Metaphysics:  Which is  PRIMARY ?     Consciousness -  or -  Existence Metaphysics  is  such  a  droll subject.  Some vitality  and humor  could  extirpate  boredom  & expedite  this  homiletic  expatiation—  as  Dr. Ruth Stephens  (U-10  History Professor)  presented  her  melifluent  historical gossip.       Awareness  of  Personal  “Sense of  Life”          is  the  Introduction  to Metaphysics. An  Optimist  may  go  to  an  Occultist—  if   Consciousness:   Spirit Power  is  accepted  as  the Cause  which  will  achieve   the  desired  Visions. One  who  accepts  Existence—  Material  means  to  Cause  better  Vision—  will  consult  an  Oculist. A  Pessimist  interprets  observations  and  experiences,     and  accepts  FATE. Once    the  peace  of  the world  was  shattered  by  this  absurd question:  Was  the male  or  the female faculty  the  first cause  of  the universe? There  was  no  answer,  for  man  himself  had  invented  the  riddle; . . . Consider  this  Evidence—    and  Rejoice!      Elinor Ostrom’s  Nobel Prize. If   CONSCIOUSNESS  ( is  accepted  as  Primary)→           EXISTENCE   ( is  Effect  of:  Mind  over  Matter.) CONSCIOUSNESS—   has  been  adopted  by  Societies  throughout  history  as  the  Metaphysical  PRIMARY.  Mythological  explanations  are  the  alternative  to:  lonely,  psychological  defeat.  “ I  don’t know,”   but—  Millions  of  Frenchmen  can't  be  wrong! Mathematician  and  philosopher  René Descartes  wrote:  “ Cogito,  Ergo  Sum ”   (I  think,  Therefore,  I  Am). Descartes’  philosophy  of   Solipsism  implied:    I  am  GOD.   My  Imagination—   Creates  All   that   I  experience. Did  René   put  Descartes’   before   de Horse?,    When  he  concluded:  “ Consciousness  is  the  prior Certainty.” “ Creation  ex-Nihilo”  in  Genesis,  is  more explicit  in:   John i. 1.    First,  was  the  “WORD,”  and  the  “WORD”   was  GOD.   Conscious  WILL—   Created   EXISTENCE. GOD  followed  the  script  of  Plato’s   Form  of  the  GOOD  in  the  Ideal World  of  Forms  (Heaven),  to  manifest  (create)  Material —  without  form.  Then  GOD  Formed  imperfect  reflections  (of  the  Ideal—  perfect,  imagined  Forms). The  Order  of  the  UNIVERSE  is  explained  by  the  omnipotent  “WILL”  of  GOD—  to  create  and  “Form”  (raw) material,  and  Command  the Actions  of  each thing.   This  “Formation”  of  the  Heavens  and  Earth,  Adam  and Eve —  explains  the  Particularity  and  Nature—  Behavior  of  each thing. “Orders”  to  perform  Miracles   explain  the  unusual activity  of    burning bushes,  parting  Seas  and  swallowing  whales.   [ The  Serpent  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  was  disobedient. ] “ Creation  Ex-Nihilo”  asserts  Mind  over  Matter.    Consciousness —  GOD  is  accepted  as   THE  PRIMARY;   and   Consciousness  is  Conscious   is   The  Fundamental Axiom   of  this  World View. Creation  Stories  illustrate  how  extraordinary events  are  applied  to  build  Metaphysical understanding:  pages 145 - 146; and   Ol’ Man Adam  an’  His Chillun. Suppose:   Primary → Effect  order  is  reversed ? The  Fundamental Axiom  of  this  World View  is:    EXISTENCE  EXISTS. EXISTENCE  (Primary)→ CONSCIOUSNESS  (effect). Attributes,  such as Consciousness,  do not occur  apart from  the  existing  Thing,  which  is  Primary. EXISTENCE   is  Eternal —  Independent  of  Time. EXISTENCE  is  Finite,  and  immutable  (without change).     Time  is  measured  in  terms  of  Change.    EXISTENCE  includes every  Thing,      Independent  of  Form  or  location.      Things  are  parts  of  EXISTENCE. To  Be —  is  to  be  a  particular  Thing —  to  have  IDENTITY.    [ GOD  created  Material —  without  form.     “Formed ”  Things       are  Controlled   by       each  “Order”  of  GOD’s  “ WILL” ] IDENTITY  of  each  Particular  which  interacts,  explains  the  Changes  in  Form  and  Chemical  or  Nuclear  formations  which  result.  The  Universe  is  not  the result  of  accident,  chance,  “design,”  miracles,  or  Divine  “WILL.” EXISTENCE—  or  IDENTITY  of  water  does  not  change  when  the  Form  changes  to  solid,  gas,  or  liquid. What   it is:   IDENTITY—  is  the  Cause  of  Interactions  between  things.   This  repeatable,  predictable  effect  of  IDENTITY—  is  the  basis  of  Scientific Method,  and  of  all  Conceptual  (Abstract —  Human)  knowledge:      Atlas Shrugged  (Ayn Rand)  p. 942. EXISTENCE ≡ IDENTITY   CONSCIOUSNESS ≡ Identification The  choice  of  Fundamental Axiom  is  the  Primary reference  to  Human Awareness.  This  Fundamental Choice  will  bias  the integration of  Percepts  into  Concepts.   Observe Action—  and  Identify  particular things  which interact.   Or  have Faith  that  “formless  material”  is  Created  and  Formed  to  obey  the  “Creator.”   ( Belief  of:  Mind - over - Matter.) What  motivates  belief  in  GOD?   Why  evade  consistent,  repeated  observations  (Scientific Method)  and  accept:  (Metaphysical  World View)   Primacy  of  Consciousness? What’s  in  it  for  me? —   Desire  to avoid  the  finality  of  death   may  be  the   most  powerful  explanation  for  Faith.     Life  is  conditional,  and   Consciousness  is  the  means  of  directing  action  to  gain  life-sustaining  Values,  and  avoid  injury  and  death.   ( See  Galt’s speech:  “fundamental alternative”,  Atlas Shrugged  p. 939,  and  The Virtue  of  Selfishness,  pp. 15, 16.)     A  plant  is  conscious  of  Sensations,  which direct growth toward  life-promoting  sunlight,  nutrients,  and  water.  Choice  (Volition):  is  the  Human Action  that  directs  physical activity.  Choice  is  guided  by  premises,  and  is  the  basis  of  Conceptual Consciousness.     Living  things  are  able  to  initiate action.     Non-living  things  re-act  with  each other. All  living things  are  conscious. Plants  —   are aware of  Sensations. Animals—  have  Memory  and  Perceptual awareness. Humans—  have  Conceptual awareness:  of  Abstractions. The  Human  faculty  of  Volition  is  primarily  the  choice  of  where,  and  how  to  focus  (bias)  Awareness.  The  Primary  that  is  accepted—  governs  Human activity  as  pervasively  as  gravity.  Do  you  Identify  this  Choice:  to  promote  life?   Or —  blindly  grope  along  the  mysterious path? What is it?   This  question  directs  Human Consciousness  to  focus  awareness  on  the  building blocks  for the  mental calculations  which  are  called  Reasoning. This  conscious activity  of  Identification  is  unique  to  Human beings.  [Introduction To Objectivist Epistemology] Awareness  that  what  it does,  depends  on  What  it is,  allows  Humans  to  Identify—  What  is it? [ Volition  contrasts with  “Instinct” -  and habits of animals.  Re-cognition is  perceived similarity of present Perception,  with memory of a previous Perception.  Instinctive  behavior of animals  is  made possible  by  memory.  Identification  is  Conceptual. ] This  conscious  process  must  be  guided  by  a  Method.  The  Fundamental  Concept  of  Method  is  LOGIC:  the  art  of  Non-contradictory  Identification. This  method  of  exercising  human  (conceptual)  awareness  is  made  possible  by  the  metaphysical fact  that:    Contradictions  do Not Exist. This is a  metaphysical fact,  to the extent that one is aware of the limitation of each thing— Identity  (particularity),  explains the interactions between things  (particulars). If one is not aware,  the particularity remains,  but the conclusions that one builds,  may not be  Facts.  The counterfeit of  Reason  is:  rationalize.  One may  rationalize  that  GOD  can  “Will”  an exception to the  Law of  Gravity,  as easily as legislators can amend government statutes  that are enforced. Gravity is Always,  and Everywhere. Metaphysical relations are not established,  or disabled  by one’s beliefs.  Consistent experiences of this fact  are expressed as the:  Law of Gravity. Fact  is established by  awareness of  “What is.” A Human Subject is conscious of an Object.  An Object must exist,  in order to be conscious of it.  Concepts  are “conceptual” objects:  The  (conscious) Subject  does not create the  (real) Object  by conscious activity.  [ Imagined “objects”  are  the source of confusing  Fantasy,  with Reality.  “Coherence theory”  of Truth,  allows one to accept a Fantasy  which is  consistent   with beliefs  already accepted. ] Man must Validate “conceptual” objects  by perceptual experience,  and Logic. [ I am from Missouri:  “Show Me!” ] When mental content of the Subject  Corresponds  with the Object of  awareness,  this is defined  as:  Truth,  by  “correspondence theory”.    This is:  Objectivity. Objectivism,  the philosophy of  Ayn Rand,  is based on Primacy of Existence,  the Axiom of  Identity,  and the objective relation of Subject— with Objects of awareness. Note:  Identity,  and  Causality,  are the criterion of any Choice.  Ethics:  Does the  choice of means,  achieve effects  that obtain the Goal  aimed at?  (Human Action  Chapter 1. sec. 5. Causality as a Requirement of Action.)  Morality:  will the choice of means,  promote Ones’ Life?  Velleity  and good intentions  are not relevant,  except to Solipsists,  and those who have  “Faith”. Faith  is belief  without evidence  or rational proof.  [ See  The Virtue of Selfishness  Ch 2.  pp. 37 - 38. ] John Galt  states:  “ the  alleged  shortcut   to  knowledge,  which   is  faith,  is  only  a  short circuit  destroying   the  mind.”  Atlas Shrugged Faith is Credulity. Sensory perception  is direct— the foundation of awareness.  Man integrates perceptions  into  concepts.  This process (of Reason)  must be guided by LOGIC:  The art of non-contradictory identification. Concepts  are  Universals  (which include  actions and attributes),  apart from existing  Things:  which have attributes,  interact,  and change form. Precise Definitions,  & Biases. Introduction to Metaphysics. INDEX  of  Subjects. Martian Visitor   ( Home ) Religion vs. America The Pagan origins of Easter The Easter Masquerade Darwin on Trial Thymology Scientific Method:     Various disciplines of science are easily identified by the following criteria: If it Stinks:  that’s Biology. If it Blows Up!:  that’s Chemistry. If it lays there,  and doesn’t do anything,         that’s Physics. Humans do not  miss, “Pierce”;  eve,  all Hallows; or Dewey  all,  Hallucinate? You’ve es-chewed — real things  & relations, with psychedelic drugs,  an’ libations. Imagine,  Evade;  Be  Pragmatic! Ne’er combine — Mind,  an’ Somatic. Think glasses,  (rose colored),  dye-chot-o-me! But Ms. Psyche-Delic  trips fan-tastic, a’ Dia-phanous Charlotte-Anne,  she  Par-o-dies —  as  “Miss.” Perce-ive.