Core Theory

The core hypothesis in this essay is that ‘space presents itself in two ways to us; i.e. as two different ‘realities’, at the same time’; (a) as a physical flow or dynamic ground; i.e. as spatial ‘unum’ or ‘plenum’ and (b) as a plurality of conceptual forms or ‘dynamic figures’ that we use language to deal with as ‘things-in-themselves’, and further, that there is a natural precedence here in that (a) the physical reality includes (b) the conceptual reality, but (b) the conceptual reality does not include (a) the physical reality, and that our Western culture has inverted the natural order of these realities.   This inversion was concretized by the institution of the sovereign state, characterized by mutually exclusive ‘inside space’ and ‘outside space’, and by a top-down or ‘inside-outward system of organization or ‘governance’ by way of intellectual directives issuing from a central authority.

The key ‘degenerate’element here is the imposing of intellectual theory through the inside-outward directives of a central authority.  This puts ‘conceptual reality’ into an unnatural precedence over ‘physical reality’.  In terms of the relative dynamics of the physical world, it is akin to formulating plans to transform the physical flow by way of the jump-started actions of the conceptualized flow-forms; i.e. to develop deterministic-constructivist plans and programs based on using the conceptualized flow-forms (e.g. hurricanes or convection cells) to transform the physical space in a desired (anthropocentrist) manner.   The problem is that only in the conceptualized reality does the development of form, behaviour and organization originate within the conceptualized forms.  The physical reality is a transforming space in which outside-inward influence of the dynamic flow [ground] predominates over the inside-outward influence of the dynamic forms [figures].

A system of governance or social organizing that inverts the natural precedence of physical space over conceptual space generates ‘incoherence’.  Attempts to resolve the incoherence without correcting the inversion can only exacerbate the incoherence.

This point was recognized by Nietzsche and others.  It crops up in Nietzsche’s ‘anti-Darwinism, where he suggests that evolution is a general process in all of nature and not just in ‘animate nature’ and that, as Lamarck, Rolph and Roux argued, the outside-inward nurturing influence predominates over the inside-outward creative/productive influence, as in the dynamics of fluid-flow and convecting cells within the flow [i.e. the evolutionary force does not arise in the interior of the convecting cells.  The convecting cells arise from the outside-inward orchestrating influence of the flow which simultaneously stirs its own reciprocal compression.  The cells or flow-forms are conjugate outside-inward-orchestrating — inside-outward asserting relational dynamics.

We are exposed to an ‘error’ when we conceptualize these flow-forms by defining and word-labeling them and thus present them as ‘things-in-themselves’ when they were in fact ‘things-considered-in-themselves’; i.e. while the forms were included in the continual ‘becoming’, we erroneously impute [local, material] ‘being’ to them.  In our noun and verb language, the conjugate ground-flow — flow-form dynamic relation is lost, as we substitute a noun standing for ‘local material being’ in its place.   The language based ‘deterministic-constructivist’ dynamics which result are thus a distortion of what is actually transpiring in physical space.  In physical space, Mach’s principle holds; i.e. “The dynamics of the habitat [ground-flow] are conditioning the dynamics of the inhabitants [flow-forms/figures] at the same time as the dynamics of the inhabitants [flow-forms/figures] are conditioning the dynamics of the habitat.”

The illegitimate reduction from ‘becoming’ to ‘being’ is what Nietzsche describes as ‘an error in grammar’.  Associated with it is the illegitimate reduction from dynamics as described by Mach’s principle to the language-rendered deterministic constructivist dynamics in which ‘local material beings’ are where the evolutionary buck starts and stops [the natural precedence of the ground-flow is lost].

This ‘makeover’ of physical reality into a conceptual reality, which associates with imputing ‘material being’ to ‘flow-forms’ that are conjugate ground-flow — flow-feature relations is, as Nietzsche says ‘fiction’ and as Schroedinger says ‘schaumkommen’ or ‘appearances’, and as the Vedics say ‘maya’ (illusion).  It is not that it is not ‘useful fiction’.  In fact, Nietzsche suggests that it is not only useful but probably necessary fiction.  The problems begin when we confuse this fictional conceptual reality for physical reality.  And that is what top-down intellectual theory- [program/plan-] driven organizing does; confuses conceptual reality for physical reality.  Since we experience physical reality, there is a ‘decoupling’ between our intellectually driven deterministic constructivism based in conceptual reality and our experiencing of physical reality.  Having the former predominate over the latter is a recipe for incoherence.

The instituting of top-down intellectual theory-driven organization, which currently predominates in the world, has become the source of massive dysfunction.

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Return to main essay; ‘The Followers of the Democratic State”

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