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0. THE GOAL OF KNOWLEDGE
0.0 Cultivation Of Individuality
[1]
0.1 Path Of Inner Truth
[3]
0.2 Empowered By Truth
[4]
0.3 Experience Of Truth
[5]
0.4 Advance In Knowledge
[6]
0.5 Recognition Of Truth
[7]
0.6 Apply Principles
[8]
0.7 Practice Pure Thinking
[9]
0.8 Knowing Organism
[10]
0.9 Philosophy Of Freedom
[11]
0.10 All-Around Development
[12]
0.11 Ideas Serve Goals
[13]
0.12 Master Of Ideas
[14]
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1. CONSCIOUS HUMAN ACTION
1.0 Question Of Freedom
1.1 Freedom Of Indifferent Choice
STEP 1-1: Advance from the "freedom of indifferent choice", where willful actions are made without clear preference, —to "questioning the reasons" underlying these choices.
Materialism holds that only the physical world exists, governed by cause and effect. Its idea of free will, "freedom of indifferent choice," accepts the ability to act or not act on immediate, willful impulses when faced with possible actions in the material world—thereby remaining within the material realm. Yet Materialism ultimately questions this freedom, as scientific research indicates every action has a prior cause. Indifferent choice, then, is seen as an illusion incompatible with a deterministic, physical universe.
1.2 Freedom Of Choice
STEP 1-2: Advance from "freedom of choice", where decisions are made based on personal preferences, —to "questioning desire", whether it is dictating those choices.
Spiritism holds that true reality is spiritual. In this worldview, free will means "freedom of choice", choosing based on personal preferences that reflect the unique essence of the individual spirit. The inner feeling activity of desire is an expression of the spirit—so long as desire arises from inner activity and not from external material influence. Thus, while freedom is an expression of spirit, it is also questioned—since one cannot freely choose to desire or not, because desire arises from who you are at the deepest level.
1.3 Free Necessity Of One's Nature
STEP 1-3: Advance from the "free necessity" of expressing one’s given nature, —to "questioning one's nature", whether it has been shaped by and reacts in a fixed way to external causes.
Realism holds that the external world is the primary reality, observable and objective. In this view, free will is defined as the "free necessity" of expressing one's given nature—acting not randomly, but from the internal necessity of what one is. This aligns with Realism, which sees beings as shaped by their nature. Yet Realism also questions this freedom, since it acknowledges that human nature may itself be determined by external causes, acting in fixed and predictable ways.
1.4 Conduct Of Character
STEP 1-4: Advance from "conduct of character", the freedom to act on ideas that align with one’s character, —to "questioning character", whether it is shaped by pre-existing ideas, emotions, and the necessities of one’s characterological disposition.
Idealism holds that the world gains meaning only through ideas, which give life purpose and direction. In this view, free will—“conduct of character”—means acting on ideas that resonate with one’s inner nature. This aligns with Idealism’s emphasis on the formative power of ideas. The Idealist questions this freedom in a way consistent with Idealism, as it involves examining whether character, emotions, and the necessities of one’s inner disposition are themselves shaped by pre-existing ideas.
1.5 Conscious Motive
STEP 1-5: Advance from the "knower" who knows what to do but does not act, or the "doer" who acts without knowledge, —to the "knowing doer" who acts out of knowledge.
Mathematism views the world as a calculable, ordered system understood through logic, patterns, and abstraction. Within this worldview, free will is the activity of the “knowing doer”—the one who acts out of conscious knowledge rather than blind impulse. This aligns with Mathematism’s emphasis on clarity and ordered control. This freedom is questioned by examining whether knowing and doing are truly united, or whether action occurs without full integration of knowledge, undermining precise and systematic self-determination.
1.6 Practical Decision
STEP 1-6: Advance from the freedom of "practical decision", where deliberate and rational choices guide one’s life, —to "questioning rational decisions", whether these decisions occur in me compelled by rational necessity.
Rationalism holds that only ideas drawn from the external, sense-perceptible world are valid, rejecting inner intuition or inspiration. In this view, free will is “practical decision”—the ability to guide one’s life through deliberate, purpose-driven reasoning. This aligns with Rationalism’s emphasis on objective, reasoned action. Yet this freedom is questioned if rational decisions arise in us with the same necessity as instincts, suggesting that even reason may compel us, making freedom merely an appearance.
1.7 Ability To Do What You Want
STEP 1-7: Advance from the freedom of having the "ability to do what you want", —to "questioning the strongest motive", whether your actions are compelled by the inescapable necessity of the strongest motive.
Psychism sees ideas as real only when living in conscious beings—being capable of holding and expressing them. Within this view, free will means the ability to “do what you want,” where action follows personal wanting. This fits Psychism’s focus on the being connected to the ideas and motives. Yet this freedom is questioned if action is compelled by the strongest motive, suggesting that wanting arises from necessity, not free inner choice.
1.8 Unconditioned Will Impulse
STEP 1-8: Advance from the freedom of an "unconditioned will impulse", where acts of will appear to be an absolute beginning, —to "questioning invisible causes", whether unseen internal causes may have dictated the act of will.
Pneumatism sees reality as animated by spirit, where human beings, as spiritual individuals, not only think but act. In this view, free will is the “unconditioned will impulse”—an act of will that appears as an absolute beginning. This fits Pneumatism’s belief in inner spiritual spontaneity. Yet this freedom is questioned if unseen internal causes—psychic or spiritual—determine the will, suggesting that what feels like a beginning may still be conditioned by hidden inner forces.
1.9 Known Reason
STEP 1-9: Advance from the freedom of action based on a "known reason", —to "questioning the origin" of these thoughts and their authenticity as products of genuine thinking.
Monadism holds that reality consists of individual spiritual beings, or monads, each with unique powers of inner conceptual activity. In this view, free will means acting from a “known reason,” where thought originates from within and guides action. This aligns with Monadism’s emphasis on self-generated concepts. Yet this freedom is questioned by examining the origin of these thoughts and whether they are authentic products of genuine thinking or influenced by non-spiritual impulses we share with animals.
1.10 Force Of Heart
STEP 1-10: Advance from the freedom of the "force of heart", where compassion prevails over cold intellectual reasoning, —to "questioning emotional drives", recognizing that motives are shaped by thoughts before evoking an emotional response in the heart.
Dynamism sees reality as shaped by invisible forces behind all phenomena, including human behavior. In this view, free will is found in the “force of heart,” where compassion and will rise above cold intellect. This aligns with Dynamism’s emphasis on inner energy driving action. Yet this freedom is questioned when recognizing that emotional drives like compassion arise only after thoughts—subtle mental forces behind the scenes—appear in the mind, guiding the heart's response.
1.11 Idolized Love
STEP 1-11: Advance from the freedom of "idolized love", where idealistic thoughts elevate feelings of love, —to "questioning the source of love", recognizing that love depends on the thoughts we form about the beloved.
Phenomenalism holds that the world consists only of appearances shaped by our perception and thought. In this view, free will is found in “idolized love,” where idealistic thoughts elevate love beyond instinct. This aligns with Phenomenalism’s belief that we add meaning to phenomena through thought. Yet this freedom is questioned by recognizing that love itself depends on the thoughts we form about the beloved—revealing that even love is shaped by inner mental constructions.
1.12 Seeing The Good
STEP 1-12: Advance from "blind love", where flaws are overlooked, —to "seeing the good", recognizing that love depends on perceiving good qualities, shaped by the virtuous perception-picture we form of the loved one during the perception process.
Sensationalism holds that only sense-impressions are valid sources of knowledge, rejecting additions from thought or reason. In this view, free will is “seeing the good”—where love arises from perceiving admirable qualities in the loved one. This fits Sensationalism’s emphasis on direct sensory experience. Yet this freedom is questioned by recognizing that “seeing the good” depends on forming a virtuous perception-picture during the act of perception—without which love does not awaken.
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2. THE FUNDAMENTAL DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE
2.0 Separation Of Self And World
2.1 Materialistic Conception
STEP 2-1: Advance from a "materialistic conception", which focuses solely on material life and explains all phenomena as lawful physical processes, —to recognizing the inner "Self" as the source of meaningful thoughts and experiences.
Materialism holds that only physical matter exists and that all phenomena arise from material interactions. Thus, its pursuit of knowledge—through the “materialistic conception”—seeks to explain everything as lawful physical processes. This follows from its worldview, as it denies non-material realities. However, by recognizing that meaningful thoughts originate from the inner Self, not just brain matter, the materialistic conception can overcome its one-sidedness without contradicting its foundation in observable experience.
2.2 Spiritualistic Theory
STEP 2-2: Advance from "spiritualistic theory", which focuses solely on the inner activity of the mind, —to acknowledging the need to engage with real-world "concrete phenomena", both in the pursuit of knowledge and in meaningful action.
Spiritism holds that true reality is spiritual, with the material world seen as a mere manifestation of the Spirit. Thus, its “spiritualistic theory” focuses solely on inner mental activity. Engaging with the concrete reality of the material world does not mean abandoning the spiritual; instead, it means acknowledging that Spirit expresses itself through material phenomena. Thus, studying and acting within the material world becomes a way of understanding and embodying the Spirit in practice, not a contradiction of Spiritism’s core belief.
2.3 Realism
STEP 2-3: Advance from "Realism", which looks outward to know the external world and gain practical experience, —to "avoiding external world dependency" by valuing higher ideals and meaningful goals.
Realism holds that the external world is real and knowable through observation and experience. Thus, its pursuit of knowledge by looking outward and gaining practical experience follows naturally. However, this narrow focus recognizes that dependence on external reality alone is limiting. By valuing higher ideals and meaningful goals that guide perception and action, Realism remains consistent with its view, grounding these ideals in the very world it seeks to understand.
2.4 Idealism
STEP 2-4: Advance from "Idealism", which constructs magnificent thought-pictures of the world without grounding them in experience, —to recognizing the external world and the essential value of "practical experience".
Idealism sees the world as meaningful only through ideas that give it purpose and direction. Thus, Idealists often construct grand thought-systems rooted in the “Ego,” without grounding in experience. This follows from their belief in the primacy of ideas. This narrow focus acknowledges the reality of the external world and the value of practical experience, which provides content to ideas—remaining consistent with its view that ideas must shape real life.
2.5 Materialistic Idealism
STEP 2-5: Advance from "materialistic idealism", which claims both thought and matter as the origin of each other, creating a conceptual paradox, —to achieving "logical consistency" by examining and clarifying the assumptions behind your ideas to avoid contradictions.
Mathematism views reality through logical reasoning and mathematical abstraction, treating the world as a calculable, ordered system. Its pursuit of knowledge through “materialistic idealism,” where thought and matter create each other, follows from this impulse to reconcile abstract logic with physical processes. Mathematism overcomes its paradox by pursuing logical consistency—examining and clarifying assumptions to avoid contradiction—thus staying true to its foundation in coherent structure and disciplined thinking.
2.6 Indivisible Unity
STEP 2-6: Advance from attempting to resolve the separation between mind and matter by seeking "indivisible unity" externally, —to recognizing that the division originates in our "dualistic consciousness", where the world is experienced as both thought and perception.
Rationalism holds that only ideas discovered in the external world through sense-based reality are valid, rejecting inner intuition. Its pursuit of knowledge seeks to resolve the mind-matter split by finding an indivisible unity in the outer world. However, this narrow focus recognizes that the mind-matter split originates in our dualistic consciousness—where the world is experienced as both thought and perception—without abandoning its commitment to clarity and objective understanding.
2.7 Contrast Self
STEP 2-7: Advance from "contrasting Self" in opposition to the world, —to recognizing our "interdependent relationship", where the Self inwardly reflects the world, and the world outwardly mirrors the Self.
Psychism sees ideas as active within conscious beings, not floating abstractly or embedded in objects. Thus, the Psychist seeks knowledge by contrasting the Self against the world, emphasizing inner awareness of separation. This narrow focus recognizes an interdependent relationship: the Self inwardly reflects the world, and the world outwardly mirrors the Self. This view remains consistent with Psychism, which centers consciousness as the living space where ideas and world meet.
2.8 Felt Unity
STEP 2-8: Advance from "feeling estranged" from Nature, perceiving yourself as separate from her, —to recognizing a "felt unity", where the outer workings of Nature also live within you, connecting you to her.
Pneumatism holds that a Universal Spirit is active in both the world and the human being, who not only thinks but feels and wills. The Pneumatist, feeling estranged from Nature, seeks knowledge by sensing a separation from her. This narrow focus experiences a felt unity—where Nature’s outer workings also live within us—affirming that our inner life connects us to the same Spirit that animates the world.
2.9 Essence Within
STEP 2-9: Advance from perceiving the mind as a "foreign spiritual entity" detached from Nature and unable to find the connecting link, —to seeking the "essence within" that corresponds with nature to rediscover our connection with the world.
Monadism views each soul as an independent spiritual being—a monad—with unique powers of inner conceptual activity. The Monadist, seeing the mind as a foreign spiritual entity detached from Nature, seeks knowledge but struggles to find the link. This narrow focus seeks the “essence within” that reflects Nature, rediscovering its connection with the world—consistent with its belief that true understanding arises from probing the soul’s inner depth.
2.10 More Than "I"
STEP 2-10: Advance from identifying as "merely “I”", —to attaining an awareness of a greater presence within yourself that is "more than “I”".
Dynamism sees reality as shaped by invisible forces behind all phenomena, including within the human being. The Dynamist, identifying as merely “I,” seeks knowledge through the force of individual will and inner energy. This narrow focus awakens to a greater presence within—something more than “I”—a deeper source of power and meaning. This shift remains consistent with Dynamism’s view that unseen forces drive both the world and the self.
2.11 Description Of Experience
STEP 2-11: Advance from being concerned with "scholarship" and the precise academic definitions of terms in the study of consciousness, —to using "simple descriptions" of what we all experience within our own consciousness, with accessible terms and statements that clarify the actual facts.
Phenomenalism holds that we can only speak of how the world appears in our consciousness, not of any reality beyond those appearances. The Phenomenalist, unconcerned with academic scholarship, avoids strict definitions and focuses instead on direct experience—consistent with the view that meaning arises in consciousness. This narrow focus uses simple, accessible descriptions of shared inner experience, aligning with Phenomenalism’s goal to clarify the actual facts of consciousness.
2.12 Facts Without Interpretation
STEP 2-12: Advance from the "scholarly interpretation" of consciousness, which highlights distinctions overlooked in everyday awareness, —to closely observing and recording the immediate, moment-to-moment "facts of experience" without interpretation.
Sensationalism holds that only sense-impressions are valid knowledge, stripping away all intellectual interpretation. The Sensationalist pursues knowledge by rejecting scholarly interpretations of consciousness, focusing instead on raw sensory data—true to the view that only what is directly sensed is real. This narrow focus carefully observes and records the moment-to-moment facts of experience without interpretation, consistent with its aim to describe reality exactly as it appears through the senses.
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3. THINKING AS THE INSTRUMENT OF KNOWLEDGE
3.0 Reflective Thinking
3.1 Exceptional State
STEP 3-1: Advance from the "everyday state" of normal life where thinking is kindled by observing external things and events, —to entering the "exceptional state" of introspection where past thoughts themselves are observed and studied.
Materialism holds that reality consists only of matter and physical processes. In the everyday state, thinking is kindled by observing external events—the world makes a crude impression on the Materialist. By entering the exceptional state of introspection—where one observes past thoughts as objects—the Materialist remains consistent with their worldview, applying the same observational method to thought as they do to all other phenomena.
3.2 Active "I"
STEP 3-2: Advance from "passive learning" about your personality through feelings aroused by objects, to "active learning" about things by using thinking to establish concepts that correspond to what is observed.
Spiritism views the material world as a manifestation of the Spirit, with true reality found inwardly. Thus, passive learning—gaining self-knowledge through feelings aroused by objects—follows naturally from Spiritism’s focus on inner life. However, Spiritism also supports active learning, where the active “I” consciously forms concepts that reveal the true nature of what is observed. This remains consistent with Spiritism, as it recognizes thinking itself as a spiritual activity connecting the inner self to the world.
3.3 Contemplate Object
STEP 3-3: Advance from "expressing feelings" by drawing attention to your personal relationship to the object, —to "expressing thoughts" by acknowledging the object and directing selfless, focused thinking attention toward it in deep contemplation.
Realism holds that the external world is real and knowable through direct observation. Expressing feelings—drawing attention to one’s personal relationship to an object—follows from this worldview, as feelings, like objects and events, belong to the category of real things observed in the world. Realism overcomes this limited focus by expressing thoughts through selfless contemplation, directing full attention to the object—consistent with restricting oneself to what is seen around us.
3.3 Contemplate Thought
STEP 3-4: Advance from "creating thought" in the moment, —to "contemplating thought", where previously formed thoughts are recalled and observed with fresh thinking, separating the act of creation from reflective observation.
Idealism holds that the world gains meaning through ideas that reveal a higher purpose. Creating thought in the moment aligns with this view, as thinking brings those ideas into being. Idealism also values contemplating ideas—recalling and observing past thinking with fresh insight. Discovering ideas and reflecting on ideas deepens our understanding of the ideas shaping reality and affirms their ongoing, purposeful activity in the world.
3.5 Know Thought
STEP 3-5: Advance from "indirectly knowing" other things, by observing them and then turning to thought for understanding, —to "directly knowing thought" itself, including the characteristic features of its course, the details of how it unfolds, and the factual context and connections it reveals between objects.
Mathematism views the world as a mechanical system that can be precisely calculated and understood through abstract reasoning. It pursues knowledge by indirectly knowing things—first observing, then using thought to analyze patterns and laws. In knowing thought itself—how it unfolds and reveals connections—Mathematism pursues knowledge directly. This self-awareness of thinking aligns with Mathematism’s aim for clarity, structure, and the fine results it values in understanding reality.
3.6 Pure Thinking
STEP 3-6: Advance from focusing on the "physical brain processes" underlying thought, —to developing introspective awareness that, in "pure thinking", the connection between thoughts is guided solely by the content of the thoughts themselves.
Rationalism holds that only ideas drawn from the external, sense-perceptible world are valid. This leads to focusing on physical brain processes as the basis of thought. Rationalism overcomes this limitation by lifting ideas into pure thinking, where the connection between thoughts is guided solely by their content. This introspective clarity remains consistent with Rationalism’s aim to understand why concepts are related, basing knowledge in reasoned relationships within thought itself.
3.7 Thinking Being
STEP 3-7: Advance from an "uncertain existence" and uncertainty about your relation to other things, —to the "absolute certainty" of your thinking, an activity that defines and supports your sense of Self and serves as a secure foundation for understanding all other phenomena.
Psychism sees ideas as real when alive within thinking beings. When one’s relation to other things feels unclear, the Psychist's existence becomes uncertain. Yet Psychism overcomes this uncertainty through the absolute certainty of thinking—an activity one creates, observes, and understands directly. This self-aware thinking defines the Self and serves as a secure foundation for knowing all other phenomena, fully consistent with Psychism’s focus on the soul as the bearer of ideas.
3.8 Realm Of Thought
STEP 3-8: Advance from overlooking "intermixed thought", the unnoticed thoughts that mingle with world-events and weave a web around objects that go beyond them, —to remaining entirely within the "realm of thought", where you reflect solely on your own familiar thoughts without any unnoticed elements.
Pneumatism sees the world as permeated by Universal Spirit, revealed through clear contemplation. This focus can lead to overlooking intermixed thought—unnoticed ideas that weave around objects and alter perception. This is not a problem when the Pneumatist remains fully within the realm of thought, where one reflects only on transparent thought without hidden elements. This inner clarity aligns with Pneumatism’s view that true understanding arises by staying within the spiritual activity of thought itself.
3.9 Create Thought
STEP 3-9: Advance from "know then create", recreating Nature by first understanding the principles of its origin and conditions for existence, —to "create then know", by first creating thought and then knowing it through introspective observation.
Monadism holds that spiritual beings, or monads, build existence from within, shaping reality through inner activity. Thus, “knowing, then creating”—recreating Nature by first understanding its principles—follows from reflecting on the elements of existence in the world. Monadism goes further by embracing “creating, then knowing,” where one first creates thought and then knows it through introspection. This process fully aligns with Monadism’s core view: building up existence in itself.
3.10 Self-Supporting Thought
STEP 3-10: Advance from seeking "external validation" to confirm the validity of your perspective, —to "trusting thinking" as the foundation for creating your own self-supporting and self-subsisting viewpoint of the world.
Dynamism sees invisible forces as shaping all events, including thought. Thus, seeking external validation to confirm one’s perspective follows naturally—validation itself becomes a force. However, Dynamism overcomes this dependency by trusting thinking as a self-sustaining power. In freely creating and observing thought, the thinker generates a self-supporting worldview. This inner strength reflects Dynamism’s core belief: that real power and purpose arise from forces actively at work—especially within the human being.
3.11 Examination Of Thinking
STEP 3-11: Advance from seeking an "immediate understanding" of the world by turning directly to the objects you wish to understand, —to first ensuring "correct principles" of thinking, recognizing that thinking itself must be understood before anything else can be understood.
Phenomenalism holds that we can only speak of the world as it appears in our experience. Seeking immediate understanding by turning directly to objects follows naturally, since reality is accessed through appearances. Yet Phenomenalism also recognizes that thinking itself must first be understood. Establishing correct principles of thinking provides a secure foundation for knowledge, consistent with its view that thinking is a phenomenal process—one that must be examined and clarified from within experience.
3.12 Rightly Applied Thought
STEP 3-12: Advance from "questioning thought" itself, wondering whether it is right or wrong, —to understanding that thought is a fact in itself, and instead question whether thought is "rightly applied" to achieve understanding of the world.
Sensationalism holds that only sense-impressions are valid knowledge, stripping away anything added by reason. This leads to questioning thought itself—wondering if it is right or wrong. Yet Sensationalism overcomes this by recognizing that thought is a fact in itself. The real issue is whether thought is rightly applied to sense experience. This shift aligns with Sensationalism’s concern for how thought relates to the sense-perceptible world, not whether thought itself is valid.
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4. THE WORLD AS PERCEPTION
4.0 Reactive Thinking
[1]
4.1 Conceptual Search
[3]
4.2 Conceptual Reference
[6]
4.3 Conceptual Relationship
[9]
4.4 World-Picture Correction
[13]
4.5 Perceptual Correction
[17
4.6 Subjective Percept
[19]
4.7 Memory Idea
[22]
4.8 Interposed Idea
[23]
4.9 Subjective Representation
V
4.10 Idea Projection
[26]
4.11 Externalized Idea
[27]
4.12 Sensory Idea
[30]
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5. KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD
5.0 Independent Existence Of Things
[1]
5.1 Awakened State Of Thinking
[8
5.2 True Judgment
[9]
5.3 World Caused Thought
[10]
5.4 Process Of Becoming
[11]
5.5 Inseparable Concept
[13]
5.6 Single Concepts
[17]
5.7 Self-Definition
[18]
5.8 Universal Concept
[19]
5.9 Conceptual Unity
[23]
5.10 Corresponding Intuition
[24]
5.11 Conceptual Connections
[28]
5.12 Objective Percept
[30]
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6. HUMAN INDIVIDUALITY
6.0 Ideas That Correspond To World
[1]
6.1 Process Of Motion
[2]
6.2 Intuitive Idea
[4]
6.3 Representation Of Reality
[5]
6.4 Acquire Experience
[7]
6.5 Cognitive Objectivity
[8]
6.6 Individual Ego
[10]
6.7 Two-Fold Nature
[11]
6.8 True Individuality
[14]
6.9 Standpoint
[15]
6.10 Intensity Of Feeling
[16]
6.11 Education Of Feeling
[17]
6.12 Living Concept
[18]
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7. ARE THERE ANY LIMITS TO KNOWLEDGE?
7.0 Cognitive Unity
[1]
7.1 Hypothetical World Principle and Facts Of Experience
[4]
7.2 "I" Questions and Answers
[7]
7.3 Reconcile Well-Known Percepts and Well-Known Concepts
[10]
7.4 Conceptual Representation Of Objective Reality
[11]
7.5 Real Principles in addition to Ideal Principles
[12]
7.6 Real Evidence Of Senses in addition to Ideal Evidence
[16]
7.7 Vanishing Perceptions and Ideal Entities
[20]
7.8 Perceptible Reality and Imperceptible Reality
[22]
7.9 Monism: Sum of Perceptions and Laws of Nature
[25]
7.10 Separation and Reunion of Self into World Continuum
[29]
7.11 Induction Of Underlying Causes From Numerous Perceived Facts
[34]
7.12 Subjective World Continuum and Objective Real World Continuum
[37]
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8. THE FACTORS OF LIFE
8.0 Cognizing Being
[1]
8.1 Emotional Life
[2]
8.2 Feeling Personality
T
8.3 Encounter Feeling
M
8.4 Concept Of Self
A
8.5 Cultivate Feeling
T
8.6 Feeling Insight
H
8.7 Philosopher of Feeling
N
8.8 Feeling Intuition
[3] T
8.9 Willing Personality
[5] T
8.10 Voluntarism
[6]
8.11 Lived Experience
[7]
8.12 World Will
[8]
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9. THE IDEA OF FREEDOM
9.0 Conceptual Intuition
9.1 Ideal Act
STEP 9-1: Advance from a "perceptual act", determined by external factors in the perceptual world, —to an "ideal act", guided by my own Idea and shaped by the ideal interdependence of concepts within my conceptual system.
9.2 Moral Character
STEP 9-2: Advance from distinguishing the two factors of an act of will; the "motive" (momentary idea or goal) and the "driving force" of characterological disposition (enduring individual make-up), —to recognizing how their interplay shapes a person’s "moral character" and ethical direction.
9.3 Motivated Idea
STEP 9-3: Advance from identifying the relationship between a "motive" (goal) and its "driving force" (pleasure or pain tied to characterological disposition), —to forming a "motivated idea" by aligning a motive with a compatible characterological disposition, creating an inspiring pleasure that motivates action.
9.4 Levels Of Morality - Driving Force
STEP 9-4a: Advance from lower levels of "driving force" (characterological disposition), such as instinct, feeling, or practical experience, —to the higher realm of "pure thinking" (practical reason), where actions are guided by the pure intuition of conceptual thinking, free from specific perceptual content.
9.4 Levels Of Morality - Motive
STEP 9-4b: Advance from lower levels of "motive" (goals), such as Egoism, moral authority, or moral insight, —to the highest realm of "conceptual intuition", where actions are guided solely by ideals, valuing all ethical principles while prioritizing them uniquely in each situation.
9.5 Moral Intuition
STEP 9-5: Advance from the highest levels of "pure thinking" (driving force) and "conceptual intuition" (motive), —to their unity in "moral intuition", the ability to think out for yourself the appropriate ethical principle to apply in each unique situation.
9.6 Situational Idea
STEP 9-6: Advance from constructing a "cognitive concept" that reveals natural laws connecting events and the "moral label" with instructions of how to behave, —to a higher level where moral labels vanish, and action is guided by a "situational Idea" intuitively revealed in each unique situation.
9.7 Ethical Individualism
STEP 9-7: Advance from having "ethical content" comprised of universal Ideas active within us, —to "ethical individualism", allowing our ethical content to be expressed in life, through the intuitive discovery of the appropriate Idea for each distinct situation.
9.8 Love Of Goal
STEP 9-8: Advance from acting out of "love of goal", inspired by an intuitive ethical principle unified with the objective, —to assessing whether my action is "good or evil", with "good" defined as my intuition fitting harmoniously within the interrelationships of the world continuum, and “evil” as failing to do so.
9.9 Free Action
STEP 9-9: Advance from the immature "freedom of license", marked by unrestrained self-expression and impulsive action driven by animal or social instincts, —to "free action" guided by pure intuition, originating in the ideal part of one’s individuality.
9.10 Harmony Of Intentions
STEP 9-10: Advance from believing that social compatibility within a community requires a "common moral order", —to recognizing a "harmony of intentions" among morally free individuals, rooted in their shared connection to the world of Ideas and their intuitive, self-determined actions, free from external constraints.
9.11 Actualize Free Spirit
STEP 9-11: Advance from a "natural being" driven by insatiable desires or a "social being" bound by duty and external moral laws, —to becoming a "free being" who discovers the concept free spirit (true Self) and strives to actualize it in life through their own conscious effort.
9.12 Social Order
STEP 9-12: Advance from seeing morality as externally imposed rules and the free spirit as a "social danger", —to recognizing the individual as the source of all morality and the center of life, creating an "individualistic society" that supports individual flourishing.
9.1 Intuitive Nature Of Thinking (1918 revision)
STEP 9-1: Advance from the human "psycho-physical organization", where ordinary thinking occurs, —to "intuitive thinking", which suppresses the psycho-physical organization and takes its place, allowing pure thought to arise.
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10. FREEDOM PHILOSOPHY AND MONISM
10.0 Moral Authority
10.1 Mechanical Necessity
STEP 10-1: Advance from the materialistic view of "mechanical necessity", where every aspect of an individual’s being is dictated by mechanical laws, —to recognizing that in this view, our "freedom is illusion" caused by unawareness of the motives that compel us.
10.2 Spiritual Being
STEP 10-2: Advance from recognizing some kind of spiritual power, a "spiritual being" with its own intentions for humanity, —to understanding that in this view, our duty is to use reason to discern the decrees of the Absolute Being and fulfill "god's will" as a reflection of a higher, divine moral order.
10.3 Automaton Or Slave
STEP 10-3: Advance from the dualistic views of materialism and spiritualism, which depict the human being as lacking volition, either as an "automaton" bound by mechanical laws or a "slave" to the will of the Absolute, —to recognizing that these views leave "no room for freedom".
10.4 Imposed Principles
STEP 10-4: Advance from accepting "imposed principles", whether through submission to authority (external or internal) or the belief that human actions are mechanically or morally determined by a "thing-in-itself," —to recognizing the "denial of freedom", as both views reduce humans to simply carrying out imposed moral principles.
10.5 Ethical Impulse
STEP 10-5: Advance from the constraint of accepting "ethical principles from others", —to the freedom of intuitively producing moral Ideas and acting on individual "ethical impulses".
10.6 Accusation
STEP 10-6: Advance from making an "accusation of unfreedom", claiming another person's actions are unfree, —to identifying the "perceptible external compulsion", such as a thing, person, or institution in the observable world, that influenced them to act unfreely.
10.7 Manifest Free Spirit
STEP 10-7: Advance from recognizing "unfree action", where human actions in the perceptual world are constrained by external conditions, —to the free action of "manifesting free spirit", expressing inner freedom in the external world.
10.8 Individual Will Impulse
STEP 10-8: Advance from pursuing the collective goals of a group, shaped by the "will impulses of leaders" whom others follow as authorities, —to pursuing the goals of "individual will impulses", recognizing that ideas manifest uniquely within individuals, and each person has the potential to be a free spirit.
10.9 Developmental Path
STEP 10-9: Advance from seeing the human being as a "self-developing being" who does not fully manifest their developed nature at every moment, —to questioning whether their current "developmental path" will lead to becoming a free spirit.
10.10 Find Own Self
STEP 10-10: Advance from the unfree "stage of Nature", an incomplete phase of human development, —to reaching the point of "finding own self" through further self-development.
10.11 Preparatory Stages
STEP 10-11: Advance from recognizing that automatic behavior (natural instincts) and obedient behavior (ethical norms) are necessary "preparatory stages" of morality, —to realizing that the human being can "overcome preliminary stages" through the free spirit.
10.12 Human Natural Morality
STEP 10-12: Advance from dismissing discussions about the ethical maxims of higher beings in favor of "human morality", which originates within the human being, —to recognizing "freedom as morality", where freedom is the uniquely human way of being moral.
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11. WORLD PURPOSE AND LIFE PURPOSE
(Human Destiny)
11.0 Concept Of Purpose
11.1 Perceptual Factor
STEP 11-1: Advance from simply observing events as "separate perceptions", —to understanding cause and effect by connecting what you perceive with the corresponding concepts, and recognizing perceptually that "cause precedes effect"—you perceive the cause before you perceive the effect.
11.2 Conceptual Factor
STEP 11-2: Advance from recognizing the "perceptual factor"—that the effect is always perceived after the cause, —to using thinking to reveal the "conceptual factor", showing how the concept of the effect (such as the archetype or lawful pattern of a flower) influences the cause (such as the root) through relationships we grasp in thinking.
11.3 Human Purpose
STEP 11-3: Advance from recognizing a general "lawful connection" between a later event and an earlier one, —to understanding "human purpose", where perceptual and conceptual factors combine—through human thinking and action—to make the concept of the effect (an idea, like a goal) visibly influence the cause (the situation acted upon).
11.4 Invented Purpose
STEP 11-4: Advance from naively projecting "invented purpose" onto Nature, assuming that, like humans designing tools with goals (e.g., a hammer to drive nails), Nature "designs" its processes and organisms with specific purposes, —to recognizing Nature's "ideal connections", which do not involve perceptible purposes as seen in human actions.
11.5 Laws Of Nature
STEP 11-5: Advance from rejecting arbitrary assumptions about the concept of "purpose in Nature", recognizing it applies only to human action, —to actively seeking the "laws of nature" that govern the world.
11.6 Actionable Idea
STEP 11-6: Advance from the belief that an individual's "life purpose set by others" is a valid assumption, —to embracing life purposes as "actionable ideas" conceived and actualized by the individual.
11.7 Chosen Destiny
STEP 11-7: Advance from the belief in a "predestined mission" in the world, —to recognizing that one's "chosen destiny" is not bound to a fixed path but is continually shaped and created anew through conscious, deliberate choices.
11.8 Realized Idea
STEP 11-8: Advance from the belief in "ideas of history", the notion that history itself embodies ideas, —to recognizing "actualized ideas", which are purposefully brought into reality only through human agents.
11.9 Formative Principle
STEP 11-9: Advance from the belief that purpose is required to maintain "world unity and order", —to recognizing the "formative principle", the self-organizing forces within the inclusive whole of nature that shape natural beings, whether plant, animal, or human, without relying on external purposes.
11.10 Evolutionary Adaptation
STEP 11-10: Advance from acknowledging the many "natural hardships", the discomforts and sufferings of natural life, —to "Teleology", appreciating a miraculous world of evolutionary adaptation and purpose within the boundaries of natural laws.
11.11 Harmony Of Ideas
STEP 11-11: Advance from recognizing "natural lawfulness", where beings follow inner laws, and "machine lawfulness" where parts follow an external plan, —to understanding human "purposeful action" that requires a conscious idea of the effect as its cause, whereas nature and machines follow only lawful connections of cause and effect.
11.12 World Being
STEP 11-12: Advance from interpreting systematic connections between cause and effect as evidence of an absolute "world being" fulfilling its purpose, —to understanding that the concept of "world purpose" becomes irrelevant once the existence of an absolute world being is rejected.
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12. MORAL IMAGINATION (Darwinism and Ethics)
12.0 Moral Intuition
12.1 Concrete Idea
STEP 12-1: Advance from the unfree spirit, who must find the "concrete idea" of an action that applies a universal concept (such as "Do good") to a specific perceptual situation, —to the free spirit, who actively "translates the concept" into the concrete idea.
12.2 Moral Imagination
STEP 12-2: Advance from being morally unproductive, merely "preaching morality" and devising ethical codes without the ability to form concrete ideas, —to possessing "moral imagination", the capacity to translate ethical concepts into concrete actions and assert oneself in the world.
12.3 Moral Technique
STEP 12-3: Advance from acquiring "scientific knowledge", understanding the underlying laws governing a field, —to developing "moral technique", the ability to transform the world in alignment with a moral idea while respecting the natural laws that connect things.
12.4 Science Of Morality
STEP 12-4: Advance from viewing moral ideas merely as "guiding principles" of behavior, —to recognizing them as operating causes that regulate life through the conceptualization of moral ideas in moral imagination, which can be studied and explained as any natural phenomenon within a "science of morality", forming a Natural Science of moral ideas.
12.5 Create Moral Rules
STEP 12-5: Advance from adhering to "moral norms", applying pre-existing moral laws already present in the world, such as inherited morality, —to embracing "moral creativity", where one generates and applies one's own moral laws, newly created in each moment.
12.6 Evolution Of Morality
STEP 12-6: Advance from investigating "moral evolution", tracing the connection between past and future moral concepts, —to recognizing "moral idea creation", where no new moral idea can be derived from previous ones, but must first be created to be known or recognized.
12.7 Evolution Of Ethical Nature
STEP 12-7: Advance from the "theory of evolution", tracing development from protozoa to humans without disrupting natural laws or evolutionary continuity, —to extending evolution to the "evolved ethical individualist", characterized by a unique ethical nature and capacity for independent moral ideas.
12.8 Human Morality
STEP 12-8: Advance from attributing the emergence of new ethical ideas to "supernatural influences", such as historical revelations (Ten Commandments), or divine incarnations (Christ), —to recognizing the human "moral capacity" to create new ethical ideas through moral imagination.
12.9 Characterization Of Deed
STEP 12-9: Advance from the notion that evolution ends with our "non-human ancestors", —to understanding what it means to be human through "deed characterization", observing actions to determine if behavior is guided by ethical ideas produced through thinking, and thus whether it is free.
12.10 Free Deed
STEP 12-10: Advance from "naturalized free action", linking observed free actions with natural processes through science to form a theory of their natural origin, —to recognizing that "free deeds" are not dictated by external factors but result from the actualization of purely ideal intuitions.
12.11 Desiring To Do What Is Right
STEP 12-11: Advance from being able to "do what I want", depending on external circumstances and my technical skill, —to "ethical desire", the liberty to want what I consider right, with the ideas for my actions determined by myself through moral imagination.
12.12 Enslaved Spirit
STEP 12-12: Advance from being an "enslaved spirit", dominated by others who replace your motives with their own and dictate what is right and how to act, —to a "refusal to submit", even if it means being damned to do nothing.
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13. THE VALUE OF LIFE (Optimism And Pessimism)
13.0 Good World Or Miserable Life
[1]
13.1 Happy Doing Good
[4]
13.2 Pain Of Striving
[6]
13.3 Pain Outweighs Pleasure
[7]
13.4 Pleasure Of Striving
[10]
13.5 Quantity Of Pleasure
Th
13.6 Quality Of Pleasure
[16]
13.7 Pursuit Of Pleasure
[22]
13.8 Value Of Pleasure
[31]
13.9 Will For Pleasure
[39]
13.10 Magnitude Of Pleasure
[44]
13.11 Highest Pleasure
[45]
13.12 Achievement Of Goals
[51]
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14. INDIVIDUALITY AND TYPE
14.0 The Question Of Free Individuality
14.1 Group Type
STEP 14-1: Advance from recognizing members of an "ethnic group", whose traits and behaviors are conditioned by the nature of the group, —to explaining an individual by their "group type", which defines their typical qualities and behavior.
14.2 Freedom From Type
STEP 14-2: Advance from the common qualities of the "human race", —to achieving "freedom from type", using the characteristics given by nature as material to express one’s individuality.
14.3 Judge Character
STEP 14-3: Advance from "male-female judgment", seeing in man and woman too much of the typical traits of their sex, —to "character judgment", assigning societal roles based on individual abilities and preferences.
14.4 Occupational Choice
STEP 14-4: Advance from "gender-specific roles", fearing social upheaval if career advancement defies traditional expectations, —to "occupational choice", where individuals freely decide what career paths best suit their nature.
14.5 Academic Study
STEP 14-5: Advance from "ethnic and gender studies", which focus on general traits of race, ethnicity, nation, and sex, —to "individuality studies", which explore the unique character and self-determined nature of the individual.
14.6 Free Thinking
STEP 14-6: Advance from adopting "fixed conceptual content" handed down by others, —to practicing "free thinking", where each individual develops their concepts through intuition and independent thought.
14.7 Innermost Core
STEP 14-7: Advance from stopping at typical characteristics, which reveal little about a person’s "individual goals", —to taking on the challenge of finding your way to the "innermost core" of an individual’s unique being.
14.8 Worldview And Willful Acts
STEP 14-8: Advance from engaging in "abstract studies" focused on generalized ideas and concepts of type, —to recognizing such studies are merely preparation for when an individuality tells us their "worldview" and we observe their "acts of will".
14.9 Emancipate Knowing
STEP 14-9: Advance from knowing a free individuality by mixing in our own "preconceptions", —to "emancipate knowing" by receiving into our mind, without alteration, those concepts with which the individual defines themselves.
14.10 Free Spirit
STEP 14-10: Advance from the gradual emancipation from "instincts and decrees", animal-like life and controlling authorities, —to actualizing a "free spirit" within a community.
14.11 Ethical Conduct
STEP 14-11: Advance from remaining part of the "natural and social organism", living by imitating others or obeying commands, —to free "ethical conduct" that gains true ethical value by springing from intuition.
14.12 Moral Contribution
STEP 14-12: Advance from "moral practice", living out one's own moral ideas that spring from moral imagination, —to making a "moral contribution", exemplifying a free individuality enriching the moral life of humanity.
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