henry quirk wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 3:40 pm
Included Middle is an idea proposed by Stéphane Lupasco (in The Principle of Antagonism and the Logic of Energy in 1951), further developed by Joseph E. Brenner and Basarab Nicolescu, and also supported by Werner Heisenberg. The notion pertains to physics and quantum mechanics, and may have wider application in other domains such as information theory and computing, epistemology, and theories of consciousness. The Included Middle is a theory proposing that logic has a three-part structure. The three parts are the positions of asserting something, the negation of this assertion, and a third position that is neither or both. Lupasco labeled these states A, not-A, and T. The Included Middle stands in opposition to classical logic stemming from Aristotle. In classical logic, the Principle of Non-contradiction specifically proposes an Excluded Middle, that no middle position exists, tertium non datur (there is no third option). In traditional logic, for any proposition, either that proposition is true, or its negation is true (there is either A or not-A). While this could be true for circumscribed domains that contain only A and not-A, there may also be a larger position not captured by these two claims, and that is articulated by the Included Middle................................
This...
The three parts are the positions of asserting something, the negation of this assertion, and a third position that is neither or both.
...makes no sense to me.
I say your pants are on fire (I assert sumthin').
You say your pants are not on fire, and you show me your non-burning pants (you negated my assertion).
Where the hell does a third position come into play?
And: color me stupid but I don't see what any of this has to do with paradoxes.
It isn't a matter of being stupid Henry. You are just used to reasoning from basic dualism as is the norm in the world which limits itself to one level of reality. The Law of non contradiction asserts that your pants cannot be both on fire and not on fire. The Law of the Included Middle states that their potentials can simultaneously exist at a higher level of reality.
The Liar's Paradox asserts that when a person calls themselves a liar they can be either lying or telling the truth. The Law of the Included Middle shows how they can both be included within a higher level of reality. It reveals the limitations of dualism.
The world isn't ready for this yet since secularism is dependent upon dualism. Once recognition of levels of reality becomes more popular, opening to a higher level of reality won't be as shocking s it is now. The link concludes with:
Included Middle is a concept already deployed in a variety of scientific domains and could benefit from a wider application in being promoted to “meme” status. This is because beyond its uses in science, Included Middle is a model for thinking. The Included Middle is a conceptual model that overcomes dualism and opens a frame that is complex and multi-dimensional, not merely one of binary elements and simple linear causality. We have now come to comprehend and address our world as one that is complex as opposed to basic, and formal tools that support this investigation are crucial. The Included Middle helps to expose how our thinking process unfolds. When attempting to grasp anything new, a basic “A, not-A” logic could be the first step in understanding the situation. However, the idea is then to progress to the next step which is another level of thinking that holds both A and not-A. The Included Middle is a more robust model that has properties of both determinacy and indeterminacy, the universal and the particular, the part and the whole, and actuality and possibility. The Included Middle is a position of greater complexity and possibility for addressing any situation. Conceiving of a third space that holds two apparent contradictions of a problem is what the Included Middle might bring to contemporary challenges in consciousness, artificial intelligence, disease pathologies, and unified theories in physics and cosmology.
Life is a paradox. What are we? How is it that we say one thing and do another? The Law of the included Middle allows us to appreciate the human condition and why this apparent absurdity is actually lawfully normal.
Yes, at a higher level of reality your pants can be both on fire and not on fire.
