Bridge Across Consciousness
"Love, indeed, is the source of all good things;…He who walks in love can neither go astray nor be afraid: love guides him, protects him, and brings him to his journey's end." St. Fulgentius of Ruspe, bishop, Sermon 3
Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours - various

This network is hosted by LightPages for Bridge Across Consciousness.
You are currently viewing this page as a member of the public, not signed in.
Additional details for Bridge Across Consciousness are available to signed in users.

Previous message from Bridge Across Consciousness Next message from Bridge Across Consciousness Previous message on 'The Great Chain of Being' subject Previous message from Bruce Schuman Next message from Bruce Schuman

THE GREAT CHAIN OF BEING
Print format

From: Bruce S.
Date: Friday, February 29, 2008, 3:52 PM
Subject: The Great Chain of Being
ID: 259911


Was just checking in here, and saw this quote:

"Plotinus and the Neoplatonic tradition saw the universe as a chain of being extending from the One, and the One was not only supreme ineffable Reality but also supreme Beauty known in ecstasy." Theosophy, A Modern Expression of the Wisdom of the Ages - Robert Ellwood

This simple traditional statement, grounded in ancient philosophy, could be seen as an overview of this entire Bridge project. When we get a chance, we will go over the roots of metaphysics in the concept of the Great Chain of Being -- and in particular, take a look at Ken Wilber's approach to this subject. This idea is at the core of Wilber's philosophy, and is the essential concept of his first seminal book, "The Spectrum of Consciousness".

This particular quote is especially good, because it not only lays out the unfolding of ideational structure, as it is derived in "The One" -- but it also highlights the ecstasy and beauty of the human experience inherent in this this process.

Following the right instincts for simplicity and Occam's Razor, beauty can be a reliable guide to acute analysis, and ecstasy is the spiritual quality of the experience.

Generally, what we are doing here involves illustrating the entire spectrum of philosophy and analysis, as it unfolds as per this quote, from the One (the One as Logos...), and mapping this unfolding process through the commonly accepted and recognized paradigms of human understanding (the various disciplines and levels of knowledge).

Our discovery, I am supposing, will involve an amazing simplicity interconnecting these levels, through a kind of "linearly recursive partitioning", like a fractal. All levels take the same form, and the same form repeats itself at all levels.

Showing how all knowledge is organized in this way -- would be an absolutely astonishing and transformative thing -- not only revolutionizing the structure of knowledge, but integrating it as well.

Link to this message:
http://lightpages.net/lp/message.cfm?messageid=259911&ex=463282&mo=1

About Bridge Across Consciousness
About LightPages | Networks | Help | Privacy Policy | Contact Us