Propaedeutic of a Metaphysics of Thought

A propaedeutic study of a metaphysics of thinking covering the methodology of a philosophical inquiry of thinking and the analysis of the different forms or manifestations of thinking. In particular, the problem of self-referentiality or self-reflective thought is discussed in detail.

Notions of Mind and Thinking

A linguistic analysis of various connotations relating to concepts of 'mind' and 'thinking'. The way we use these expressions and phrases points to some primal and innate idiosyncrasies of mind and thought.

Prephilosophical Notions of Thinking

This is a philosophical analysis of commonly held notions and concepts about thinking and thought. The empirically derived notions are inadequate and insufficient for a deeper understanding of thought itself, but this pre-philosophical understanding of thinking leads to a more refined and profound distinction of different forms of thought and their prominent common features of aspectuality and relativity.

Thinking and Language

The following theses about the relationship between language and thought can be found in both linguistical studies and analytical philosophy as well. The common view of modern philosophy tends to identify thinking and language. The structure of language is said to be the inherent structure of our mind, of how we think. That these assumptions are not only logically mendacious and inconsistent is discussed in the following refutation.

Hyponoesis and Exonoesis - Part I

Introduces the concepts of Exonoesis (Individual Mind) and Hyponoesis (Universal Mind).

Hyponoesis and Exonoesis - Part II

Introduces the concepts of Exonoesis (Individual Mind) and Hyponoesis (Universal Mind).

The Nature of Hyponoesis

The attempt of a negative determination of the nature of Hyponoesis. Hyponoesis in itself is nondescript and the concepts of thinking used to describe Hypnoesis only serve a better understanding of the concept of Hyponoesis and they ultimately remain inconclusive and relativistic in character. Three analogical concepts form science and Eastern philosophies are given at the end of this essay.

The Apriority and Primacy of Hyponoesis

This essay presents seven arguments from different areas of study that attempt to establish the primacy of the Universal Mind (Hyponoesis). The main point is that the Universal Mind is prerequisite and necessary for the existence of our physical world and the existence of individual minds or consciousnesses. Unity must precede multiplicity, infinitude finiteness, and the Universal is the ground of the Particular.

Unity and Plurality of Hyponoesis

Mind and Matter are two aspects or modes of the same underlying reality, the Universal Mind (Hyponoesis). Its self-referentiality explains the multitude of physical and mental objects in our world. Both mind and matter spawn secondary modes, such as the Individual Mind, the physical world, Life, Consciousness.

The Evolution of Exonoesis

This keynote essay discusses the manifestation and evolution of the Individual Mind (Exonoesis) as a process of individuation. The process of self-actualization of the Universal Mind (Hyponoesis) constantly produces the multitude of aspects and entities known and unknown to us, such as matter, physical objects, emotions, thoughts, etc.

Hologemes

The actual process of thought does not consist of single, clearly separable and analyzable units called thoughts. Thought processes are much more complex and always involve interlaced holistic patterns, called Hologemes.

Hyponoesis and Noemes

Noemes are mental and physical representations or manifestations of Hyponoesis. The make-up and configuration of different kinds of Noemes determines our inner and outer world of knowledge and experience. The divergent philosophies regarding the existence of an independent physical world are reconciled through Hyponoetics by postulating the mind and the world as a dynamic, and interrelated system. Both mind and world determine each other mutually in a constitutive manner.

Noetic Patterns of Exonoesis

Noetic patterns are idiosyncratic features or properties that make up the unique constitution of an Individual Mind. Hyponoesis (Universal Mind) manifests itself as an infinite variety of noetic patterns. A coherent set of noetic patterns constitutes a specific individual form (Exonoesis). They are Exonoesis's principle of individuation. Noetic patterns function like attractors that attract only information that is congruent with Exonoesis's unique noetic structure. There is a passive and an active information matching process. Noetic patterns exist in a persistent and a transient mode.

Metaphysics of Thinking

Introducing the two basic concepts of a metaphysical study of thinking: Hyponoesis (Universal Mind) and Exonoesis (Individual Mind). Demonstrates the necessity of reflective thouhgt, of thinking insofar as it is thinking. A genuine metaphysics of thought is only possible by harnessing the highest faculty of our mind: Transrational Thinking.

Mind and Brain Relationship

The bottom line of my theory postulates mind as not having evolved from matter and not being an emergent product of the brain's complexity. The experience of consciousness and mind is so different from the functions of the brain that so far no scientific theory is capable of accounting for the missing subjectivity within the brain. Mind's features cannot be reduced to the brain's features. In my theory, Mind is the dominant factor, and not the brain. Mind uses the functions of the brain to express itself.

The Identity of Subject and Object

We experience ourselves and the world as subject and object only through conceptualization and language. This dualism, however, is only mental and not real. Mind produces this subject-object dualism. The subjectivity of our mind affects our perceptions of the world that is held to be objective by natural science. Hyponoesis creates both aspects, mind and matter as individualized forms that belong to the same underlying reality.

World and Thought

Two philosophical problems are discussed here: how can we explain the continuity of the world and our self and how is it possible that we can share the same world in our minds. Our world is a product of collective unconscious thought or the Universal Mind (Hyponoesis). The multitude of individual minds participate in the world of Hyponoesis. We share in a common world not because there is a physical world of matter independent of ourselves but because every mind shares the world of the collective mind. The world is therefore not a product of our individual mind (cf. solipsism) but of Hyponoesis.

Exocosmos

Reality as a totality of all actualized phenomena (physical and mental) is not something that exists independently of our mind and thinking.Reality cannot be perceived in itself. There is no reality as such, only areality that exists for us because our minds establish a reality for us based on the intrinsic structure of the mind and based on individual and collective thinking modes.

Potentiality, Actuality, and Reality

The concepts of potentiality and actuality play an important role in the philosophy of Hyponoetics. This essay discusses the etymology and meaning of both concepts and defines the principles and factors of the two processes of reality, i.e., actualization and potentialization.

Introduction to Transrational Thinking

Transrational Thinking is a combination of the rational-analytical power of thinking and the intuitive-creative side of our mind that is not analytical but rather synthetical in character. Transrational Thinking directly taps into reality (Hyponoesis). It can access the totality of information in Hyponoesis directly without the need to acquire knowledge or information first.

The Two Processes of Transrational Thinking

Describes the two basic processes of Transrational Thinking: the movement from rational thinking upward in order to gain a holistic knowledge and understanding of reality and the movement down from transrational mind into the world of concepts (subjects and objects) of Rational Thinking.

Nature and Development of Transrational Thinking

This essay discusses the dualism of subject and object and the kind of thought that is responsible for this schism of mind and world. Conceptual thinking is our everyday pragmatic thought that can be transcended by Transrational Thinking. The latter is defined by a new kind of knowledge that stands over and against our common fragmentary knowledge. To develop Transrational Thought a three step procedure is discussed: a) emotional detachment, b) transcendence of conceptual thought, and c) identity of subject and object in Transrational Thought.

Emotive and Paranoetic Thinking

The two primary and distinct modes of the Individual Mind (Exonoesis) are feeling and thinking. Feeling is emotive thinking, paranoetic thinking is above feeling. Whereas emotive thinking is characteristic of the common Mind, paranoetic thinking is the privilege and the accomplishment of a life-long laborious study of the philosopher who succeeds in transcending the limitations of emotive thinking so as to obtain Pure Thought or Pure Mind.

Intellectual and Paranoetic Thinking

Intellect as a practical instrument for mastering our life is distinguished from the higher faculty of philosophical or paranoetic thinking. Intellectual thinking is a product of the evolutionary processes in nature and as such bound to and affected by the limited capacities of the brain. Paranoetic thinking or reason is the supra-natural faculty, latent in every human being, but needs to be developed in order to yield valuable results.

Paranoetic Knowledge

The basic distinction between rational and Paranoetic Thinking, also called Transrational Thinking, leads to the double-aspect of knowledge: rational or acquired knowledge vs Paranoetic or Transrational Knowledge. The latter is grounded in Hyponoesis (Universal Mind) and is the product of a higher faculty of our mind: Paranoesis (Transrational Thinking). Paranoetic Knowledge needs to be destinguished from mystic experience.

Paranoetic Information Semantics

Semantics theory of local and non-local information. Distinction between private and public, potential and actual information. The faculty of Paranoesis (Transrational Thinking) allows to access non-local actual and potential information. This Paranoetic Information is not accessible to rational, analytical or conceptual thinking. Introducing the concepts of Noemata (actual objects of thought) and Anoemata (potential objects thought). Several levels of information are distinguished. The faculty of Paranoesis translates hyponoetic information down to the level of conceptual thinking.

Self-Referentiality of Reflective Thought

This essay discusses the philosophical problem of self-reflective thought, the conditions of Mind reflecting itself, of consciousness observing its own actions and processes. The dilemma of Goedel's theorem regarding self-referential systems can be overcome by applying a transcendent thinking method. This higher thought (Paranoesis) provides complete knowledge of the system.

Thought and Thinking

Analyzing our mind we find both single and separate thoughts and thinking as a mental act and holistic experience. Single thoughts are linguistic concepts rather than real empiric entities. Thinking as a process is discussed as a viable alternative. But since processes are measurable, and thinking is not, the only other way to understand the nature of thought is through active participation in the transcendent flux of mind.

Generative Mind

Introduction into the Theory of Generative Thinking which postulates that our Mind produces subjective and objective concepts which constitute both our mental and physical world. We know the world only through our Individual Mind (Exonoesis) and therefore co-participate in establishing the reality we experience. Collective generative thinking produces a world that is real only for those who are committed to the collective belief-system.

Spheres of Thought

The act of thinking produces different views or spheres of thought. These spheres may be convergent or divergent with each other, but they always can be integrated within a broader or more holistic sphere that comprises formerly antagonistic views. All the relative spheres may be finally embraced within the absolute sphere of fundamental unity.

Knowledge and Information

What does it mean to know something? Do we have different kinds of knowledge? I distinguish between conceptual and Transrational Knowledge, the latter being the result of a higher form of thought, Transrational Thinking that is. Knowing has to do with information. Two modes of retrieval of information are discussed. The non-locality of our mind leads to the non-locality of information.

The Infinity of Thought

The human being is limited and unlimited at the same time: we are finite concerning our body and its actions, infinite in our mind and thought. Philosophical reflection as such is a transcendence of the rational mind and presupposes an inherent though latent infinity of thought in our mind.

Limitations of Functional-Analytical Thinking

Functional or analytic thinking is not capable of understanding the true nature of our mind. Our mind is a non-functional unity that can only be grasped by a non-functional thinking such as Transrational Thinking.

Heuristic Thinking

Heuristic Thinking is an important faculty of our mind that is very resourceful when it comes to problem solving or soul-searching questions. It is a process of approximation starting with an initial pattern of thought and gradually assimilating to a target pattern that constitutes an insight into the subject matter at hand. The whole process leads to a holistic or interlaced knowledge.

Reason and Passion

Against the Thesis of Biological Reductionism

Biological reductionism identifies mental processes with neurobiological processes in the brain. This assumption is question-begging, because the system of thought does not obey physical or natural laws as it should if it were a product of the brain. Mind is not a product of matter since mind is capable of transcending the functional system of the organism, especially the inherent limitations of the brain.

Mind and Systems Theory

This is a critical evaluation of Fritjof Capra's systems theory in his book - The Web of Life - in relation to the understanding of our mind. The features of systems theory cannot be consistently applied to mind. Our mind is not a system and does not function as one. Since mind is not a system, it cannot be explained as a mere by-product of the evolution of an organism, specifically the brain. Mind is a complex whole that has no analyzable parts.

Critique of Russell's THE ANALYSIS OF MIND

This essay examines a few of the theories of Bertrand Russell about our mind. His comprehensive psychological study tries to reconcile materialistic and anti-materialistic tendencies in science. He postulates a fundamental reality (neutral stuff) out of which both mind and matter consists.

Critique of the Idea of a 'Soul'

The concept of an immortal soul that can exist independently of a body is critically analyzed in this essay. The conclusion is that the notion of a soul is philosophically untenable and inconsistent, whereas from a religious point of view, the soul-concept - although an invention of the human mind - is still a valuable and necessary idea.