Nick_A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:49 pm
Age wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 1:35 pm
Nick_A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 6:28 am
I would be interested in your definition of "universe." For me the definition is everything existing as a unity within ONE. Uni means one and verse relates to the word diversity.
I could not agree more.
The diversity of every thing (two words to describe absolutely every (single diverse) thing) when brought together or united IS and, literally, becomes everything (one word) as, and within, One.
If that definition is a rough enough definition for now, then obviously the Universe is One and thus IS alone. There, literally, can NOT be any thing above, beyond, or outside of Everything, which can also be known as ALL-THERE-IS.
Nick_A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 6:28 amIn the Bible universe is described as "I AM." I is the conscious whole within which the diversity of AM interacts at its lawful levels of reality.
I could not agree more, here also.
The way I read the bible the Creator of the Universe IS Itself. Seeing how the Universe is obviously eternal and infinite, then It is the One Creator. And, also obviously by the way the Universe actually works It is thee Creator too. The 'I', in the invisible to the human eye sense, is the Spiritual God talked about in the bible. As the Universe is fundamentally made up of two things, they being matter and space, space being obviously that invisible to the human eye part and matter being that obviously seen with human eyes is the physical, BOTH co-exist together as One - The Creator. How is every physical form created? Through the interaction of physical matter. In this obviously seen by human eye sense ALL physical parts of the Universe is the Creator, sometimes referred to as the Creator God. Obviously when two things interact together that is an action, which obviously creates a reaction, and that reaction IS creation. Always has, always will be, and always IS, happening NOW in an evolving-creation. Absolutely every (individual diverse) thing IS created, and, is always evolving as and within the One Everything. Matter can NOT freely move without space so the empty distance between ALL physical objects of matter is needed for Creation, Itself, to exist. The Universe, Itself IS the Creator of Its Self. Always IS forever-NOW. Matter without space is an unchangeable form. Space without matter is no thing, and as one is nothing. Therefore, BOTH space and matter have NEEDED to co-exist forever for Creation, to be Creating, Its Self.
That is just a tiny snippet of my clumsy writings, of which I am continually learning to communicate better. There are countless of other ways to rearrange words so that the actual TRUE, RIGHT and CORRECT absolute picture of HOW exactly ALL-THERE-IS works and exists can be shared, and thus come into agreement with EVERY one as One. But this forum obviously is certainly NOT the place for that, yet.
Perhaps we can discuss some of these ideas you bring up for example matter and space. Is space empty for example or does it contain everything Plato referred to as above his divided line analogy?
To me, 'space' is not a thing in and of itself. 'Space' therefore is no thing. 'Space', to me, is just the distance between two physical things.
Really I do not read much of any thing, so i had no idea of a 'divided line analogy' but when i had a quick glance of it just now, to me, it just bogs down or complicates
what IS actually very simple and easy to understand. But when I do read bits and pieces here and there it is very easy to see how those people came to the view/s that they have, and how from different perspectives different truths and falsehoods are seen. Once a certain perspective is gained every thing begins to make more sense.
'Space' to me, is empty, but, if a person wants to refer to 'space' contain everything in a particular place then I can see how they are doing that also. I would just question how that definition for that word, fits in with other definitions for other words, to paint a true, right, and correct picture of all-there-is.
Nick_A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:49 pm The important beginning as I see it has to be agreement on the necessity of the functioning universe to have a conscious source.
Is there a NECESSITY of the functioning Universe to have a CONSCIOUS source? If yes, WHY?
We already KNOW the Universe is already functioning because we have become CONSCIOUSLY aware of IT and It functioning. Even for the very fact that if the Universe was NOT functioning then we would NOT be CONSCIOUS of It. So, if as you see it, and say, the IMPORTANT beginning HAS TO BE agreement on the NECESSITY of THIS functioning Universe having a conscious source, then WHEN you provide the answer to the WHY question I just asked you, then we can if AGREEMENT can be reached on what you see as being the IMPORTANT BEGINNING.
BUT, I would suggest before we even begin to consider that the Universe NEEDS to have a conscious source and we just consider that there IS already conscious source, that being; (the) 'you' and (the) 'I' conscious beings, which are the obvious evidence of and for this fact, then we consider WHAT that conscious source ACTUALLY IS, WHERE that conscious source ACTUALLY IS, WHEN, or if, that conscious source ACTUALLY CAME INTO BEING, HOW that conscious source ACTUALLY EXISTS, and finally WHY that conscious source ACTUALLY EXISTS, but we are still a fair way off from KNOWING the TRUTH to these yet.
WHY the conscious source ACTUALLY EXISTS in the (functioning) Universe WILL become obviously seen and understood thus KNOWN, but other things NEED to be looked at first in order to eventually understand and KNOW this FACT.
Nick_A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:49 pm Read this explanation of the ONE as described by Plotinus. Do you see anything of value in it?
YES. There is absolute value in every thing. Even the things that make no sense at all have value in them because they teach HOW not to look at and HOW not to discern things.
Nick_A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:49 pmFor me I view the universe as the "body of God" as explained on Panentheism.
To me, once any thing becomes an 'ism', that is; a BELIEF, then it is better being completely disregarded, and then start looking all over again.
Within any 'ism' there are truths and falsehoods, but to the person with a BELIEF in any 'ism' they are NOT able to discern between what is ACTUALLY true and what is ACTUALLY false in the 'ism'. They just BELIEVE the whole lot as being true.
There is NO necessity for any 'ism' just like there is NO necessity in any 'belief'. Having a view with EITHER or BOTH prevent a person from being Truly OPEN and OPENNESS is NEEDED to be able to look AND see what is ACTUALLY True, Right, and, Correct in LIfe.
If you view the Universe as the "body of God" then that is fine with me. You are free to choose to look at and view things any way you like. But, to me, the Universe is made up of two parts. That is; a physical part (matter) and a non-physical part (space). Although I can very easy see how the 'body of God' can be seen as the Universe, which is Everything, I do NOT necessarily look at this that way because 'body' is better defined in relation to what is made up of physical matter. So, from that perspective the 'bod of God' would be ALL the seen to the eyes physical matter, and, the 'Spirit of God' would be ALL the unseen to the eyes space that is in, that is in between, and that surrounds ALL physical matter. This Spirit of God, to me, is also known as Consciousness, Itself, or very simply known as the Mind, Itself.
The ONE is beyond time and space while creation is governed by the laws of time and space so the universe is within the ONE. Does this make sense to you?
In a way, a definitely YES. HOWEVER, the reason WHY some people say that 'The ONE is BEYOND time and space ...' IS only because they do NOT yet KNOW what the ONE actually IS, yet.
Once that definition IS agreed upon, obviously with and by EveryONE, then with that KNOWING also comes the KNOWING HOW and WHY the ONE is NOT beyond, above, or outside of ANY THING.
Just because some human beings have not yet grasped the understanding nor knowledge of WHAT some thing IS yet, then that does NOT necessarily mean that "thing" is beyond, above, nor outside of the Universe, ALL-THERE-IS, Itself. In fact it would be illogical to even think that "it" was.
Nick_A wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:49 pmhttps://www.iep.utm.edu/plotinus/
The 'concept' of the One is not, properly speaking, a concept at all, since it is never explicitly defined by Plotinus, yet it is nevertheless the foundation and grandest expression of his philosophy. Plotinus does make it clear that no words can do justice to the power of the One; even the name, 'the One,' is inadequate, for naming already implies discursive knowledge, and since discursive knowledge divides or separates its objects in order to make them intelligible, the One cannot be known through the process of discursive reasoning (Ennead VI.9.4). Knowledge of the One is achieved through the experience of its 'power' (dunamis) and its nature, which is to provide a 'foundation' (arkhe) and location (topos) for all existents (VI.9.6). The 'power' of the One is not a power in the sense of physical or even mental action; the power of the One, as Plotinus speaks of it, is to be understood as the only adequate description of the 'manifestation' of a supreme principle that, by its very nature, transcends all predication and discursive understanding. This 'power,' then, is capable of being experienced, or known, only through contemplation (theoria), or the purely intellectual 'vision' of the source of all things. The One transcends all beings, and is not itself a being, precisely because all beings owe their existence and subsistence to their eternal contemplation of the dynamic manifestation(s) of the One. The One can be said to be the 'source' of all existents only insofar as every existent naturally and (therefore) imperfectly contemplates the various aspects of the One, as they are extended throughout the cosmos, in the form of either sensible or intelligible objects or existents. The perfect contemplation of the One, however, must not be understood as a return to a primal source; for the One is not, strictly speaking, a source or a cause, but rather the eternally present possibility -- or active making-possible -- of all existence, of Being (V.2.1). According to Plotinus, the unmediated vision of the 'generative power' of the One, to which existents are led by the Intelligence (V.9.2), results in an ecstatic dance of inspiration, not in a satiated torpor (VI.9.8; for it is the nature of the One to impart fecundity to existents -- that is to say: the One, in its regal, indifferent capacity as undiminishable potentiality of Being, permits both rapt contemplation and ecstatic, creative extension. These twin poles, this 'stanchion,' is the manifested framework of existence which the One produces, effortlessly (V.1.6). The One, itself, is best understood as the center about which the 'stanchion,' the framework of the cosmos, is erected (VI.9.8. This 'stanchion' or framework is the result of the contemplative activity of the Intelligence.
This is written way to clumsy, cumbersome, complicated, confusingly, contradictory, and conflicting for me to begin to fully understand what the writer was intending to mean. NOT because it is wrong but because I probably do NOT know the definition and meaning for more than half of words being used here. Therefore, I know less than I know more.
But on first glance and the gist I got from it is it is more or less has come to the same conclusion as I have and is just about saying the exact same thing I am. We just use different words and terminology, also we are using different definitions for the words and the terms that we each use. But I KNOW with the RIGHT agreed upon words and definitions, then we WILL come to the EXACT same agreement of things.