Against Destruction

Occupy productivity.

Others,

What has the term “metaphysics” got to do with anything? Metaphysics is a derivative of physics that proposes explanations regarding the cause of causes. The definition can be left without explanation of the historical context, but leaving out the history invites the repetition of error.

Plato had presented a rudimentary metaphysic in the Timaeus. His treatment of the elements however was directly linked to destruction as the ruling truth of nature. When he wrote about fire, earth, air and water he was referring to the destructiveness of the elements as related to the government of people. People were viewed as a threat to order. They had to be threatened with destruction in order to establish and maintain order according to the metaphysics of destruction.

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) revised Plato's work, but the Greeks were immersed in concern about the Persian threat.  http://home6.swipnet.se/~w-63448/grekhist3.htm 

The Lydians from Asia Minor had defeated the Greeks from 560 to 546 BCE. When the Persians conquered the Lydians, the Greek city-states were “colonized” by the Persian Empire.  Pericles (led: 461-429 BCE) had preceded Alexander (led: 336-323 BCE) in rebellion against the large empire.  The Persian threat was regarded as a challenge to take over empire by the time of Alexander.

Empire however was made up of kingdoms. Kingdoms were developed to protect national identity. National identity would either fight to retain independence outside the empire, join the empire as a larger political entity, be conquered by the empire or fight to become the leading kingdom of the empire.  Alexander chose to conquer the conquerors.

Destructiveness was the major theme in this competition. Genocide was entertained as a means to frighten people into submission. Slavery was exercised as a means for reminding people that conquered people were kept indefinitely in a lower social status

Aristotle had enough sense to develop an ethics as a means to encourage self-control as a virtue for citizens, but he, like Plato, supported slavery as a political institution. Slavery not only served as a reminder of consequence for conquered people, it was a motivation to avoid being conquered.

Eventually, empire would rise up to compete with empire for global domination. This competition culminated in WWII. While slavery had been outlawed as a legal institution, genocide was still entertained as a means for engendering fear and exploiting resources on a "metaphysical" level.

The most important development in the interim had been the English Bill of Rights in 1689. American history tends to slight the role that the UK had in the development of democracy, but the US Constitution had to add a Bill of Rights or the US would have become an implicit dictatorship (like Syria). Most of the countries with which the US and the western world have conflict lack a bill of rights.

Those countries don't interpret their "law" with rules that emphasize the reduction of cruelty to increase correction. Until the bill of rights was recorded Great Britain was locked in the competition for leadership by destruction. Torture and the death penalty were used liberally to oppress people with fear.

Now the western world is faced with the challenge of not regressing to the rule of cruelty. The foreign relations competition has shifted from the fight with communist controlled industrialization to a battle to "control" the limited oil reserves in the Middle East. Many governments in the Middle East claim to be socialist republics. They have a single party government. They don't have a bill of rights. IOW, they use fascism to “govern.”

The way to promote cooperation with the Middle East and Africa is to call for countries without a bill of rights to add one. The list of rights provides a document to which people can point when it comes to interpreting the law to settle disputes, prosecute criminal offense or defend someone accused of criminal behavior.

The metaphysics of destruction had been a derivative of physics as applied to political leadership. Metaphysics as a derivative of scientific investigation doesn’t overstate the role of destruction in nature.  Time, space, mass, light, energy and life itself are metaphysical concepts that fundamentally support the theoretical framework for the philosophy of science.

Evolution is a metaphysical concept that concedes difficulty to finding the scientific explanation for the genesis of life. The whole Darwinian "descent" from monkeys was (and is) a dodge. It is a theoretical means for avoiding the question of human generation. It wasn't until DNA was discovered that it became possible to think that science could explain the genesis of life and the human species.

Now the actual scientific theory of evolution avoids Darwin's dodge. Nevertheless, creationism provides a metaphysical counterpoint to the implicit assumption that science requires atheism for theoretical context.  When atheism is promoted as a requirement, it renounces freedom of religion.

Agreement between different religions necessitates freedom of religion. Freedom of religion is free as long as criminal behavior is not sanctioned. Religion becomes sectarian when the interest of a religion is placed above the rule of law in a democratic society.

The following re-write celebrates faith from the Christian perspective.

Anointment

The group of those who believe
have one heart and soul.
No one is owned by ownership.
All own responsibility
with grace in truth
for the law of love.

The power
of the resurrected Christ
is witnessed
in testimony regarding
the love of God with
Jesus.

How good and pleasant it is,
when people live together in harmony!

It is like oil poured upon your head
that runs down your face
upon the cheek of your age
and the collar of your authority.

It is like dew that makes plants glisten;
that lays sweetly upon the Spring growth
in your yard.

There the LORD has ordained blessing:
Life lives forever more.

We declare that which was declared from the beginning,
what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have touched with our hands,
concerning the word of love--
this life was revealed.

We have experienced it.
We testify to it.
We declare to you the word
that has been revealed to us
by God through Christ.
We declare to you what
we have witnessed
so you may have fellowship with us.

Truly our fellowship is with Jesus as Christ.
These things are being written so our joy
may be complete.

This is the message that we have heard from him.
God sends forth uncreated energy through light.
If we say that we have love while we disrespect others,
we lie. The truth is not in us.
If we walk in the light of Christ
as he is in the love of God
we have fellowship with one another.
The blood of Jesus has cleansed nature from sin.
We have been ushered into the resurrected Christ.

If we confess our sins,
we will be forgiven.
We will be cleansed for the work
of correction with compassion.
Truth will be used to attain justice
with mercy to make repairs for error.
We will transform the cruelty of the world
with equity and kindness.

Beloved family, I am writing to you
so we may avoid harming others,
but if we err, we have an advocate
with Jesus Christ who offered himself
as the atoning sacrifice for the errors of the past;
not only ours but those of the whole world.

Jesus said, “As I have been sent
so am I sending you.
Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Respect life.
Correct cruelty.
Love God
by showing love
for others.
Blessed are you
who see Christ at work
in your life.

Peace be with you.

(fm. Acts 4:32-35, Ps.133, 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31)

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Disagreement is not war. When debate is used to develop understanding of a topic, it is productively constructive. When it is aimed at destroying the topic, it is counter-productive. Obsession with destruction has inhibited the growth of civilization.

Michael Zimmerman – The War on Religion
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-zimmerman/the-war-on-religion-a-vie_b_1402010.html

Evolution is a term that categorizes something in nature. It is a meta-hypothesis in its own right. When facts are analyzed and findings organized to support or disprove the existence of evolution, it is a scientific theory. When scientific theory is used to disprove the existence of God or prove the existence of divine being, the effort to prove or disprove is metaphysical.

Debating metaphysical positions is fine when it is productively constructive, i.e. it develops the understanding of the topic in relation to relevant issues and facts. The goal to eliminate either position is a violation of the right to freedom of religion and directs the debate away from understanding the topic in anything other than the topic's relation to absolutes. Either you are for or against "evolution." Absolutism is destructive.

Many people enter the debate regarding evolution to learn something about life in nature. Metaphysical positions are evident when atheism or theism is being promoted along with the scientific evaluation of evidence in the context of theory. I would say that it is best to eliminate metaphysical speculation, but when controversy is eliminated there is nothing to debate and the topic loses relevance.

Some scientific theory is so well organized and so careful to avoid metaphysical association that it induces drowsiness. There is no work left for critical assessment. Lack of stimulation becomes the issue. Lose the goal of destroying the other metaphysical position. Encourage constructive debate. It keeps the investigation of the topic open to public discourse and personal development.

Intelligent design was not intended to replace evolution. It is an alternative to atheism.

There is only so much information available for science regarding the origins of life. Life retains mystery for now.

The K-Pop group Girls Generation (GG) has a song that says:
“You know that life is a mystery.
I’m gonna make history.
I’m taking it from the start.
It’s a total emergency.
I’m watchin’ the phone ring.
I’m feelin’ this in my heart, my heart!”

SNSD – The Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T96ppMppwM&feature=related

Feel this with your heart.
Choice is a human right.
Occupy freedom
with the metaphysics
of productivity.
Expect the unexpected.
You won’t be disappointed.

Steve K.