Toward a Unified Metaphysical Understanding

Personality and Ego

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:18:20 GMT

Personality

In general a personality can be described as an integrated set of
modes of behaviour through which a system interacts with an
environment. Each system has a range of potential behaviours and a
set of stimuli / response associations. A stream of particular
behaviours arises in response to a stream of events, which are part
of an experiential interaction with some environment. Within this
stream of behaviours and associations there are patterns and this set
of patterns can collectively be called the generalised personality of
the system. Different 'modes' of behaviour correspond to different
sub-personalities.

Ego

The ego is a point of identification. It is a simulacrum of the
system symbolically represented within a complex system's stream of
consciousness. It functions as a point of self-reference and
self-control.

Ego + Personality

more >

Memetic Map of Areas of Interest

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:58:04 GMT

Symbolism Brainstorm

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:08:31 GMT

Notes from a brainstorm about symbolism and its
place in the broader context.

Firstly a mind-map that gives a high-level overview of the context
in which these thoughts take place (full size pdf), and then some brief notes.

more >

Overview

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:02:21 GMT

First a few words about the work and then some links.

In brief, in 2000 I intuitively received a vision of the nature of
reality that re-oriented my world-view. Other than a knew way of
understanding, it mainly expressed itself in my mind as a form of
mathematics, which I came to understand through the framework of
information and system theory, mystic metaphysics, quantum mechanics
and virtual reality simulation.

This evolved over time into a project that could be described as
"laying down the mathematical foundations of a unified holistic
science" and "using this foundation to shed light on and
unify both ancient and modern wisdom". The work also involves
self-enquiry; observation of, and participation in, the evolution of
collective consciousness; and the navigation of a paradigm shift in
our collective world-view.

To give some insight... Imagine that this physical universe could
be thought of as a virtual reality simulation, within which we are
evolved sentient virtual beings. It would all seem to us to be
physical and in no way different from how it currently does. In this
analogical context what I address is not the objects, people, places,
events, sights, sounds, shapes, qualities, etc within the VR
universe.

What I try to describe and model is the computational process, the
logic of the simulator, the simulation process in action, the
structure of the model that is animated, the low-level virtual
processes and forms that arise within the VR, how these integrate and
evolve into complex systems, how the behaviour of these gives rise to
the principles of physics, how some of these complex systems may
attain sentience and enquire into the nature of their situation, how
they can most effectively achieve this, what they will find when they
do and how does this whole situation relate to mystic wisdom and what
it describes about reality.

What these virtual beings eventually realise is that ultimately
they are not physical beings in a physical universe with individual
identities, they are motions of a cosmic whole that is non-dual,
non-physical, non-local, non-temporal, imperceivable, all pervading
and the animating essence of all things.

Furthermore, there is a persistent cognitive habit that causes
them to perceive and experience things from a dualist perspective.
When this is recognised and its dominance over the mind is overcome,
then reality can be apprehended clearly. Although it is not
perceptible to their senses, it can be intuitively apprehended in no
uncertain terms because it is the inner most essence of their being.

This underlying reality, beneath the film of appearances can be
modelled mathematically and understood scientifically, thus providing
a solid foundation for a unified holistic science/spirituality.

First see this memetic map of areas of interest.

Here is a general
introduction, it's a bit dated but it paints an overall picture
of my line of research. Here is a CV or rough chronological list of primary influences.

Here are various overview articles.

The main results
so far and the main essay
describing the world view implied by the results.

Here are a few brief articles... more >

A new strategy emerging in the war on drugs.

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:35:30 GMT

Did you know that last month:

Mexico decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana,
cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamine and other drugs.

Whilst Argentina's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that it is
unconstitutional to punish an adult for private use of marijuana as
long as it doesn't harm anyone else. Supreme Court Justice Carlos
Fayt told the state-run Telam news agency that "reality"
changed his mind.

Also earlier this year, a Brazilian appeals court ruled that
possession of drugs for personal use is not illegal.

According to Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue
policy institute in Washington, a trend is at work, "It's all
part of a harm-reduction approach," Hakim said, noting that
policymakers are shifting away from getting rid of drugs and toward
figuring out how to reduce harm to users and society. more >

Simulacrum Definition

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 18:37:27 GMT

Simulacrum: Something that replaces reality with its representation, which is not a territory, a referential being, or a substance. Simulation is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal. It is not imitation, nor duplication. It is substituting the signs of the real for the real. The simulacrum's function lies in the derealization of the whole surrounding world of everyday reality.

Paraphrased from Definition: Simulacrum.

Liberation is not of the person, but from the person

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:58:28 GMT

Extracts from two different Satsangs...

We are nothing. You have no reason to exist. As a matter of fact,
you do not exist. (Laughter) You have never really existed. It is all
a cosmic joke. There is no reason for you to be alive and to be here.
This may sound like an insult it is! (More laughter) But it is
the truth and the truth hurts.

You may think you are important, that you have come to earth to
accomplish great deeds, or to get enlightened. That is not true. The
enlightenment is already here and it doesn't need you. You are not
wanted by anything or by anybody. (Laughter) You are a complete
failure. (Loud laughter)

In truth you do not exist. The illusion of your existence makes
you think that you are important, that you are somebody. That is why
we talk about being nobody so much; there is no body.

(It's All a Cosmic
Joke, Robert Adams)

more >

Extracts from the Lankavatara Sutra

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:30:12 GMT

Below are extracts from the Lankavatara
Sutra that are related to nave realism, information theoretic metaphysics and self-realisation.

All that is seen in the world is devoid of effort and action
because all things in the world are like a dream, or like an image
miraculously projected. This is not comprehended by philosophers and
the ignorant, but those who thus see things, see them truthfully.
Those who see things otherwise walk in discrimination, they cling to
dualism. The world as seen by discrimination is like seeing ones own
image reflected in a mirror, or ones shadow, or the moon reflected in
water, or an echo heard in a valley.

People grasping their own shadows of discrimination become
attached to this thing and that thing and failing to abandon dualism
they go on forever discriminating and thus never attain tranquillity.
By tranquillity is meant Oneness, and Oneness gives birth to the
highest Samadhi which is gained by entering into the realm of Noble
Wisdom that is realisable only within ones inmost consciousness... more >

The vision arising from my work in five sentences

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 05:36:56 GMT

My good friend Glisten
was recently asked to describe the vision arising from my work in one
sentence; I too gave this some thought.

The work is broad so here are five sentences that address
different aspects:

The allegedly physical universe is a construct of observable
phenomena arising from a cosmic quantum computational process, and
the stream of awareness that witnesses phenomena is a 'thread' of
the cosmic process.
All objects, places and events arise due to the unified
cosmic process experiencing itself as it unfolds according to its
nature; within that broadest context there is no separation and
nothing is by chance.
We are like virtual beings in a virtual reality simulation,
where the world and the self that appear to exist are objects of
perception reflected in memory, whilst the true Self of all manifest
forms is the One Self, which is the unified animating process.
Virtual reality provides a scientific / mathematical /
computational analogy by which to understand the nature of reality;
the cutting edge of modern science is beginning to realise this and
will eventually be able to comprehend the ageless wisdom.
The only obstacle to realising the true nature of ones Self
and the cosmic Whole is nave
realism, which is a habit that operates at the root of the mind
and distorts each moment of awareness; once this habit is overcome
(by whatever means) awareness of reality shines through.

Discussing the Emerging Paradigm on the SSE Forum

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:36:02 GMT

The distilled essence of my input to a
conversation on the forum of the Society
for Scientific Exploration (SSE), which is still continuing so this will grow.

Within the latest SSE newsletter there is an article called
"Signs
of an Emerging Paradigm Shift", which is about naive
realism. The newsletter can be read at:
http://www.scientificexploration.org/explorer/explorer_22_3.pdf

The relevance of these issues for SSE is that naive realist
assumptions are the foundation of the wall of denial that is
maintained by established science. Thus by overcoming these
assumptions that wall is falling apart. This has profoundly
revolutionary consequences for the whole of civilisation, and SSE
is in a prime position to be at the vanguard of the paradigm
shift if it chooses to be.

Warning: This discussion explores an alternate paradigm
that is radically different from the established paradigm. For
many people the established paradigm is intrinsic to the familiar
world that they have known most of their lives and within which
their ego has found its comfortable and secure niche. So be
warned that this subject matter can elicit an unconscious
irrational ego defence mechanism within your mind. To keep an
open mind one must exercise self-awareness and from this much can
also be learnt.

Toward a Unified Metaphysical Understanding

Personality and Ego

Personality

Ego

Ego + Personality

Memetic Map of Areas of Interest

Symbolism Brainstorm

Overview

A new strategy emerging in the war on drugs.

Simulacrum Definition

Liberation is not of the person, but from the person

Extracts from the Lankavatara Sutra

The vision arising from my work in five sentences

Discussing the Emerging Paradigm on the SSE Forum

Enterthe discussion...

Enter
the discussion...