tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592780709263923992.post2189839765017973490..comments2023-12-13T13:59:50.319-08:00Comments on Critique of Pure Interest: Why I like Absolute Idealism but dislike Hegel (and love Plotinus)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592780709263923992.post-9987657888500688932018-02-23T01:21:49.692-08:002018-02-23T01:21:49.692-08:00Hi Jerzy,
I honestly have no clue. Personally I t...Hi Jerzy,<br /><br />I honestly have no clue. Personally I think that the Absolute computes our universe, and us in it, but via the mediation of something analogous to Plotinus' Intellect. The Absolute in itself must be timeless, thus its primary computational self-image must be timeless as well. I think that primary computational self-image must be computationally equivalent to a Universal Turing Machine (UTM), and I would say that Plotinus' Intellect is this UTM. Now, this Intellect -- as it mirrors the Absolute -- must itself also mirror itself computationally, but then it seems to be limited by the Halting Problem, which is how I introduce time and contingency in the picture. I explain this more fully in section 8 of this text: http://critique-of-pure-interest.blogspot.nl/2016/06/9-remarks-on-absolute-idealism-20_46.html <br /><br />So the picture that thus arises is as follows: the Absolute timelessly computes the Intellect (= UTM), which in turn -- since it is limited by the Halting Problem -- computes a contingent and temporal universe, in which we exist.<br /><br />So your question about subjective immortality would then come down to the question: does this timeless Intellect somehow retain the temporally evolving computation of our physical universe? <br /><br />I honestly have no idea how to answer this question. It has to do with the relation between time and timelessness... a well-known philosophical conundrum.<br /><br />You could also say, with the Idealist philosopher MacTaggart, that time is an illusion anyway, so that in truth we already exist outside of time and are therefore 'already' immortal. MacTaggart is here very close to the Einsteinian idea of the block universe, where past, present en future of the universe exist together as one timeless block of mathematical equations. We would then exist timelessly in those equations. <br /><br />But of course the idea of the block universe is controversial, and I don't really know how it relates to my own ideas...<br /><br />Greets,<br />P.Peter Sashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06546287595369019854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592780709263923992.post-31472065704282062912018-02-21T13:24:08.353-08:002018-02-21T13:24:08.353-08:00Thank You very much for your response. Now it'...Thank You very much for your response. Now it's all clear, your worldview evolwed. I also like idea of Absolute Selfconsciousness. It give better explanation to mind/body problem in my opinion. I have one more question. What is your or wider in Absolute Idealism which you support, stance about what happen with indywidual selfconsciousness after body death. I read little about it, and Josiah Royce's position is not clear for me. Some people say about subjective immortality.<br /><br />Best Regards, JerzyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592780709263923992.post-56134291673468079532018-02-20T23:27:17.201-08:002018-02-20T23:27:17.201-08:00Hi, that's a very interesting question. I have...Hi, that's a very interesting question. I have an answer, but I'm afraid its highly speculative. Indeed, as you say, the absolute self-consciousness is in its core (which is prereflective self-consciousness) thoroughly empty, almost like a self-aware nothingness. But through its reflective recursivity it indeed generates infinite complexity, first of all the natural numbers and perhaps even the whole of mathematics (hierarchy V in set theory). So, in my view, what the absolute then does is mirror its own essence in the medium of mathematics, thereby giving rise to the mathematical structure of our universe. But since the absolute is in itself empty, its mathematical image must reflect this emptiness, which means that all the computations that constitute our universe must ultimately add up to nothing. A zero energy universe could perhaps be understood in this way, i.e. as the mathematical image of the empty absolute...<br /><br />But we should be careful with the idea of the zero energy universe. It's a controversial concept among physicists... It is theoretical possibility, but by no means has it been experimentally confirmed.<br /><br />A little point of clarification: I wrote the essay about nothingness prior to my 'conversion' to absolute idealism. I was thinking about Leibniz' question (Why is there something?) and at that time I could not make sense of self-causation. Somehow, I thought, the universe had to have come from nothing, and the idea of the zero energy universe seemed to fit that idea. But then a year later or so it suddenly struck me that the circular structure of self-consciousness fits the circular structure of self-causation perfectly. And it dawned on me that thinkers like Plotinus, Fichte and the Upanishadic sages had already seen absolute self-consciousness as self-causing in a sense. So that then became my preferred answer to Leibniz' question. Self-consciousness, after all, is real, we know with Cartesian certainty that it exists. Nothingness, however, is a non-entity and can therefore have no causal power. Nevertheless, the emptiness of absolute self-consciousness does make its comparison to nothingness fruitful...<br /><br />As for the dialectical antinomies of nothingness as the 'motor' behind creation, I no longer believe in that. <br /><br />I hope this answers your question.<br /><br />Greets,<br />PeterPeter Sashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06546287595369019854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3592780709263923992.post-17901894470134486422018-02-20T10:36:54.500-08:002018-02-20T10:36:54.500-08:00Hello.
Interesting post, and wonderful blog.
I won...Hello.<br />Interesting post, and wonderful blog.<br />I wonder how this Absolute, Brahman or Plotinus One, relate to pure nothingness from your essey<br />http://critique-of-pure-interest.blogspot.nl/2015/02/what-is-dialectical-nihilism.html?<br /><br />Empty Consciousness is rather something than nothing, and you not writing in context of Absolute about antinomies which pop out within nothingness. You show how Empty Consciousnes in recursive manner is making complexity, but how that stand to zero energy universe?<br /><br />Best RegardsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com