A (not so) New Metaphysics

The preponderance of Western science has been dominated and largely defined by the presumption that reality is composed exclusively of things we can measure. This fundamental assumption is a metaphysical position and a statement of faith. It can neither be proven nor disproven, although it has been taken as the equivalent of gospel by virtually the entirety of western civilization. But the gospel of positivism has been undermined by the dominant scientific discoveries of the 20th century. Special Relativity dealt the first blow: Einstein showed that the result of a measurement depends on the frame of reference that it occurs in1. Although relativistic effects are only appreciable at very high speeds, special relativity punched some big holes in the positivist boat. But except for a few philosophers, the arrival of relativity had (relatively) little effect on the metaphysical basis of science. Quantum mechanics (QM), however, pulled the rug out completely from under the traditional metaphysics of science and the positivist worldview. According to QM (which has a 100% successful confirmation record) any measurement at the quantum level the irreducible points of matter and the ultimate end-game for reductionism depends on what one is looking for, the presence of a conscious observer, which universe one is present in, or other equally bizarre stories. Then came the confirmation of nonlocality2. Physics was pushed into a metaphysical fog with no apparent basis for charting a course forward, and a stake was driven through the heart of positivism. But all of this has happened largely in the background, neither understood or appreciated by most physicists or by the scientific community in general. Indeed, the staggering implications of QM havent worked their way into anything more than a few remote corners of human consciousness. And many of those who do have some inkling of the bizarre nature of the quantum dimension generally pass right by the philosophical implications, content with the conclusion that QM only applies to the infinitely small. So, with the exception of a few philosophers and adventurous physicists, the staggering metaphysical implications of our recent physical discoveries have only been broached at the edges (die-hard positivists would say the fringes) of science and, more surprisingly, of philosophy. The fact that all of physical reality is built from quantum stuff that is, well, no one is sure just what it is.3 is conveniently ignored probably because it hurts the brain to try and make any sense of it. But over the last few decades an increasing number of philosophers and scientists have been calling for a new metaphysics, one that accommodates our evolving understanding of quantum theory, systems biology, and consciousness. These voices have come from organized forums (such as The World View of Contemporary Physics: Does It Need a New Metaphysics? conference held in 1986) as well as from a rapidly growing number of individual authors. But the need for a new metaphysics is not limited to the esoteric fringes of physics; it runs through the core of western civilizations dominant social paradigm.4 Of course, throughout history lone voices have called for a new way of looking at our social structures. Today, however, the calls for a new worldview are coming from thinkers in science, philosophy, religion, economics, and even politics. Although they differ considerably in approach and specific conclusions, there is a growing consensus that a new worldview must be built around wholeness the idea that the whole is much more than the sum of its parts and that the subjective aspects of reality are at least as important as the objective or measurable. An increasing number of people with a wide range of influence are exploring the complementary aspects of science and spirit, integrating key elements from the accumulated world wisdom. The core elements of this emerging consensus closely align or are identical with fundamental precepts of what is loosely known as the perennial philosophy or, my preference, the esoteric worldview.5. Many of these writers indirectly acknowledge or support elements of this worldview, and a few call for or attempt to support the development of a new paradigm. But a coherent model of the esoteric worldview has yet to become much more than a footnote in the evolving integration of science, philosophy, and spirit.

There are a great many books based on or directly supporting the premise that reductionism and `positivism do not provide a sustainable worldview that incorporates our knowledge of the material dimension, let alone the subjective realm. But there is no explicit presentation of the worldview that relates energy, spirit, and consciousness. A great deal of discussion has taken place over the last several decades regarding the integration of science and spirituality/religion. There has been a virtual explosion of books, conferences, and ideas focusing on various aspects of a more unified understanding of our world. Most of this activity at least implicitly suggests the need for a radical departure from the positivist, mechanical worldview that currently dominates western thinking. Calls for a new paradigm, a foundational element of the new age movement, have increasingly been emerging from the traditional sciences of physics and biology and from many researchers of consciousness. But there has been relatively little activity related to an explicit worldview that can accommodate the vast range of ideas and human experience expressed through these many channels. Articulate proponents of western societys two prevailing worldviews, materialism and supernaturalism, although typically dogmatic in their defense, at least can describe the basic structure of how they believe the world works. They may or may not be able to articulate the basic assumptions that are necessary for their respective worldviews, but their worldviews have a certain internal consistency. One of the core objectives of this project is to, over time, contribute to the summary of select elements of the esoteric paradigm, mostly from a ground-level, human perspective. The basic content will be not be original, but will draw from, distill, and synthesize material written by others. Key project objectives include presenting and discussing: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. a coherent, although greatly simplified and limited, explanation of the esoteric worldview in terms that are understandable to a non-esoteric audience, an explicit spiritual alternative to conventional religions, correlations of esoteric ideas with acknowledged phenomena and areas of research, behavioral aspects of a life based on establishing a conscious connection with purpose and meaning, responses to the typical objections raised against the esoteric paradigm.

Relativity also clearly demonstrated the equivalence of energy and matter, directly corroborating a long-established, fundamental aspect of the esoteric model see the post on Bells Inequality check out a fascinating interview between Nick Herbert, who coined the term quantum stuff and Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove primarily the consequent ideas stemming from positivism and reductionism see The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley