ON THE NATURE OF REALITY chapter 4

DUALITY DETERMINES REALITY

     Consider what happens when potential consciousness and potential objectivity link together. Suddenly, potential consciousness becomes active consciousness because it now possesses something of which to be conscious. Similarly, the potential object becomes an active object because its thereness (as well as all its other attributes) becomes established by, and separated from nothingness by, consciousness.
     Thus active consciousness in connection with active objectivity forms a duality which brings reality into existence. Reality can not exist outside this duality because outside this duality there is only a potentiality which remains equal to absolute nothingness so long as duality is absent.
     Consider an entire universe devoid of consciousness. Where are the objects of this universe and how do they move? What are the differences among the laws, energy and matter of this universe and their causes and effects on each other? Where is this universe anyway? Does it even exist? This universe many exist-in-itself but such an existence is no better than nonexistence. It has only potential real existence, if it exists at all.
One may counter that he can imagine such a universe. But he is too late. As soon as he imagines it, he has already used his consciousness to make it real, if only in imagination. If absolutely nothing can be determined about a consciousless universe from the outside, then is it not equally true that absolutely nothing can be determined about it from the inside?
     An evolutionist may object that the history of our universe can be traced prior to the emergence of consciousness. True. But what does the tracing? The history of our universe could never be a real history until determined so by duality, and a history without duality never becomes a real history because no more can be determined about a consciousless universe from inside of it than can be determined about it from outside of it.
     Suppose such a universe exists just beyond the reach of our most powerful telescopes? Since this universe can not be seen, what can be said about it? Absolutely nothing. Since this universe contains no consciousness on the inside of it, what can be said about it from the inside? Absolutely nothing. The universe is equal to absolutely nothing and that renders it completely impotent. Note that it is not the fact that nothing can be said about it that makes it equal to nothingness, but the fact that no differences or determinations can be made about it, and therefore nothing can be said about it.
     What could one say about quasars before telescopes found them? Nothing. What can one say about whatever exists or does not exist at the bottom of a black hole? Nothing, except speculative theories.
Consider the opposite extreme. A particle exists that can not be detected by any means whatsoever. It can not be detected by any instrument that has been, or ever will be invented by man. It has absolutely no effects on other particles that have effects on man. It has no direct or indirect effects on man whatsoever. Now two questions; what difference does it make whether this particle exists or not? None. Its existence is exactly equal to its nonexistence. The other question: if it makes no difference whatsoever whether or not a particle exists that can never be an object to consciousness, then what possible difference can it make whether anything exists or does not exist in a consciousless universe? If objects beyond the scope of consciousness can not affect consciousness, then surely objects without consciousness can not create consciousness.
     Now suppose a particle exists which has no direct or indirect effects on man in the present, but which can be detected in the future by some instrument not yet invented. As long as the particle remains undetected, its existence is equal to absolute nothingness. Yet, because the particle might be detected in the future by the right instrument, the particle possesses potential real existence. At the precise moment in the future that the particle is discovered, it attains real existence. If the right instrument is never invented, then the potential real existence of the particle remains forever equal to absolute nothingness.
     Many evolutionists aver that evolution proceeds from nonconsciousness to subconsciousness to partial consciousness; that is, from inert matter to one-celled animals to higher animals to intelligence. However, such a process is impossible. An unknown object can not be real except when it becomes an object to consciousness. As long as any object remains in nonconsciousness, then even its potential real existence remains constantly equal to absolute nothingness. No power exists, except consciousness, which can raise an object above its equality to absolute nothingness because all such possible powers would themselves be constantly equal to absolute nothingness.
     One may object that unknown objects can have effects on consciousness that are so faint as to be unrecognized by consciousness. This is true, but nevertheless, the reality of the unknown objects can never be more than equal to these unrecognized effects.  An unknown object may cause one to have ill health without that person being aware of the object, but unless he finds out more about this object, then its reality remains constantly equal to no more than its effects on his health. In other words, an unknown object that causes an ill effect on one’s health can only be known by the ill effects themselves. Should such an unknown object possess the potentiality of causing ill effects on health, and yet does not actually do so, and remains unknown in all other ways; then its potential real existence remains equal to absolute nothingness until such time as it begins to have ill effects on someone’s health.
     Any universe must contain duality to have reality. A universe of nothing but consciousness would contain nothing of which to be conscious and would, therefore, be void and completely unconscious. At best, such a universe would consist of consciousness-in-itself or potential consciousness. Similarly, a universe of no consciousness but with objects would possess no means to distinguish between the nothingness and the objects. At best, such a universe would consist of objectivity-in-itself, or potential objectivity. Duality is the only real substance.
     At this point, one may object that in an objective universe without consciousness, consciousness can arise by an evolutionary process in which organic elements, such as carbon and oxygen, are synthesized in the stars and then spread throughout the universe by supernovae, eventually forming life on some hospitable planets.
     However, considered deeply, what is an objective universe without consciousness? It must be one that is completely indifferent to differences. In fact, it must be completely indifferent to the difference between something and nothing. Such a universe is one that possesses no means whatsoever to distinguish between matter and energy, or even between space and matter. There could be no such action as one moment following another, or difference between motion and non-motion. There could be no difference between large and small, or even between inside and outside.
     With the faintest amount of consciousness applied to such a universe, probably no more could be determined about it than can be determined about an electron considered as a wave. With the least amount of consciousness applied, such a universe, at best, could be determined to be no more than standing waves in space.
     Consider the uncertainty principle. If an electron is measured as a particle, then its velocity can not be determined. If its velocity is measured, then its location becomes unknown. Perhaps the electron exists close to the limits of the powers of consciousness to separate the real from the unknown.
     A consciousless universe can not evolve consciousness because consciousness is absolutely indispensable to the reality of any universe, being the only power which can establish duality which makes determinations.    A consciousless universe may be potentially known, but as long as it remains unknown, it also remains unreal and impotent. Unreality equals impotence because of the absolute absence of determinations.
A consciousless universe can become real only if it becomes the object of a consciousness. It can never evolve such a consciousness because such a process would involve determinations which only duality can make.
     Duality separates objects from space and from each other. Duality determines the passage of time, and motion from non-motion. Only duality can set the laws that govern a universe and determine its mathematical constancies. Duality is that necessary determiner that makes any universe real.
     No system can properly operate if indispensable parts are absent. A consciousless universe can have no real function because it has been swallowed by nothingness. Absolute nothingness has rendered it completely impotent. All of its causes and effects affect only nothingness. At best, a consciousless universe can be described as having only  potential objective reality.
     True reality must, of necessity, be a known reality. Even if objects-in-themselves had a kind of reality, what good would it be? Every event in a consciousless universe becomes totally wasted on nothingness. Only a revealed universe can be appreciated and acted upon. The total waste of a consciousless universe is the precise reason that it can never bring consciousness into being. Evolution is impossible. Any consciousless universe is constantly wasted on absolute nothingness. Absolute nothingness holds all power in any consciousless universe.