The philosophy presented is a standalone foundational ontology. It isn’t a formal academic paper, however, it is a coherent and functional framework capable of accommodating various worldviews while maintaining ontological integrity.
The ontology is practical and accessible, it provides parameters to be tested by the individual directly as opposed to being confined exclusively to academic circles.
The philosophy connects epistemology and ontology while addressing their distinctions. It escapes the ambiguous circularity of abstraction by grounding terms in concrete, real world examples.
The intent is not to dictate specifics of systems but to articulate an ontology or general framework in which systems can be understood.
The language and terms are accessible and intuitive. They are approachable and applicable. As one forum member noted:
The definition turns the discussion into more than semantics as it allows us to discern existence in a meaningful and testable way.
The primary definition, the definition of existence, is practical, sensible and intuitive. It seems only appropriate to employ the means by which we engage with the world as a means to define existence.
Perception is a parametric base allowing us to ground existence in practical, concrete ways. Not all of existence must be perceived. However all doesn’t need to be perceived in order to realize any supposed boundary or limiting factor would itself be, indicative of existence.
The impossibility of nonexistence is not a forced result but rather a natural conclusion extending from the parameters established by the definition of existence. The conclusion is not purely definitional but substantiated through these parameters which involve real world experience.
Nonexistence cannot be; every attempt to reference or describe nonexistence involves existence. If nonexistence cannot be, if existence cannot come from nothing then existence is infinite and eternal.
By acknowledging association of the term eternal with duration, but also defining eternity as not limited by duration, the ontology comprises both temporal and atemporal aspects. The philosophy elegantly balances and connects the epistemic and the ontological, the material and the immaterial, the temporal and the timeless.
The core terms and definitions expand into additional tenets and principles which logically interlink. Existence is infinite, existence is not limited. Existence is not limited to any particular, existence is all. There is no cause or reason beyond existence as any cause or reason would be existence. Thus, existence just is.
These principles and tenets allow insight into the nature of being. For example, reason is an aspect of existence, not a cause of existence or something beyond existence.
Other philosophies may seem more robust because they address ethical and moral concerns. The ontology presented intentionally does not. The ontology integrates any and all other concepts of other systems as parts, things and aspects of existence or as existence itself.
Academic philosophy traditionally approaches the subject with the expectation of embracing past or established material. What usually is expected is an advancement of previous foundations. While the process is certainly appropriate I contend a foundational ontology, as the one presented here, precludes such expectation. The ontology is the foundation. The terms are so basic and the ideas so fundamental they really require no prior foundation.
Daniel J. Lavender