or (ii) in a rational approach superposed on the empirical, analyzing the empirical results for essence?

But that has deficiencies, (i) the pre-judgment in appealing to institutions named religion without a concept of religion (ii) the idea that an ideal can be extracted even from the ‘best’ institutions of a limited species (we are a low rung on the hierarchy of experiential being)?

How can we escape these apparently inescapable limits? We need an ultimate picture of the world to frame the question and its answering. However, it is commonly thought that we have no such picture and on this view we will forever flounder without any finality, no matter how sophisticated our analysis (except that we may by chance hit upon finality). But we now know that that common thought regarding our limits is only partially correct—though the pragmatic side of the real metaphysics is limited relative to purist conceptions of knowledge, the pure side is not so limited – is ultimate. We might supplement this knowledge by asking “How would an ultimate being conceive religion?” (a similar approach may be used for metaphysics itself and indeed is implicit in the way of being).

What is religion?

Sometimes its estimation is limited by the limits of self evaluation and the sometimes conflict of science and religion.

The real metaphysics suggests the following.

What is the name of the activity of entire being in search of all being? We identify it as the essence of spirituality and religion in their views and shared practice. They are framed by the real metaphysics.

On the use of religion

Comment 23. Religion and other ways – ‘cults’, ‘secular humanism’, varieties of religious experience…

See means > about religion and its use, above.

We may use the religions for suggestion but not as dogma or as limiting.

Pathways

Personal—beings

Defined above in dimensions and paradigms of being.

Universal—being

Defined above in dimensions and paradigms of being.

Program

A range of time frames

The program below is an amalgam of (i) the goals and elements of my life (ii) general options for planning focus of an individual-as-individual-as-communal-and-for-discovery-and-realization as a flexible routine. Readers may construct their own program from the program below.

Defining the program

The morning and the day items are daily and may be set up in a daily routine.

The path is a life endeavor and may be set up as a program for periods from a week through life, death, and beyond.

Morning

Awaken early – affirmation of being, dedication to realization, meditation on sustaining an attitude of achievement and equilibrium with others through distraction and pain, review priorities and how and when to die.

Recognition of ground issues—safety, security, focus on the way, health issues (medications, diet, mental and physical exercise, sleep), and discipline.

Morning tasks—medications and treatments, open files to edit, walk – stretch – vitamins – breakfast – fluids, set times and reminders.

The path

Developing and foundation for the way—ideas, experience, reflection, study, cowriting and editing, publishing, and presenting.

Living the way (one’s way)—ideas, attention to self – meditative and physical, immersion in nature and the real, attention to community – social action (see elements of being for aspects), attention to spiritual being, relations and networking, acting roles.

The day

Pressing and urgent action—being present to the real – emptiness now, security, safety, money, place, and pushing the way.

Daily and weekly tasks, lunch, review of plans and planning, preparation and planning for travel and immersion.

Exercise—aerobic, stretching, light weights; excursions and photography.

Evening rest and review, preparation for the next day, relaxation, social activities, networking; sleep early.

Summary

path programs—(i) morning routine and tasks (ii) the way – foundation and transformation, with relationships and sharing (iii) pressing and urgent agenda – emptiness now, security, safety, push and execute the way of being at personal and world levels (iii) tasks and lunch (iv) exercise (v) pm routine (vi) sleep early.