Transcending Classical (Western) Philosophy

    • IMG_7721
    • Presentation speakers
      • Peter Kinane, Independent Scholar, Ireland

    Abstract:

    Western Philosophy very much rests on premises for which Plato opted. Indeed, he declares this choice in his Phaedo: “Rather than try to give all sorts of reasons for different phenomena, Socrates suggests that in the poverty of our ignorance, we should just cling to the hypothesis we have, the Theory of Forms, and rely on that for our explanations”. His Theory of Forms was a theory of categorical forms. He would have been informed in this choice by his primal intellect, the intellect of the primal senses. This intellect features perception as expressing independent phenomena, of definite boundaries and unchanging essence – it features categorical forms; it expresses a subject-object world of categorical value – just the stuff for inter-personal and inter-community and inter-species strife, if it is in tension with nature indefinite- -dynamic and multi-faceted. This primal intellect informed-premise launched or crystallised Western Philosophy into primal intellect level formulation or expression of ‘the nature of things’; it informed all subsequent concepts that emerged. Concepts are system particular. A system consists of a premise which informs the concepts which emerge and the premise and concepts comprise the system. Concepts do not translate or transfer across systems. The only escape is through deconstructing concepts or data to, as it were, quantum mechanics-like wave form and feeling the potential alternative formulations, crystallisations or collapses that are possible. The most rigorous potential of the featuring data- -information- -forces will prevail. In this way a new system emerged, which I called “Effectuationism”. One of its first principles- -premises: “Effect, through, and indeed as, tension of relationship ‘of forces’, indefinite- -dynamic and inferentially multi-faceted”. Unlike Western Philosophy, the categorical value implying a subject-object, space and time world only features or expresses at the level of primal organisms in the Effectuationism system. At the earlier level of Quantum Mechanics and the later level of higher intellect transcending primal intellect, value emerges or effects as indefinite – dynamic tension ‘of forces’ – change the ‘forces’ and the effect changes. Note also: there is no ego or first person, no subject-object relationship; “effect”: verb, non referential. Much of Eastern Philosophy also expresses categoricalism, if only the “I”; the ego. Buddhism however is much closer to Effectuationism, and, perhaps like it, is more respectful of diversity, whether it be individual humans or other species, than are other systems. However, Eastern Philosophy, with which I am only minimally acquainted, perhaps does not start so much as Western Philosophy does from ‘the four elements’ but from how people should live. It is perhaps somewhat more a matter of sage wisdom (and) starting ‘at the other end’. In this paper, I would review (Western) Philosophy in a way which would suggest that it is time for (Western) mankind to consider a new system, urging my audience to conceptualise the Effectuationism system. Having conceptualised the two systems; the two systems then featuring in tension with each other, one would thrive and the other decline. Hopefully a more intellectually rigorous formulation of ourselves and our world would prevail, expressing value and indeed ourselves as expressions or effects of featuring forces, indefinite – dynamic, multi-faceted.

 

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