2. BEING AND ASPECT OF BEING
Aspects are states (happy); relations (near); properties (red); activities
(thinking).
3. BEING AND THOUGHT
Thoughts are not beings but the product of thinking; and beings are
not thoughts. Philosophical idealism corrects naïve realism
but over-extends itself.
4. BEING AND SUBSTANCE
Substance is defined as:
i). That which exists
in itself and not in another (in contrast to aspects of being).
ii). Being without the form
of a particular being.
iii). That out of which a being
is formed.
iv). Not made up of anything else.
v). That in which qualities
inhere.
vi). Not a mode or dimension; there
are two kinds of substances: matter and spirit. Matter is extended
and non-conscious; Spirit is non-extended and conscious.
5. BEING AND A BEING
A being is substance of a particular form (or essence) that has been
individuated. A being has functional unity.
6. BEING AND ESSENCE
An individual being has an essence that is general for a class, and
particular for one only. Existence cannot be separated from essence.
Philosophical application: Existentialism; God in Islam; Brahman
in Indian thought; Anaximander’s apeiron; voluntarism in freewill.
7. BEING AND EXISTENCE
All being has existence; being is existence.
8. BEING AND UNITY
i.) Numerical Unity: one and the same
ii.) Same essence; same nature as
iii.) Non-dual – all is one, without any difference
iv.) Unity of diversity (consider several forms of unity of diversity)
v.) Ethical (same purpose as)
vi.) Part of (natural vs. collective unity)
9. BEING AND ETERNAL EXISTENCE
i). Eternal is without beginning
and without end, minimally.
ii). Eternal is independent, self-existing,
self-maintaining, self-explaining.
iii). Eternal is not aeveternal – eternal
in time; eternal is timeless.
iv). Eternal is not temporal (with a
beginning) or everlasting (merely without end).
v). Whatever is eternal is also
infinite.
vi). There are no unique events for an
eternal being (the sun or the soul).
vii). Eternal is our most basic quality of
being, logically and ontologically.
viii). There must be something eternal.
© Surrendra Gangadean