Meaning: Duality and Self-Genesis

Premises and Introduction:

This inquiry into the philosophy of meaning addresses several essential aspects of our reality. Philosophical traditions aligned with our conclusions include:

Plotinus (Neoplatonism) – Concepts of the One, Intellect, and World Soul.

René Descartes (Rationalism) – The notion of cogito ergo sum and the mind-body dualism.

Immanuel Kant (Transcendental Idealism) – The distinction between phenomenon and noumenon, and synthetic a priori judgments.

Edmund Husserl (Phenomenology) – Intentionality, epoché, and the constitution of meaning.

Martin Heidegger (Existentialism) – Dasein, being-in-the-world, authenticity.

Sam Harris (Neurobiological Determinism) – The illusion of free will and the deterministic nature of mental processes.

While many other philosophers could be mentioned for conceptual proximity, these represent the most pertinent and foundational figures for the present thesis.

It is important to note that this work does not seek to merely reiterate these philosophies, with the partial exception of determinism. Rather, it aims to construct an independent theoretical framework based on strict logic and scientific principles. The goal is to formalize the concepts of meaning, duality, and identity (or the self) through a deterministic lens, while occasionally referencing foundational conceptual structures from the history of thought.

Why Formalize This?

Although this thesis may appear abstract or self-contained—seemingly reflecting the futility of isolated knowledge—it is useful to understand these foundational ideas because:

They relate to common themes in our lives.

They expand the scope for assigning meaning to one's own existence.

They can be applied to better understand the mechanisms underpinning social and physical structures in our world.

They provide a rigorous exercise in abstraction, grounded in logic and rationality.

Definitions and Core Concepts

First Layer of Existence (Innate Existence):

This condition applies to any definable entity composed of tangible matter. It implies nothing beyond the material state itself: it is devoid of meaning, form, and function.

Examples:

– A rock on an unobserved planet.

– The inside of a box whose contents are unknown.

– A book written in a language no one understands.

Second Layer of Existence (Perceived Existence):

This condition arises when matter comes into contact with exis...

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