A Metaphysical Introduction
Metaphysics was scorned by the analytical tradition for most of the last century. Only in the last decade or two has the academic rediscovery of consciousness forced the philosophers to reopen a metaphysical debate with regard to the venerable mind-body problem. In keeping with their analytical scruples, a narrow focus and the endless parsing of phrases is the order of the day for the Anglo-American philosophers. This is simply what it means to them to be professional. What you see on these pages would never pass muster. Sorry 'bout that!
The Continental philosophers never quite gave up on the mind. Phenomenology remains a wellspring, but much more fashionable of late has been the deconstructionist mentality of postmodernism. A mind set that seems to translate into English more readily than does phenomenology. In short, Metanarrative is scorned on both sides of the Atlantic.
By the same token is coherence scorned. The only good truth is a deconstructed analytical truth, e.g. spilling quantities of ink over the meaning of 'the cat is on the mat'. The fact that these scruples only lead up a blind alley is of precious little concern to the avid professionals.
What you see here is way, way out in left field. Just so as not to mislead you. I am obviously not trying to appeal to professionals. Only if an earnest band of amateurs can bring these matters to a broader public, might the professionals stoop to consider them. They are no longer equipped to deal with coherence, other than in trying to grind it down. We can only hope that they may be so provoked.
The surest sign of the coherence of the world is its increasingly notorious ability to resist analysis. Please keep in mind that veritable mountains of correlations in neuroscience or biochemistry provide not the slightest evidence for reductionism, per se. They only demonstrates that the coherence of nature logically necessitates the existence of irreducible entities, as the Greek philosophers readily deduced millennia ago. Nature exists not by induction on atoms, but rather atoms exist by deduction from nature. If you can appreciate this simple gestalt switch, you will be on the threshold of immaterialism.
Each individual mind is a locus of more or less coherence. Our seemingly unlimited capacity for communication indicates that mental coherence is a readily shared phenomenon. Is there a gene for coherence? Let me know when you find it! More likely there is a genius for coherence (as in Genie?!). The mountains of coherence and correlations within and between mind and nature can only point to a Source. Does not the anthropically biased mathematical superstructure of Physics point to a similar, or perhaps identical Source?
Are not all of us apprehensive about the ramifications of a reengagement with any such entity? Is not the metaphysics of the Source much too hot to handle? Much too dangerous? Well, let's just say, don't mess with the Source.
7/5/02