ON THE NATURE OF REALITY chapter 5

THE SIMPLE IDEAS

     Every single, simple object in a duality is made real by consciousness. This is the task of duality in any known universe. This is true whether an individual object is a sense experience, an idea, or a feeling. Each individual object of consciousness is made real in duality simply because it is experienced by consciousness. However, it is not true that every individual object must either be a sense experience or be derived from sense experience. Many ideas in inner experience are directly given to the mind.
     It is certainly true that human duality does not properly develop unless combined with sensory experience. God’s will is that man should work hard with his hands and his mind in order to develop greater wisdom about the world and his relations with others. As man goes about this task, God gives such true simple ideas to inner duality as are needed. Men are able to receive these inner ideas because they possess potential duality in their minds that are already tuned to receive them. Thus, a person can not receive the simple true inner idea called "beauty" until that person observes, for example, a beautiful scene. The same is true for the realities of all simple true ideas in inner experience such as: "truth", "love", "hate", "ability", "talent", "will", and many more. However, in those areas where finite duality proves to be far too weak to be able to discover transcendent truths such as: "spirit", "faith", and "grace" on its own; then God provides for that weakness through the revelation of His Word.
     Every single object in consciousness is experienced and real because consciousness causes its objects to become more than equal to nothingness. Individual objects can be separated from the idea of nothingness by consciousness and consciousness alone Even the faintest thoughts and feelings are made real by consciousness to the extent that they are thought and felt. That consciousness causes its objects to be more than nothingness is the same as experience. To be real is to be experienced; to be experienced is to be real. Reality and experience are exactly the same.
     Every single object that appears to consciousness, whether in the world or in the mind, is made real by consciousness. The faintest feeling means something. The fact that one may be baffled by what it means is beside the point. The weakest appearance to consciousness is an experience and a reality. For this reason, philosophers should never shy away from such true simple ideas as: "substance", "object", or "thing". All of these ideas are real because consciousness makes them more than nothingness. Falsity appears by another means which will be explained later.
     An object in consciousness is made real by consciousness, and in turn, consciousness is made real by being conscious of something. This is duality.
     Duality is reality. Every individual object of consciousness becomes necessarily real. All real objects are separated from nothingness and from each other by consciousness. This constitutes the atomic structure of reality. These are the sets of simple true ideas.
     Some examples of the simple true ideas are: "extension", "hardness", "redness", "finite", "infinite", "love", "beauty", "ability", "will", "condition", and even "malaise". Even ideas such as "wisp" or "nuance" are real. Feelings and ideas that have no names are real. The simple true idea "real" is real. Every single, simple object in consciousness is real no matter how difficult it may be to grasp or explain. However, some philosophers maintain that such ideas as "substance" are not real.
     However, suppose a cave exists somewhere on earth that contains an object which no one has ever seen. It is a unique object and one would be shocked to see it. Now suppose a person enters the cave and views the object and returns to report to a crowd waiting outside. The crowd asks him, "What did you see, if anything?" He answers, "I can’t describe it, but something is in there". He refuses to say more.
     What idea does the crowd now have of the object? They have one idea only. The object is a "something" or a "substance". It is more than nothing. There is a "substance" that is real and that is all they know.
Now, even though the person who viewed the object is baffled by it and can not describe it, he nevertheless has more ideas about the object than the crowd does. He has seen all of the unique attributes of the object. Because he possesses more ideas about the object, it is more real to him than it is to the crowd.
     Now, suppose the crowd enters the cave and views the object. Then the object becomes more real to the crowd, even though some of them will be able to describe it better than others. This happens because the "substance" of the object plus the rest of its attributes form a combination of simple ideas that constitutes the totality of the object. Those who carefully observe each singular attribute; that is, the simple ideas, will obtain a better understanding of the object than those who merely observe the totality of the object.
     Now, suppose that the aforementioned object is never discovered. In that case, it could possess nothing except potential real existence. Absolutely nothing could or would be know about it; not even where it is or that it has substance. All of its attributes would be hidden in absolute nothingness. The object would be equal to absolute nothingness. In fact, to talk about the unknown is to talk about whatever is equal to absolute nothingness. However, to talk about the unknown also requires that one have an idea of nothingness that substitutes for absolute nothingness.
     Note here that there is an enormous difference between an object possessing potential real existence; that is, one that is equal to absolute nothingness, and nonexistence itself. The only potency that the former possesses is that it may be discovered by consciousness and therefore become real. Nonexistence never becomes real except that a simple true idea, the idea of nothingness, can be substituted for nonexistence in ways that are useful to duality. No one can be directly aware of absolute nothingness. If one were dead, without soul or spirit, then one’s duality would become the same as absolute nothingness.
     Now suppose the object in the cave does not exist; that is, it does not possess potential real existence. Then the object would be the same as absolute nothingness. Nevertheless, whether the object possesses potential real existence or nonexistence, in either case, the object is unreal.
     Suppose an astronomer trains his telescope on a patch of black space where there is an extremely dim star. His telescope is not powerful enough to catch its light. Also, the star emits no radio waves, gamma rays, or any other means by which it can be detected. What does the astronomer see? Nothing. He sees only what he thinks is empty space. He knows nothing about the star, not where it is or even that it exists. The star is hidden in absolute nothingness, but as far as the astronomer is concerned the star is equal to the idea of nothing. All that can be said about the star is that it possesses potential real existence.
     Now suppose the astronomer obtains a more powerful telescope. He looks at the same black spot and the telescope catches the dim rays of the star. The astronomer can now see it. At that instance, the star changes from potential real existence to real existence. However, if this star is never discovered by any astronomer, then it remains equal to the idea of nothingness in duality but also forever equal to absolute nothingness in potential real existence. That which is equal to absolute nothingness affects only absolute nothingness until such time as it becomes an object in duality.
     Consider Schrodinger’s mental experiment called Schrodinger’s cat. While the cat is in the box with the lid closed, the scientist can not know whether the cat is dead or alive. The most he can say is, "Either the cat is dead or alive", which is a mere truism.
     At the instance the scientist opens the lid, he determines by sight whether the cat is really dead or alive.
At that instance, the scientist demonstrates the precise purpose of consciousness in the universe.  Consciousness exists to bring the unknown into reality. Duality is the only reality. The atomic structure of reality; that is, that set of true simple ideas contained within any individual duality, including the faintest thoughts, feelings, talents, and desires, constitutes the total reality of that individual duality.
     When the astronomer looks through the weaker telescope at the black spot where the potential real star is, then he is in the same situation as Schrodinger when the lid is closed on the box. The fact that the astronomer does not know that he is in that situation is beside the point. The point is that both the astronomer and Schrodinger have a determination to make with their consciousnesses. Schrodinger already knows that the cat has real existence. He must determine whether the cat is really dead or alive when he opens the lid to the box. Only his consciousness can accomplish this task.
     The astronomer must determine whether or not the star is there, although he is not directly aware of that task except in a general way. When he obtains a stronger telescope and looks at the same spot, his action is the same as when Schrodinger opens the lid to the box. The moment that the astronomer sees the star, he determines its reality. Only the astronomer’s consciousness can accomplish this task; that is, bring the star into reality.
     The existence of objects in undetermined states indicates an important universal rule. If an object, such as a star, becomes fixed in duality at a certain time and place, then it is also determined not to be at all other times and places. However, this is not true of those objects that remain undetermined in time and place. Undetermined objects literally could be anywhere at any time, but that is the same as their being nowhere and at no time. Therefore, undetermined objects do possess potential real existence but that existence is also equal to absolute nothingness.
The conclusions are these:
The sets of simple ideas comprise every single sensation and impression of which an individual mind becomes aware, both in inner and outer duality.
Nonexistence and objects hidden in nothingness make no impressions on consciousness and are, therefore, not experienced and not real.
Consciousness is absolutely necessary to any real universe because consciousness alone possesses the potency that causes potentiality to become more than absolutely nothing.
Undetermined objects are unreal for that very reason.
Duality is the only reality.