Recent updates to Journey in Being
(horizons-2000.org)

Now The Way of Being

This page has not been updated since 2012

2012

An account of my hike in the Trinity Alps. 2012.html

Archive has details of materials written 2010-2012 and much earlier material. Latest versions of the main ideas of the site are Journey in Being and an in-process working document

2011

A great if indirect spiritual journey and learning this year. What was written entered above for 2012

2010

November 18. Here is the latest version of Journey in Being. It is the short version that I have been thinking for some time that I should write. Why such an edition? (1) The exercise will force me to think through what is essential and to think through that material carefully (2) The work will not be as daunting as a 'long' (300 + page) version. The idea of a long version is daunting because such a version is not necessary even if useful (see Journey in being-detail.html and Archive.) It would have many good ideas but I must at least temporarily let go: I want to move on with the remaining phases of the journey (transformation and others.) I must stop focusing on 'contributing' and direct focus to what is essential to the journey. And I must admit: I am a little tired of the grind of writing: the exciting initial write in which ideas flow, but then the grind of editing, selecting keywords for an index, formatting the document so that it can be used to generate Internet and print versions... so much of this is so very tedious (3) The short version will omit details of information for and experiments planned in the transformation phase. When the phase is underway, I will then be able to select what has been useful and write up information and experiment as a second volume. This will be effective (4) Communication and revision will be more effective

November 18. I have been working on streamlining the Home page for the Journey in Being website

February-November. I have been accumulating material in one place and organizing the material. This has been hard, painstaking work. Goal: since I know I will probably never see my work as perfect, the goal is to put in a good effort and publish what must remain imperfect

February 18. Slogging through 'writing.' Used a macro (right click and select Save Target As to download) to automate adding concepts from a source document that are missing in a target document

January 8. I have retired. I choose to retire relatively early—as soon as social security retirement income became available. I hope this means that I will be able to do more of what I enjoy and that includes (1) the experimental phase of journey in being—the transformations and (2) refining the ideas and essays. But in addition to doing what I enjoy—ideas, writing, travel, nature, experiments in being, people—I want to be open to new experience. I woke up a few mornings ago and thought 'I want to undertake a spiritual journey.' It is important that I do not think of 'spiritual' and 'mundane' as distinct; there is one realm, one world, one Universe—not two or more. There is of course much that is unknown (to me) and there is also the aspect of the Universe that speaks to my inner being—in its aspects of meaning and significance. The sense of spiritual journey is inner and outer and the relation between inner and outer—the relation between text, ritual, art, and especially place... and inner: ways to be and see and have inspiration. A paradigm text is Ian Baker’s The Heart of the World: A Journey to Tibet’s Lost Paradise, 2004

The most recent version of Journey in being (now replaced: see above: November 18, 2010)

Brief introduction to Journey in being

Algebra of being—another way of conveying the power of the concept of being

2009

This year is open. It is to be an experiment. 2009 shall begin after my 2008 vacation—early November 2008

Deepening of my understanding. My understanding of the ideas and their relation to action and transformation has deepened. For now I provided only generalities, I may elaborate later. Examples include the framework for intuition; the nature of abstraction as I have used and developed it; the nature of the divisions of metaphysics—general versus special: it is the special metaphysics that is not grounded and for which grounding is needed; the relations among metaphysics, cosmology, and applied metaphysics and the foundations of applied metaphysics as the interaction between metaphysics and the local disciplines so that the limits of local knowledge are the inherent limits of the disciplines—that the limits are attained without further work is not implied but the relation shows approaches to this attainment; the nature of Objects and the identity of particular and abstract Objects; the significance of the abstract Objects for the transformations—this is new; the nature of variety, process, mechanism, and mind in general cosmology; the nature of relations among cosmological systems; how Identity may have continuities through Void states; the being counterpart to becoming and transformation; the nature of the method is significantly enhanced and, significantly new, implications for traditional method are developed; and, finally, I am getting clearer about the ontological, epistemic and existential status of the development and the nature of the contributions

A struggle to write. The writing has become a struggle because (a) of my near obsession with comprehensiveness and detail; (b) not wanting to let any idea fall by the side, getting it right—fortunately I do not insist on perfect perfection and though this is a personal inclination, the degree of perfection to be achieved is a part of the theory; (c) wanting at the same time to be brief; (d) attempting to reach technical and general audiences; (e) my desire to engage in other activities—the experiments, having a social life outside work, various details of my life; and therefore, (f) a decision that the present version shall be final in the present phase of my life

Journey in being.html—the latest and in-process version

The future of religion.html—I wrote this after looking at the text of a debate “Collision: Is Religion Absurd or Good for the World?” between Christopher Hitchens and Pastor Douglas Wilson — at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-hitchens/collision-is-religion-abs b 326673.html

What's new.html—Others who are not versed in the fundamental ideas often ask What is new in your work? Recently a friend commented, your ideas amount to Anything is possible—and that is not new, it is commonplace. The brief piece, What's new addresses these issues

2008

Thanksgiving update. A final version of the main essay (2010 in hindsight I should say A 'final' version.) Target date March 2009

The accomplishments of the final² version. Note that there's a similar version written earlier this year. Compare the two for consistency and change

General. Theory of Intuition, Metaphysics, Logic, Objects, Cosmology, Normal worlds (e.g. our cosmos and its inhabitants) achieve a final form

Substance theory shown untenable; this was done earlier 2004-7 but the demonstration is now seen in clear relief. Being, which here may be taken to designate 'no theory of the real in something other than or behind it' is supreme. Form is a coherent idea. However, it is not Platonic form in that it does not reside in another world. Immanence, too, is other than Platonic immanence. Platonic immanence is the imprint or immanence of another world in this. Here, however, there is no other world, no imprint. Form is already in the thing and requires only to be recognized. The present immanence is more than immanence. There is no immanence other than being. While form in this new sense obtains, its significance is diminished for, first, it is part of the thing and, second, it is subsumed by the idea of the Object

Intuition. The meaning of Intuition is that of Kant. This is perhaps the main philosophical use of 'intuition.' Here, however, Intuition is extended from Kant's use in referring to perception to also include 'reason' which may be interpreted to include all of cognition and emotion. I.e. the content of intuition is all conception in the sense of mental content. In Kantianism the forms of intuition are primarily those of space, time and causation. From the immense and growing success of the science of his time (Newtonian physics, Euclidean Geometry) Kant concluded that intuition apprehends the true structure of the world. We now know that though excellent local approximation, that science is far from Universal. The key character of Intuition in the present use is that at outset we make no claims regarding its perfect faithfulness or lack thereof or universality or lack thereof. In other words the outset position regarding intuition is one of agnosticism. This approach used repeatedly in the developments of the main ideas is one of immense power. It is, roughly, the elimination of the habit of substance thinking in our approach to the world. The absence of commitment (which does not imply that there should be no practical commitment) is immensely freeing, it is being-in-the-world, and powerful. The absence of commitment is reflexive, i.e., it is not a commitment to 'no commitment' hence practical commitment and, importantly, it allows for the emergence of either no precise knowledge, the extremely unlikely opposite of 'all knowledge is precise, and the in between 'some precise knowledge.' A concept of abstraction is introduced that is not abstract as other than the object or remote from the object but is one of abstraction of detail so that what emerges is empirical and is of the object. Details that require precise discrimination are those that are eliminated and this yields the objects 'existence' 'all' 'difference' 'some' 'none' which are known faithfully, empirically. These correspond to being, Universe, difference and its dimensions of space time and so on, domain, and void. These 'necessary objects' found and ground the metaphysics.

Metaphysics is the study of the world (Universe) as it is. There can be only one true metaphysics that can of course have many forms. The Universal metaphysics is shown to be that metaphysics. It is ultimate in depth (theory of Objects) and breadth (Cosmology.) This metaphysics may be formulated 'Logic is the only law of the entire Universe.' Though it may be founded in Intuition an independent but abstract (in the other meaning) foundation is possible. The value of the intuitive approach is the founding or grounding in the individual so that the metaphysics is not remote. The pure metaphysics is the metaphysics of the necessary objects. General metaphysics is the development and elaboration of the pure. The metaphysics is immensely non-trivial even though its development is transparent. Yet there is a certain remote feel to it even though it is immanent and not at all remote. Applied metaphysics is the result of the intersection of metaphysics and local studies. The term applied metaphysics is used even though it is not true metaphysics, i.e. the knowledge that results is approximate or distorted even though immensely useful. While applied metaphysics exemplifies, even though in approximation, the general metaphysics it is also immensely enhances the understanding of the special disciplines

Logic. The foregoing is definition of Logic (hence the capitalization to distinguish from actual logic or logics.) Even though a definition it is far from empty for logic and the logics are subsumed by it—at least as approximations

Objects. The Logic may be interpreted 'the entire system of consistent descriptions is realized.' This founds Logic as an Object and the theory of particular and abstract objects. The distinction between the particular and the abstract is one of approach to study and is not intrinsic to the object. I.e., abstract objects may reside in space and time and may have causation; however, in particular cases the spatiality, temporality, and causation may be abstracted out so that the absence of these qualities is factual rather than intrinsic. This is an immense insight. Implications include that particular objects are not particularly concrete and abstract objects are not particularly non-concrete. The theory of abstract and particular objects enable development of a theory of variety that is enhanced by the later theory of categories (Normal worlds)

Cosmology. General cosmology is the general theory of variety and this includes process, and therefore 'origins' and 'ends.' The first topic in general cosmology is the description of a variety of being and its significance for human being. The main results are the theory of variety that the only inaccessible states are the non-Logical and these are inaccessible because they cannot exist; thus the Universe cannot be more varied than it is; and a theory of Identity that says the individual is equivalent to the Universe. The apparent paradox is resolved via the idea of the Normal according to which the apparent necessities of this world are Normal, which includes immensely probable, but not actually necessary. This shows that the experience and discovery of variety is far more interesting and constitutes a far greater adventure than does the discovery of depth and its absence. The remaining topics, enabled by the metaphysics, include the study of death; process; mind; space, time and being. These studies have an ultimate character with far reaching implications for our Normal world and its sciences, such as physics and physical cosmology and the study of human mind

Normal worlds. The first topic is local cosmology which includes physical cosmology. There is a foundation of the understanding of space and time and the question of their absolute versus relative nature. Universal space and time to the extent that they may be are relative; local space and time may manifest as either relative or absolute. There are clear implications for relativity and quantum theory including the theory of the vacuum; these implications are left for later development. One consequence is that though the speed of light may be 'locally universal' it is not and cannot be truly universal (the local universality to the degree that it obtains is not the universality of a fluke but reflects that the 'speed of light' is the speed of propagation of all fundamental forces.) The remaining topics are the study of the human and social worlds. Fundamental to these studies is analysis of mind and language that are fundamentally empowered by the metaphysics. The development also takes up a study of the extant human modes of knowing and experience and their limitations; this paves the road to understanding and acceptance of the Universal metaphysics and its consequences, especially to the psychological resistance to the ideas. Finally, there are immense consequences for faith and religion and a novel and necessary encompassing notion or concept of religion is introduced

Journey. The journey in transformation is necessitated by the incompleteness of ideas as realization and further motivated by doubts about the Universal metaphysics. It may be noted though that the metaphysics itself implies that despite its absolute character the local being is most free and most universal in its being-understanding when it approaches the world without a priori commitment either to any particular way of being or seeing and without a priori commitment to judgment (commitment) or skepticism (impossibility of commitment.) The metaphysics leads to further clarifications of the approaches to transformation. Transformation continues to remain open and in-process

Method. Clearly there are immense contributions to method. These have recently been consolidated, clarified, and their understanding vastly simplified. This result is due to the universality of the metaphysics, the grounding in intuition and maturation of the system of thought. 'Principles of thought and action' are included in the chapter on method and these concern approaches to the successful construction of valid systems of thought and transformation; they are not presented as absolute or necessary but there is a sense that they are more important than method (even though method is not regarded as necessary but is 'what method may arise' and 'arises in interaction with content' for after all method is about the study of content which is in the world even though we often feel it to be not of the world and this is implicit for when made explicit its absurdity is manifest)

History. This final topic discusses the immense implications for history and the use and value of history. The chapter also takes up the impact of the developments on the history of thought. The final section assesses the contribution of Journey in being

What lies ahead. There is both light and foreboding. I feel my immense energy being diverted to other ends. I sense that my energy to the end of writing about experience and so on draining in favor of experience itself. This is no doubt the sense of nearness of death (it is nearer when you are 61 than when you were 21 but the sense is not factual but that of the necessity of living in the shadow of a certain finitude despite final identity with all being.) And the question arises how much of the drain is this finitude of normal energy, how much the felt need to divert energy, how much the shadow of the finite, and how much the foreboding due to choices made and acts committed

August 23, 2008

Another year...

Journey in being has two primary phases, Ideas and Journey or transformation. Over 2004-2007 I began to feel that the ideas were sufficiently complete to begin with 'experiments in transformation of identity and being.' In each of these years there was a published version of the main essay; the goal was, invariably, 'perfection.' In each of the years there would be ideas of various kinds for improvements and new material... and material to be deleted. Therefore, each year the result would be that while earlier material acquired 'finished' form the new material would be in a state of being thought out and in a state of incomplete integration into the work

This 'requires' the writing of a new version

Perhaps all thought and activity is like that...

One reason that there is this annual cycle of events is in the way I structure my year. My annual vacation is over September-October. I use this period to explore ideas and experiments that inspire my thought and writing over the coming year. Over the rest of the year the inspiration is turned into finished form. Therefore, at the outset of each vacation, it is useful to have a final version of my thought...

This year, I have taken a different approach to writing. The plan has been to not aim for finality. This, I hope, will permit me to move on to the phase of experiment

New ideas and versions...

Intuition. This concept has become important in the development. Kant's concept was the intuition of perception. My concept is an extension of Kant's: intuition as the intuition of perception and reason, i.e. conception in the extended though rough sense of 'mental content' (opposed to concept as the complement of percept.) Kant's foundation was inspired, on the perception side, by Euclidean Geometry and Newtonian mechanics that was thought in his time to precisely describe space, time and causation. We generally know now that our description of space, time and causation is not known to be more than local: and my theory of being has shown that our local sciences are immensely local. On the perception side, I have found the necessary Objects to be those for which perception is perfectly faithful and, indeed, for which faithfulness has explicit meaning. These Objects include being or existence (the sense in which existence is an Object requires and is given development,) all being—the Universe, part or domain, and absence of being—the Void. On the reason side, Kant referred to classical logic. It is not widely appreciated that despite its apparently necessary nature, logic—the classical and other actual logics—has an empirical, experimental nature. On the reason side I have shown from the 'fundamental principle of metaphysics' that there is a concept, the ideal Logic, non-empty and powerful—it contains what is valid in the logics—is necessary. The necessary Objects pertain to all being; the Logic is the one Law of all being, i.e. of the Universe. Thus, within Intuition there is a powerful and necessary system that forms a framework for thinking of being

Metaphysics. The core of metaphysics, i.e. the pure metaphysics is this frameworkLogic. I realized that Logic as the only limit on the actual states of the Universe 'defines' Logic. Since this implies that the logics, especially the principle of non-contradiction, are available to elaborate core metaphysics and cosmology, the definition is not 'mere'Theory of Objects. The concept of Object as perhaps the fundamental concept of metaphysics has become clear. The partial Objects such as Law and Form and the 'non-material' Objects such as relationship and universal are also—particular—Objects. In the previous year I had shown that there is no categorial distinction of pure and abstract Object, that the thing-like appearance of some of the particulars makes them special to us but not special among Objects in general. What I had shown is that an Object is particular or abstract is according to whether the perception or reason side of Intuition is of primary use in the study of the Object. Regarding location in space, I showed that abstract Objects do not lack spatiality but that spatiality is abstracted out of the nature of the abstract Object in the nature of its conception (the abstraction out of spatiality may be partial or total.) In the example of number it was seen that the idea of number must have begun as particular, 'evolved' into the abstract when it was found that symbolic reason was more powerful than the empirical in relation to number and that with the semi-computational proof of number theorems, number has again come to have empirical side. The example illustrates the non-categorial nature of the distinction of particular versus abstract. This year, I have consolidated this understanding of the nature of the particular and the abstract within the fold of the idea that the Object is the fundamental concept of metaphysics

The Object. Thus the two 'sides' of Intuition constitute an Object. There is identity among Intuition, metaphysics, Logic, Cosmology, Ethics—and truth, and aesthetics. Although every Contingent world has a contingent side, it is in itself necessary (fundamental principle)

Cosmology. The nature of cosmology as the theory of variety has become clearer. From the concept of Object, variety includes process, 'origins' and 'ends,' and dynamics. From Logic, the grasp or understanding of variety has become clearer. Details of the variety of Objects, Logical Fictions as the only fictions has been seen in clearer relief. The relation between general and local/physical cosmology has become clearer

Ethics. In clarifying 'Object,' ethics has become clearer. Details in the essays, especially the latest, below. On the practical side there is a question about the ability of thought to dictate ethics / morals. It is also questioned what relevance our ethics may have in universal realms. Perhaps we can approach this question by noting that some morals are more or less global while others are local

Contingent worlds. A primary characterization of the journey is its travel in contingent worlds whose perimeter is the perimeter of the Universe. I am using 'contingent world' rather than 'human world;' the latter remains fundamental in that it is 'us' who are the subject of this journey. The understanding of human being / human world continues to receive clarification

Secondary phases of the journey. The secondary phases of 'journey,' i.e. action and instrument, continue to receive clarification. 'Instrument' refers to experiments with being but not directly of the experimenter's own identity; included are physical, psychosocial and technological realms; 'method' includes experiment, symbolic study, hybrid study

State of civilization. 'Civilization' is an important theoretical and practical concept. 'State of civilization' continues to emerge as an important practical concern

Versions. Journey in Being-New World-essence.html—2007, Journey in Being-2008.html—2008 in-process, talk.html—first version of presentation essay, Journey in being-presentation.html—second shorter version, Journey in being-PowerPoint presentation.html—third and final and even shorter version, Journey in being show.ppt—presentation (Journey in being.html—html version of the presentation)

2007

September 21, 2007

I haven't made an entry here in almost a year. Still, much of significance has been accomplished, especially in the latest version Journey in Being (2007)

The logic of the metaphysics is improved with a distinction being made between necessary objects whose existence can be given absolute demonstration and contingent objects whose existence is probable. The rejection of substance theories and the nature of the foundation in the void is clarified—determinism is the implicit dual of substance and is also rejected and the role of proof versus analysis of meaning versus recognition of what is given without assumption in demonstration is clarified. The articulation of the metaphysics according to demonstrations based in the concept of the universe, versus the concept of the void, versus the concept of domain is articulated. That the existence is probable means that the existence of an object that corresponds with some (reasonable) degree of 'likeness' to the concept is probable and, perhaps, highly probable; and, perhaps, that the existence can be certainly demonstrated on appropriate conditions regarding the nature of the world

The following topics have had their foundation raised to a uniformly high level: the concept of being, the understanding of experience, a foundation of existence in experience which is not to say that existence depends on being experienced, the idea of demonstration and proof in metaphysics, the theory of objects, logic and meaning, mind, cosmology; the nature of the human world and human being with especial focus on freedom, the structure of psyche and society, the nature of emotion and its essential integration in psyche, the categories of intuition, the relation of freedom to language and morals, and the nature of faith

In the theory of objects the distinction between abstract and concrete object and the nature of both have been clarified. It is found that the distinction is not one of kind but is one of whether symbolic or empirical study is most illuminating at the given point in history

In the chapter cosmology, the nature of space and time are further clarified and there are numerous minor developments of this kind

2006

November 3, 2006

11:00 AM. End of my annual vacation… I trudge back to work this afternoon

Journey in Being-New World is the latest edition. Will continue to edit and make brief additions and modifications; however this is the final edition until I find an alternative work situation or until there is a compelling reason to write a new version

I may write two alternate versions of Journey in Being-New World: (1) a simpler version and (2) a version that proceeds through system of terms, definition, axiom or given, proof, clarification, example and application much in the way of Spinoza’s ethics

Minor modifications to Experiments in the Transformation of Being-New World are being entered to the e-script (electronic version of manuscript) and will be uploaded to the Internet before the end of November

September 21, 2006

Preliminary version of Experiments in the Transformation of Being-New World. This is to be expanded, as the experiments are done, as the Vol. II of ‘Journey in Being.’ Vol. I will retain the Foundation and focus on ‘experiments in understanding’ while the material on transformation of body and identity of individual and world will be placed in Vol. II which will focus on actual transformations

July 9, 2006

The short version is Journey in Being-New World

This brings the phase of ideas to an end; the next phase is that of experiments in being and identity. See Experiments in the Transformation of Being

January 19, 2006

I am writing a short version of Journey in Being organized around the key concepts. There are two main earlier versions: the 2003 and 2004 versions. The 2003 version incorporated the fundamental discoveries of 2002 regarding being. The 2004 version was a step toward understanding of the nature and depth of the discoveries and breadth of application to metaphysics and mind, logic, cosmology, human being and society, to understanding and founding faith and religion, to a variety of academic disciplines and to the possible transformations of being including human being. There is an in-process 2005 version that continues the process. However, the 2005 version has become difficult to manage because of the huge amount of detail that has been generated. I have therefore deferred writing a highly detailed version until I am able to apply myself to that task on a full time basis. Meanwhile it has become imperative to ‘move on’ with my life in a number of ways; my present work situation has become unsatisfactory to my objectives; and I want to take up the transformation phase of the journey. However, it is essential to get the recent advances in my understanding down on paper for what started as a few ideas together with a superstructure of metaphysics and cosmology has become a tightly woven system of great depth and breadth. This is the function of the current short version (2006)

Although this version is to be short it will contain the essentials with regard to depth, understanding, and breadth of application

2005

September 30, 2005

Home page redesigned, and supplementary description added. Repetition has been eliminated, the layout has been made easier to take in visually, functionally similar elements have been placed together, the placement follows standard Internet layout, there is an introduction to the journey on the home page (with supplementary links to one page descriptions) that enable the reader to form an of the content of the site without going to the detailed essays, the essays have been put together in one place and site links in another, the site-map has been retained for detailed navigation, and the search has been incorporated into the home page. Here is the previous home page and an older one

Progress in the latest version of Journey in Being includes numerous refinements that focus around the Theory of Being and its implications. The origin of this theory is relatively recent (October 2002) and I continue to realize its implications, e.g., for a uniform treatment of the objects of metaphysics, for metaphysics itself, for logic (the concept of logic) and cosmology, for human being, society, and faith and for the academic disciplines and for the dynamics of transformation

My plan for this year’s ‘journey’ to the mountains: experiments in transformation

June 20, 2005

Search this site with Google

June 18, 2005

Substantial progress with the latest version of Journey in Being, Journey in Being - 2005; also see In process links

Here is a review of the progress of Journey in Being since its first formal edition in 2003

Journey in Being - 2005: the latest version. Currently in-process. Anticipated completion: September 2005

Journey in Being: Whereof one cannot speak: September 2004 version

The Logic and Concepts of the Journey in Being: July 2004

Journey In Being and Prologue to the Journey in Being: June 2003. The original and first version to include a number of fundamental new ideas: The Theory of Being and its basis in pure logic; the original consolidation of my thoughts on mind - its nature, the mind-body problem and its resolution, the categories; consolidation of my thoughts on social and political theory and action…

2004

December 8, 2004

My response updated see entry for November 20, 2004

November 20, 2004

Notes from ‘Journey 2004’ i.e. thoughts and travels

A friend wrote of his faith in a literal interpretation of the Bible; of the role of argument and experience [miracles] in his conversion. Here is my response

November 9, 2004

Supplements to the ‘September’ edition of the print version of the Foundation web page. The first Supplement to the September edition has already incorporated to the web version; the second September Supplement II, in progress, the result of my thought on my recent travels, has not yet been incorporated. Plan: complete Supplement II, eliminate it after adding its contents to the main Supplement and to the Foundation resulting in the final edition before embarking upon further travels, search for further opportunities, ‘Experiments in the Transformation of Being,’ and, later, the remaining phases of the Journey [simulation of being, group action, Horizons Enterprises, and ‘After the Journey’ as described in the Foundation and in Journey in Being]

October 1, 2004

Ten Questions on Being fundamental questions on the nature of being and existence. A brief consolidation of learning on being

The questions are designed to show the importance and source of the fundamental questions of the theory of being and illustrate how and what is learnt in answering the questions. It is shown that answering the questions draws upon all experience and accumulated knowledge and, in turn, sheds light on that experience and the possibilities of becoming in the light of the ultimate’

Foundation revised again. Print version, the ‘September edition’ of 2004 also revised and has been described as ‘polished’ by some readers. Available at cost which is about $15.00 and includes printing, mailing and handling i.e. going to the post-office. For details write me a note by going to the contact page or send $15.00 to Anil Mitra, 4510 Valley West Boulevard, Arcata, CA 95521

August 11, 2004

Foundation for Journey in Being brief version, revised again for clarity. Also published as a print edition, the ‘August edition’… Supplements to the August 2004 edition

Here, the foundation in the void, established October, 2002, has matured. Visit the page for further information

July 15, 2004

Foundation for Journey in Being, brief version, updated

June 19, 2004

Printable documents, Knots

June 2, 2004

What is ‘Journey in Being’?– brief statement

May 31, 2004

History of Thought and Action complete. Purpose: data for [1] possibility of trends, prediction and understanding… and e.g. what kind of trends i.e. while some kinds of trends may be unpredictable this may not be universal; [2] identify focal events and individuals for further study; and [3] History as interaction of thought and action

History of Thought and Action is a compilation from John A. Garraty and Peter Gay, eds., The Columbia History of the World, 1972 and is not presented as an original document; however it is useful for Journey in Being. It replaces the earlier documents ‘History’ and ‘Thinkers and Actors’

April 22, 2004

Journey in Being and Metaphysics revised to incorporate some aspects of the Foundation and Outline

April 21, 2004

Journey in Being: Foundation and Outline first version complete

Journey in Being Site: Version II begun as a version of the foundation and outline

April 10, 2004

Introduced a new Outline for Journey in Being; incorporates elaboration of the new [2002 – 2003] foundation based in the void i.e. the elimination of substance ontology and substance as foundational and the elimination of infinite regress

The new Outline will incorporate Brief version of Design for a Journey in Being and outline for Journey in Being

April 7, 2004

Revised, streamlined Design for a Journey in Being

March 30, 2004

Updated Survey

March 22, 2004

Brief version of Design for a Journey in Being and outline for Journey in Being

March 17, 2004:

Revision of Journey in Being, Prologue to a Journey in Being, Metaphysics, Experiments in the Transformation of Being, Experiments and Concepts in the Variety of Being previously The Variety of Being which was previously Computers, Beings and Minds, Action, Influence, Charisma and Change: Societies and the Course of History previously Influence and Change

Journey 2004 Planning; Knots

Journey 2003 Log; for ideas from Journey 2003 see New Ideas for Journey in Being, especially items dated 9.01.03 and later; and, the above revisions

Something new… psychiatric issues: Treatment Planning, Research Topics of Interest in an Inpatient Setting and related topics

Immediate plans: streamline Design for a Journey in Being and add sources for political philosophy; complete History and link / combine with Thinkers and Actors and History of Western Philosophy; streamline New Ideas for Journey in Being and finalize outline and plans for Journey in Being; upgrade Kinds of Knowledge; upgrade Prologue to a Journey in Being; advertise; placement work, activities, location

March 9, 2004:

First version of New Ideas for Journey in Being complete. The plan for the ‘New Ideas’ is to cycle through a number of revisions of increasing coherence and maximal simplicity consistent with the needs

Highlights: review of the underlying logic of the void; nature of the void; philosophy of space and time; alternative statements of the principle of being; the study of influence is history; ‘eliminating’ concepts of mind; tightening ‘slack,’ the usefulness of slack and the concept of ‘slack;’ construction, criticism and the ultimate; noumenon and phenomenon: rethinking the issues; revision of ‘mental axes’

Highlights for Journey in Being and its outline: changes in overall organization: concepts from Divisions 2 4 may be placed in Division 1, retain only essentials; changes in overall logic of the metaphysics theory of being and cosmology promoted and knowledge demoted from the point of view of being as such; concept of logic; being and its general characteristics improved definition and logic, universalization of the idea of experience [mind] and the fundamental distinction of bound and free elements in mind; ontology; entities in being and becoming; the being of all being and the elements of being; general cosmology foundation and elaboration improved, developments in physical and actual cosmology; categories immanent or imposed the importance of the distinctions: the one universe, the present phase-epoch, and grids of coordination; mind understanding, universalizing the concept, eliminating unnecessary and retaining essential slack; mind foundation of the categories, introduction of ‘humor’ whose meaning is ‘algebraic,’ and redefinition and foundation of the mental axes; knowledge and symbol: improved treatment; improved treatment of the history of problems in metaphysics and those problems; a variety of changes to Divisions 2 4

Highlights for History of Western Philosophy: synthesis with other philosophy, with ideas, with general history; the concepts of philosophy, of history and of history of philosophy and their interaction

However, the completion of the revision, the incorporation in Journey in Being, and the execution of the remaining phases of the journey will be done selectively with weight attached first to Experiments in Transformation and conceptual considerations as adjunct to the experiments; then to the remaining phases [Variety, Action;] to the document Journey in Being and its logic as in New Ideas for Journey in Being; to certain personal needs; to the phase ‘After the Journey’

February 7, 2004:

Metaphysics lexicon: a multi-language lexicon for the understanding of the world in its general and essential aspects. This project is just begun

Languages: English, French, German, Greek, Latin, Sanskrit

Purpose: a brief encapsulation of the essential understanding as I see it and from a variety of world traditions

I have been intending to introduce the multi-language lexicon for some time. I am not assuming that such a project is capable or incapable of essential completeness; and such completeness as may be possible or even practical is not the goal. While the purpose of Words, language, metaphysics is similar, the latter document also seeks to elaborate detail and to see what may learning may result from the details and their various organizations

New Ideas for Journey in Being are beginning to mature; check the document frequently for updates until all recent ideas are recorded, that is where ongoing work will be focused

January 26, 2004:

History: a new document; framework for Journey in Being, History of Western Philosophy, Thinkers and Actors [A History of Influence.] The document is currently a framework but will be one way to [realize and view] structure to Journey in Being that will show and lead to new interconnections and insight

Note: the document is currently a compilation from John A. Garraty and Peter Gay, eds., The Columbia History of the World, 1972
…and makes no claims to originality of thought or effort

January 24, 2004:

In the update of December 6, 2003 I said that the new ideas for Journey in Being were not yet available on the Internet. That continues to be true but I want to mention some of the main new ideas informally here as a preliminary organization of the structure of changes to come:

Introduction, Some Preliminary Notes on Conceptual and Other Changes to Journey in Being:

Here, I had placed a list of proposed improvements to . These changes are now in New Ideas for Journey in Being

Recent developments:

Meanwhile the site, http://www.horizons-2000.org has been relatively static i.e. no significant changes since about August 2003. A number of reasons for this have been noted see, especially, the December 6, 2003 entry…

‘Recent developments,’ a study of history:

… an additional reason is that I have been studying the “History of the World.” I have been using the 1973, Columbia History of the World, John A. Garraty and Peter Gay eds. as a starting point. Some motives for this study are to enhance: my sense of the important ideas, events, individuals and movements of history; my sense of history for which, even though any account is colored by perspective, I think a good account or a number of good accounts, is at least as important as any theory of history including a theory of the impossibility of theory or at least certain kinds of theory; as an additional framework for Journey in Being; as an addition to my outline of topics for future study; and because I am able to get a sense of the intricacies, the interrelationships of peoples and cultures of ideas and actions, the sublime and the trivial, the necessary and the random and, for all these reasons and more, for sheer interest

2003

This is the year in which I completed the first version of Journey in being

December 6, 2003:

This is an update to the entry posted December 6, 2003

I returned from my Journey for the current year on October 31, 2003 but, in a way, the journey continues. Whereas the first task upon return, in previous years, has been to reorient myself to another year of transforming the rough ideas from my travels into a more finished form and integrating that into my existing work, this year my mood continues on in the journey mode. I feel two needs that contribute to the change. First, I do not want to enter into the extremely demanding technical exposition and elaboration immediately; I would rather remain in the mode of creation and wait till thought is more mature before translating into writing. Second, I feel a need to make changes in my life… some thoughts from a letter to a friend elaborates upon this:

“My notes are still in rough form but I will let you know when I incorporate them to my site. Regarding ideas, it would be difficult to outdo the inspiration of the previous year but I have been able to translate the fundamental insight [the equivalence of the universe and the void] into analytic terms [e.g. that the only unrealizable concepts are those that contain real logical contradictions] and have been able to see a way in which the noumenon/phenomenon distinction breaks down. My favorite moment in nature was watching a black bear climb and forage without [I think] knowing that it was being watched. I spent a week as a tourist in the state of Washington; first a few days in Seattle that I enjoyed, a day at the San Juan Islands, a ferry ride with my truck over to the Olympic Peninsula where I “took in” Olympic National Park [especially enjoyed the rain forest] and “the most Northwest point in the lower 48” i.e. Cape Flattery situated in the Makah Indian Reservation

“I will probably incorporate the ideas into the page “Ideas” [its one of the links at the bottom of my home page] but am not in a hurry to do that [and I don’t know when I will incorporate the ideas into Journey in Being since that would be a huge task and needs time and care] as my priority this year is other opportunities: the compromises of my present situation, a solution to my ambition, are no longer working well and I need fresh air, I want to be in more focused and more immediate contact with that ambition… with my life, with life. Adding to the incentive to move on is the fact that I feel unappreciated at work

The new ideas are now available, starting at 9.14.03, in the page New Ideas for Journey in Being for the Journey in Being narrative

~~The new ideas are not currently available but I will be entering them, starting at 9.14.03, to the page New Ideas for Journey in Being for the Journey in Being narrative~~

These trends mark the beginning of a new phase [see the entry for July 23, below.] From the Prologue:

“The next phase is a return to the focus on the experiments described in the second section of the main essay

“As far as knowledge and ideas are concerned, I must again turn away from what clear light I have seen and toward intuition and diffuse light to sense and seek what further truth there may be”

September 26, 2003:

Comments on how to think about the concept or nature of knowledge and concepts; role of knowledge in the Journey in Being New Ideas for Journey in Being

September 19, 2003:

Improved considerations for the philosophy of space, time and matter entered to New Ideas for Journey in Being

September 17, 2003:

I am preparing to leave, once again on my annual trip my “journey” into the mountains in the Trinity Alps. I return to the Trinity Alps because they are beautiful, less traveled than the Sierras and other better known ranges… and to develop and maintain a sense of place. As has become my custom, I will be traveling solo. See Objectives and Itinerary for my 2003 Journey

This year my emphasis will be: Experiments in the Transformation of Being including meditation, presence and intense physical activity i.e. hiking and climbing; review of the logic of Journey in Being especially that of the Prologue; reflections on the nature of human group action especially politics and the possibility of theory… see Ideas and Action, Influence, Charisma and Change

Minor changes to the website continue… plans for change and modification are in Ideas and Design for a Journey in Being

August 29, 2003: I have been taking a holiday from the intense work that ended July 23, below. It is more than a break but also incubation an inner search, not quite fully conscious, a search in the world of diffuse light, hazy boundaries, pastels and greys… It is anchoring to occasionally return to note an idea or record the need for a correction:

New Ideas for Journey in Being is a compilation of ideas since the end of a phase

Useful Links now includes links for political philosophy, religious philosophies [but not philosophy of religion for which I have not found anything satisfactory,] philosophy of education, links for the Human Knowledge Project, a link for course materials in philosophy, and links to Hippias: Limited Area Search of Philosophy on the Internet, Noesis: Philosophical Research On-line, and The International Association for Computing and Philosophy who have plans for an Online Library in Philosophy

July 28, 2003: some world library resources added to the Useful Links

July 23, 2003: First version of Journey in Being completed. The end of a phase marked by the working out of a Metaphysics of being and its application to knowledge, mind and consciousness the elements and mind / body issues, action, cosmology including time and origins and causation, and the synthesis of ethics, being and knowledge; and its development for the remaining phases of the Journey the core essays below. See the Prologue for some further details

For some time into the foreseeable future, updates will be relatively minor and mechanical

Following are the latest updates:

Journey in Being™ - final version of the current cycle

… the most up-to-date and comprehensive account of my thought as of July 2003. The original intent was that Journey in Being would be an overview and introduction and details of the phases would be in the four main core essays. Currently, Journey in Being incorporates the entire text of the core essays with a somewhat different arrangement. In all the essential topics, I have accumulated, revised and condensed my ideas that may have been scattered in numerous documents and with varied degrees of completeness and levels of sophistication. Journey in Being is not a mere accumulation but integrates my thought and experiments at a number of levels. Thus, the four main essays are interactive and mutually dependent e.g. the concepts of the metaphysics constitute a basis for the experiments… and, as another example, within the metaphysics the theory of being is a foundation for and draws from the cosmology and the treatment and concept of mind. Although I continue to maintain other essays, where the subjects overlap Journey in Being supersedes the other documents which, due to the comprehensive treatment of being [the universe] in Journey in Being is almost always the case for central topics. Thus, the treatment of mind far exceeds and incorporates that in Map of Mind, Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness and all older documents on the topics of mind, its nature and elements and on consciousness. I maintain the older documents since they may contain more detail and, possibly, insights that I may have overlooked in writing Journey in Being

Design for a Journey in Being

Main core essays brought up to date and current with Journey in Being™

Metaphysics | Experiments in the Transformation of Being | The Variety of Being | Action, Influence and Change

Transcendental Logic or the third transcendental method an original contribution despite similarity of the terms to those found in the literature added to History of Western Philosophy

Prologue to Journey in Being™ further improved

Journey in Being™ Website – final version of the current cycle including Horizons Enterprises™ Proposal and related documents

Site-Map …

Elementary topics for education

Updated

Wild Places to Live | Short List of Plans, Equipment and Supplies

Mathematics and its Foundations | Anti-quotes

June 12, 2003

Prologue improved

All essential older material imported to Journey in Being™, History of Western Philosophy, and Evolution, Design and the Absolute

Numerous documents eliminated or “cleaned up”

Revisions of the essays close to being complete:

June 4, 2003

The Prologue to the Journey in Being is now available in a convenient short version

Revisions of the essays continue

June 2, 2003

Journey in Being™ – a prologue has been added. The prologue describes the main problems and developments. Since much was discovered in the writing of Journey in Being™, the prologue is an opportunity to look back and see the document in the new perspective created while writing the document. Thus while the document itself is immersed in the old, transitional and new vistas, the prologue is a vision in the new perspective

Revisions of the essays continue; there is no point to listing all… here are some revisions

May 20, 2003

Journey in Being™ – editing continues; additions include metaphysics and the possibility of logic and knowledge, additions to the discussion of ethics, additions to plans for machine simulation of being and mind, plans to add brief discussion of social / political science and metaphysics and power to the final division on action and influence

Revisions of the following essays and documents

April 20, 2003

Journey in Being™ complete; a milestone contains

Universal / personal journey

A culmination of the transcendental method applied to: the nature of the universe, its origin and equivalence to nothingness and cosmology; knowledge and being; mind and being –functions, atlas and dynamics; ethics and being; metaphysics and its essential problems

Transformations and dynamics of being; classical disciplines of dynamics of being and perception: vision-quest, yoga and meditation, dreams and hypnosis and nature and use of dreams; journey-quest; experiments in dynamics and transformation a system of experiment, a complete minimal set of experiments over the possibilities of being

The varieties of being: hypothetical, possible and actual; machine as being machine and computational intelligence and designs for machines as mind / being with applications

Action and influence with emphasis on charisma and system [patriarchalism and bureaucracy;] emphasis on the social sphere; arena of change nature of nations; practical concerns sources of charisma, sources of influence including theatres and platforms of change, institutions; dynamics of change and social theory; cultivation dynamics and platforms of change

Experiments in the Transformation of Being complete

Narrative of Journey: 1997 updated and reformatted for accessibility

Evolution and Design updated and reformatted for accessibility

March 31, 2003

New version of Experiments in the Transformation of Being in process

New version of Influence and Change. Action Links for Influence and Change is new

February 24, 2003

I have been engaged, since October last year, in drawing the different parts of the Journey together. This has required much discipline since, initially, the activity required much effort with little immediate reward. However, beginning in early January of this year the effort became rewarding. Some major theses came into clearer focus, yielded to simple and direct proofs [even though understanding and not proof was the original objective], the structure as a whole became coherent and various secondary issues such as my earlier mind / body resolution became much clearer. The foregoing comments relate to the theoretical structure of the Journey roughly labeled “Metaphysics” that is the content of the section Knowledge and Action of Journey in Being™. The theoretical clarity obtained in Knowledge and Action is translating into a clarity and simplicity with regard to the central part of the Journey, the Transformations of Being and to the secondary parts The Variety of Being and Action and Influence

Journey in Being™ now includes:

An improved and much abbreviated treatment of the variety of being that includes at one end, hypothetical beings and, at the other machines including computation. The treatment is Computers Beings Minds.

An improved version of my 2001 treatments [resolutions] of the mind-body problem and the special case that David Chalmers called the “hard problem” of consciousness

The resolution of the mind-body problem includes a “revision” of the concept and nature of mind that includes a distinction between mind-as-humans-experience-it and mind in general that is parallel to the distinction between matter-as-experienced and matter as it appears in the sciences of matter, primarily physics. Also included is a stance, definitely anti-Fodorian, that allows the fundamental entities to have “aboutness” which also must be reinterpreted at the elementary level and distinguished from human or animal intensionality

An analysis of the concept of existence

… and a treatment of issues with which I have been living for a long time:

The equivalence of nothingness and all being. I think I will call this the Principle of Identity. Note that nothingness is a defined concept and no conclusion should be made regarding my use of it [especially thinking that it has anything essential to do with the connotations of the word as in Heidegger or Sartre] without reviewing my meaning / use

The equivalence implies: no universal causation, no determinism which of course is known but the equivalence makes this analytically stark and obvious. The equivalence also provides a foundation for: “something from nothing”; why there is something rather than nothing; pre-foundation of quantum mechanics / relativity; and “proof” of:

The Principle of Being

The Principle of Meaning the resolution is the simplicity of the principle. The simplicity is made possible by the affirmation of the Principle of Being

A grounded treatment of language, knowledge, and mind

A treatment of the concept of LOGOS and its relation to the real

General cosmology

The necessarily integral nature of metaphysics, cosmology, ethics and, through LOGOS, of logic

Reorganization and foundation of Experiments in Transformation of Being and the secondary phases of the Journey: the Variety of Being [Computers, Beings and Minds] and Social Action [Influence and Change]

January 7, 2003

Anti-quotes

2002

Year of the fundamental insight for the metaphysics. I had had the intuition that the Universe and the Void are equivalent and that this equivalence would be fundamental in the development of metaphysics. However, proof that the Universe (as I or we know it) is equivalent to 'nothing' eluded me. The insight occurred in October of this year, after coming out of the Trinity Alps—in the shadow of mountains—as I approached my favorite coffee shop in Weaverville (it's my favorite because the coffee is good but especially because I used to have coffee there with one of my favorite people of all time.) The insight: to look at the Void itself and its properties. Many other insights were also required but this one was fundamental because it more or less forced many of those other insights. A fundamental aspect of the central insight is that the Void contains no being and not just no thing. Putting aside the concern that my concept of the thing is not the thing, that the Void contains no being entails that it also contains no Law. What is Law and why is it capitalized? In physics, for example, a law may be an equation which is our reading of some pattern that is immanent in the world or part or phase of the world. What is immanent, the pattern, is (an example of) Law. Thus the Void contains no Law—and this is the source of the fundamental metaphysical principle that I later began to call the fundamental principle of metaphysics. It is the source of the first form of the fundamental principle: the Void which is the absence of being contains no Law. Note that the use of 'being' is fundamental because if the Void was the absence of things in our typical conception of things, then the Void might still contain laws and perhaps Laws. However, the absence of being entails the absence of Laws (and as seen later of all Objects.) In the beginning this was not all very clear to me. Later, I realized that I should conceive of the Universe, simply, as all being (and not just as the physical universe or as our cosmos.) Therefore there is precisely one Universe and the Universe contains all Laws (and Objects.) This is profound for if a creator is external to what is created, the Universe can have no creator. Later, I recognized that I had been assuming the existence of the Void; I was able to use the fact of being to show the existence of the Universe and, from there, to show the existence of the Void. In turn, I was able to prove another and immensely important form of the fundamental principle: There is no limit to the variety of being (in the Universe) and its corollary Our concept of the limit to the variety of being in the Universe is subject only to Logic. Notice how the concepts of Being, Void, Universe, and Logic dovetail. A further concept not mentioned in this paragraph but instrumental in the proof of existence of the Void is the domain. The concept of experience is also implicit in the foregoing but was later developed explicitly. The abstract metaphysics that resulted has its own foundation but may be founded (grounded) in intuition (in a specified meaning of intuition.) In the years since the insight, I have developed this articulate system of concepts and its elaboration and immense consequences

December 29, 2002

More Links

December 28, 2002

Influence and Change now contains brief outline of Social Theory. Work on the new version of Journey in Being™ continues. Journey in Being™ is the central essay for this site. The introduction outlines the main ideas and actions. Four subsequent sections outline the four main areas of the journey. Each area has its own essay that elaborates on descriptions, actions, “proofs,” explanations, includes descriptions and analysis of classical works. This structure encourages and allows for interactive revision of content and especially of ideas and concepts. The word re-vision may be interpreted literally. The structure is a representation of the sum of thought and action

I am installing a larger hard drive to my computer and this will enable me to install new software, capabilities. I already have the software capability to create and construct complex documents, web pages and sites, to program in C++, Fortran, Basic [Visual C++, Digital Visual Fortran, Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Applications] for general purpose, scientific, engineering and mathematics applications, to work with desktop publishing, spreadsheets, images, presentations, communication, scheduling, finances, management… To this I will be able to add data base management which will enable me to treat the knowledge and action system of Journey in Being™ as a database. This will further enhance the re-vision of the knowledge base. Those of you who have been following this site will recall that I had designed such a system, using Microsoft Access, in 1998; this system was able to assist with high level conceptual analysis for the knowledge base for Evolution and Design. I have been without database capability since giving my desktop computer to a friend [actually for the nominal sum of $200.] Incidentally, my current laptop functions dually as desktop and I compensate for the lack of a secondary system by careful backing up locally and to my website

A few comments on the structure of the site. A friend noted that my writing is becoming “simpler” and would I be retaining my longer essays that she sometimes found “fun” to read. The reason for the simplicity is twofold. First, I am better conceptualizing the system and seeing it in its wholeness. Second, as part of an effort to be more accessible. However, the longer essays will not be discarded. The structure of the site is as follows. First, the main and core essays as described above. Second, a small number of secondary support essays such as History of Western Philosophy and Magic and Religion. Third a number of older, longer essays especially the milestone Evolution and Design essays that are no longer foremost in my thrust but remain full of ideas, information, insight… essays that were at one time part of a thrilling new vision thrilling because of the scope, depth and infinitesimal detail. Fourth, secondary older essays that may be useful but that I may never revisit. Fifth, a number of up to date essays/scraps that contain key new ideas waiting to be integrated and absorbed; these may be short or quite long. Finally, a class labeled “miscellaneous” that includes whatever was not included in the foregoing. This includes what will be the remnant parts of the current core essays once the re-vision is complete

December 19, 2002

New version of Journey in Being™ [in process]

November 25, 2002

In the background: we are working toward the second ‘incarnation’ of the site, Journey in Being™. Work had been building up from the details for about a year. As an example, the various modes of transformation, e.g., meditation, Yoga, dreams, Journey in Nature, dynamics of the real were combined into the single Experiments in Transformation of Being. This has shown a way to reorganize the single essay according to the fundamental principle of the dynamics of the real and then to define a minimal set of transformational experiments. Similarly, all the other core essays are now seen in relief in their essential form. This is especially true of the central core essay Journey in Being™. Thus the total concept and organization is now re-perceived, again, from above and work is, again, top ® down. Every core essay is now seen in its essence as is the site. The result is that the site is now undergoing a transformation. I am making changes in the local version on my computer and I anticipate an upload by January 1, 2003. Much of the detail will be condensed, much will be discarded and much will remain; the remainder will live on in a ‘detailed but older’ version of the site that will be accessible from the main site. Treatment of the detail will be left for the future as the Journey itself is calling

November 16, 2002

Useful links revised: links updated, broken links deleted, links added. The list remains eclectic. Research on the distribution of sites on the Internet, has shown that, despite the proliferation of sites in any field at a given time, there is a small and determinate set of gateway sites that receive most of the traffic, are linked to most often and are the most reliable and useful. My set of links for General Philosophy and Philosophy of Mind attempts to provide an introduction to the current “gateway set” for General Philosophy and Philosophy of Mind. Remember, though, that much of the useful literature in philosophy, especially the older literature, is not accessible through the Internet. Plans for the future include expanding coverage to other topics that are central for Journey in Being™

SearchEngine Directory revised

October 21, 2002

A new version of Design for a Journey in Being™ that is reasonably well organized and not overly repetitive. The concept is well implemented, finally and the document is broken up into parts most of which are of reasonable size… but there is still one large download that will be pared down soon. The main thing: the Design is getting closer to being a dynamic document and closer to the goal of being a good design… Metaphysics contains the outline mentioned below

October 16, 2002

Upon return… Influence and Change emphasizes the practical ways of action and influence in social change to be balanced, later, as necessary, by conceptual treatment of social institutions and dynamics. With Influence and Change, there is at least one essay in each of the four paths or phases of Journey in Being™ [you will find the home page sufficiently renewed to justify its inclusion as an update.]

Upcoming essays [documents, pages, articles] that were inspired by my recent hike in the mountains:

…a reworking of Central Design and Planning for simplicity, achievability within reason, and accessibility… and with a new name that emphasizes renewed commitment: Design for a Journey in Being™

…a new outline of Metaphysics that completes the break from the origin of Metaphysics in my study of mind. This new outline emphasizes metaphysics in itself and focuses, first, on the possible concepts and possibility of metaphysics; the existing concept of metaphysics, dating back to Aristotle, is given context within a metaphysics of action. I want to stress, again, that when I conjoin a disciplinary study [metaphysics, knowledge…] with action I am not primarily emphasizing the ethical and practical connections but, rather, the metaphysical necessity of the interaction: that knowledge and action do not exist without each other. The new outline of Metaphysics emphasizes that [and why] metaphysics and the conditions of knowledge are joined at the very foundation. The main topics are Cosmology and Being; it is not felt necessary to give a full treatment of all classical problems of metaphysics but there is a section that outlines the classical and modern problems of metaphysics. Some of these problems determinism, mind-body and the nature and possibility of substance are central to my concern with Cosmology and Being and, so, the classical problems will receive treatment. Cosmology is not physical cosmology and provides an approach to the foundation of being, of space and time and, through a logic of necessity, of quantum mechanics. This foundation of quantum mechanics does not require the standard mathematical apparati of wave / matrix mechanics and, at its level of abstraction, the foundation does not by itself, currently, provide for the solutions to the classical problems of quantum mechanics. However, the foundation does demonstrate that the mathematical formalism is not necessary to understand the quantum mechanics. Metaphysics covers: the concept of the universe there is only one, the object with perspectives on the Kantian analysis, an implicit contradiction contained within the concept of materialism, a distinction between dualism of modes of description and ontological dualism and an implicit denial of real dualism that allows for an as-if dualism, the idea of the thing-in-itself, the concepts of space and time and distinctions and relations among the percept, the concept and the thing, the question “Is there a universal time?”, new reflections on [what has been called] the fundamental problem of metaphysics, on science and metaphysics that science is not outside the realm metaphysics and discussion of the apparent paradox in the ideas of metaphysics as “beyond physics” and as “the science of being as being”, thoughts on the reality of LOGOS and the distinctions actual or otherwise on the separateness of the “worlds” of LOGOS and “our world.”

…plans for new outlines for Computers, Beings and Minds and of Experiments in the Transformation of Being. The outline of the latter will emphasize [1] the integration of the apparently different transformational modalities with a real dynamics of being and [2] a practical set of experiments [simple, achievable again, within reason, and accessible.]

…you will notice that I have just mentioned new outlines for four core essays one for each of the paths of the Journey in Being™. This is part of a plan [program] to have each core area available in simple, yet comprehensive form. It is the simplicity that permits the comprehensiveness [in the senses of being a logical whole, of covering the essential information] and accessibility. Each core essay will refer to one or more secondary essays that will cover a field or sub-field with technical concerns and elaboration of information. The core essays aim at a simple language as far as is possible without loss of precision and logic and without insult to the intelligent reader

October 2, 2002

…this entry is written at dawn as I prepare to hike in the mountains [Trinity Alps of Northern California] for two weeks. Two weeks of sun-filled mountain air, perhaps a storm or two, living among the deer… inspiration. At some time in the future I will spend a year…

The Theory of Knowledge just a quick summary a preparation for my trip, part of the data upon which to reflect

Words, Language, Metaphysics finally complete. Of course, nothing I write I find is ever finally complete. This is the way it is and should be. Long ago I had dreams of a complete synthesis that would, I suppose, not just represent the universe but would be it. But is not everything capable of becoming more sometimes “less is more”. Becoming and dissolution the way of everyday, of every being and of all being the one universe. Anyway, back to the here and now. The version of Words that is now on the web has various Word Systems [words for transformation, words that refer to mind…] of which some are still in a state of nascency. And, there are so many ways in which the structure can be made more “tight” and the form polished. Part of the issue is time 40 hours of my week go to a place of work that is rewarding but draws on my resources and requires an altered state of mind r/t my Journey, and hours on a computer software project and wanting to live life as a human in the moment to moment and not keep my face glued to a book or a manuscript or a computer… and yet all that, too, is part of and contributes… the work of renewal itself is a lesson

Central Design and Planning this is a huge file and will take forever to download. There is a MS Word document version whose form and content are identical to the html version it is still pretty large but much smaller than the html; I will upload this as soon as my WebHost solves the problem that their software thinks I am uploading some kind of virus when I attempt to upload something complex. “Central Design and Planning” -that name has got to be changed- is a design for my life and the design is quite cumbersome… but this most recent version is on the way to manageability and as this aspect gets better the essence will become clearer. Comment added September 17, 2003: the new version, Design for a Journey in Being, is much smaller than the old [225 KB vs 5 MB] thanks to MS Word XP’s “filtered html” format

Experiments in Transformation of Being is complete. It integrates and combines in one article essays that ranged through Yoga, Meditation, Heightened Perception, Vision-Quest, Dreams as sources of transformation and then on to my own ways: the Journey Quest [see section 5.1 The River of the Journey Quest part of Experiments] and Dynamics of Reality and Being an account of how an individual can see and experiment his or her way through “the levels of being” I question the use of the word “the” in the previous quote… which are part of the Journey in Being™. Behind the action part of my journey is the concept which is in the essay Journey in Being™ and the conceptual foundation in Metaphysics which points to On Mind and Metaphysics. These foundations attempt to show what transformations in being are possible including the idea that conventional wisdom [modern academia, common sense…] are necessarily limited as a result of their being instruments of power in civilization; they are the foundation that is the starting point of Dynamics of Reality and Being… that was just a little exposition of the necessary interaction of ideas and action in my Journey…

July 13, 2002

Words, Language, Metaphysics –in process– updates and replaces all the Words [Being, Basic / Syntax, Mind, Knowledge, Transformation] documents listed and linked in Words. Includes significant additions to my development of metaphysics, and the relation between world, metaphysics and language. The conceptual organization of Words is improved and implemented. Words for transformation are incorporated. Actual words, guidelines and ideas for incorporation of further words are introduced

Synthesis and revision of Experiments in Transformation of Being continues. The revision of the core documents for Experiments in the Transformation in Being is approaching completion

May 12, 2002

Experiments in Transformation of Being: a synthesis of the following and related articles [Yoga, meditation, dreams, vision, and the original approaches of the Journey-Quest and Dynamics of the Real and of Being] for Journey in Being™

May 7, 2002

Original article on yoga updated as Yoga detail and adapted to Journey in Being™ as Yoga [with comments on the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, Samkhya and Vedanta]

Vision [Quest for Vision: an account of the nature and uses of perception in Transformation of Being] updated for Journey in Being™

Dreams and Vision [dream journal, random thoughts on the nature of dreams] updated; the concepts systematized, with examples, and adapted to Journey in Being™ as Dreams [with comments on the meaning of the meaning of dreams, the nature of “function” and the constructive and given aspects of “meaning of dreams,” and ways in which dreams have been useful in my life]

April 2, 2002

Journey in Being™ a narrative describing the Journey in Being™. A brief description of the concept “What are the possibilities of being, of existence… and what possibilities are available to the individuals, cultures and civilizations?” An introduction, overview, outline and plan

Central Design and Planning for the Journey in Being™. 1. The evolving plan and planning for Journey in Being™ personal and universal; the four phases of the universal: knowledge, kinds of being, action, transformation of being. 2. Definition of a system of projects that encompass the scope of the Journey. 3. Formulation and elaboration of principles of: recognizing and articulating values and goals, design, planning, tasks and timelines

History of Western Philosophy major update. New material: Periods and Main Trends of Western Philosophy, The Recent Period: The Philosophies Of The Late 19th And The 20th And 21st Centuries, The Recent Period: Schools And Trends Of Philosophy, The Recent Period: Influential Philosophers , A Concept Of Philosophy 18, The Future 18 of Philosophy. The section on the future of philosophy is not a set of predictions that would be futile but an analysis of the history and nature of philosophy and possibilities and potential under a family of activities labeled “philosophy.” A key idea is the inseparability of the intellect from action and being

Critique of Thomas Kuhn's Philosophy of Science update. Contends that Thomas Kuhn’s concept of revolutions in science is not new. Disagrees with Kuhn’s idea of the incommensurability of new and old theories. Assesses Kuhn’s real contribution.

January 2, 2002

A Map of Mind | A Map of My World / Map of the World | On the Origins of Language | Mathematics and its Foundations

Notes 2001 includes: Definition and Resolution of the Fundamental Problem of Metaphysics | On Inference | Surface and Depth | The Truth Can Be Known

Major updates of: Mind and Metaphysics | Computers, Beings and Minds | Evolution Design and the Absolute | Thinkers and Actors | Kinds of Knowledge

2001

September 24, 2001

Mind Words

On Mind and Metaphysics major revision with a new metaphysics of presence, resolution of the mind-body problem, advances in understanding the nature of mind and matter

September 17, 2001

Philosophy of Mind a Satellite Site

June 12, 2001

A brief reformulation of some thoughts On Good and Evil

Origins

Journey in Being Website

Established August, 1999 with a single essay on consciousness and, soon after, the original home page

Since its beginning, work has been (1) Thought and writing, (2) Import of documents typed by Joan Elk on a now ancient Mac 512 this import involved numerous trials and problems now forgotten, (3) Some work on the Transformation phase of Journey in Being, and (4) Editing and revision of the ideas, documents and the site itself

The Ideas in outline (see the Website and this document for details)

Before 1985: a wide range of reading, reflection and experience. My education in the sciences, mathematics and education has been useful as a paradigm of thought –as an example and as a model– to be used and criticized. Maintained an interest in philosophy, the sciences, mathematics, psychology, literature, music, nature (living in,) travel… Maintained a passion for understanding the world. Evolution was a paradigm. Contact with others who shared and opposed my inclinations was useful. See the Archive for a sample of my writing from this period

1985 1987: Evolution and Design written with much labor, reading, thought and passion… wide range of reading see all bibliographies and the bibliography for Evolution and Design… travel and backpacking

1987 1992: thought and refinement of the paradigms of Evolution and Design; beginning to search for new paradigm the idea of the absolute; wrote History of Western Philosophy to assist in my thought

1992 1997: enjoying my freedom from academia; numerous interests; the new paradigm percolating; thought and writing on consciousness, e.g., Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness, which later turns out to be valuable to my understanding of mind, its nature and place in the world

1997 2002: intuitive phase of the new paradigm; early writing, e.g., Being, Mind and the Absolute; fall 2002: the insight regarding the void that found the main intuitions; wrote an add-on for the Encyclopaedia Britannica that provided a systematic topical outline corresponding to the ‘Propaedia’

2002 2003: working out the corpus of ideas (metaphysics, computation, mind, action and society) in light of the new insight (above) and their mutual interaction: Journey in Being; new organization reflected in the Site Map

2003 2005: working out the foundations of the ‘new paradigm;’ investigation of the nature and depth; developing breadth new vistas of the real and concrete working out of mutual implications (with changes) for the fundamental Theory of Being (see Journey in Being v.2005, in process) and the History of thought and action, e.g., as revealed in the academic disciplines and the practices of transformation (analysis of self, commitments and goals and their continuing evaluation, yoga, living in nature, work in a psychiatric setting…) The successive products of this work Journey in Being: design, v.2003: reflections, v.2004a, v.2004b (private printing as a book,) v.2005 (in process,) v.2005: annotated outline, v.2005: editing (the mundane and tedious work of editing a large volume of ideas)