Greetings, John --
It's refreshing to find a free-thinking individual who is open to new ideas
but with a critical eye.
"Believes" might be too strong a word in a metaphysical context.
Let's just say I'm satisfied to use the idea till I find one more useful.
From a position of deeper understanding, "non-human nature"
is somewhat problematic. Where does one draw the line?
The food that goes into and out of my body, the air that flows
from trees and through my lungs are all part of my humanity
to a degree.
[Ham]:
What's wrong with Descartes' own conclusion: "I think,
therefore I am"? Simply that it does not acknowledge the
otherness of which his thought consists.
[John]:
And even more disturbing, it doesn't acknowledge the
otherness of which his *I* consists. This is my main problem
with Descartes. In fact, Is this not the static deification of
SOM? Taking his isolated self as the grounding for his
thoughts and then dividing the world up into objects outside
of himself?
In order to conceptualize self, the Other is of absolute, logical
necessity. The apprehension of difference, contrast, similarity
and definition is no doubt shaped by culture, language and
intellect, but I'd say primarily it derives from an interactive
relationship; first and foremost before language/culture gets
its greedy paws on it.
You and I are on the same page, John, but not Arlo who has been persuaded
that human cognizance is derived from biology and the collective society.
Arlo is upset with me because I refuse to buy into this hierarchical scheme.
Indeed, it's been my point all along that the subjective 'I' is the locus of
awareness without which there is no otherness. Existence is a dichotomy in
which awareness (value-sensibility) and beingness (the other) are divided
but mutually dependent. I view this dichotomy as the "negational mode" of
an absolute source (Essence) whereby Value is made aware by an independent,
agent. The individual self (subject) is value-sensibility, and it becomes
aware experientially by objectivizing Value as an evolving universe of
finite things and events. As the antithesis of Absolute Essence,
subject/object reality is characterized by difference so that relational
values such as Freedom, Morality, Beauty, Justice, and Compassion can be
realized.autonomously.
And a metaphysics that takes human perception of "time"
as an absolute given is fraught with difficulty and paradox.
Or what was that fellow Einstein ranting about? We can
place time in its proper place without denying or contradicting it.
Yes, but we must understand that space and time, like sensibility and
otherness, are differentiated only in actualized existence. There is no
"before", "after", or "other" in the uncreated Essence from which S/O
existence is derived.
Welcome to the MD, John. More voices like yours are needed here.
Essentially yours,
Ham
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