[MD] Thus spoke Lila

[Ham Priday]

Hi Mark --

[Ham, previously]:


> The truth of the matter is that what is not experienceable
> to human beings is indefinable. Therefore, attempts to define
> ultimate Reality as a qualitative abstraction, such as Being,
> Consciousness, Energy, Value, or Goodness are no more
> valid than equating it to a known physical entity.
> Nicholas of Cusa in the 15th century came up with the
> principle of the 'Not-other', which is arguably the best
> working definition possible for metaphysical reality.

[Mark]:
> I am not sure what you mean by experienceable.   There are
> many things that we cannot experience, yet have a concept for.
> We cannot experience a complete vacuum, but we can define it.
> We cannot experience life ever after, but we can define it.
> We have the ability to extrapolate to that which we cannot
> experience.  Like: "It feels like this, only 10 times as strong",
> or, "Bosons exist according to the math, but they have no mass".
>
> Just because we cannot experience something, doesn't mean
> that we can't create the experience for it.

In terms of validity, your statement above should contain the words
"less valid" instead of "more valid".  In my opinion.

A perfect vacuum is definable as the absence of air pressure.  It's 
experienceable in terms of partial vacuums, such as the suction developed by 
a vacuum cleaner.  We can conceptualize "life ever after", but we can only 
define the concept because we cannot experience nothingnes.  An 
"extrapolation" is not a definition.  In short, we disagree that defining a 
concept is the same (or as valid) as defining an experienced physical 
entity.

Cusa's First Principle defines the "concept" of the 'Not-other', not the 
experience, so it's not a "valid" definition.  But in metaphysics it's the 
concept that we are after, and Cusa has given us a "handle" with which to 
deal with what is otherwise ineffable; namely, the Absolute Source.  It 
works for me in the same way as does Meister Eckhart's 'IS-ness'.

Thanks, Mark.

Ham