Absolute Reality

[H:O:R:A:C:E]

Originally Posted by litewave

It seems that what all existing things have in common is that they have an identity: they are identical to themselves and different from what they are not. I can't imagine a thing that does not have an identity; it seems like it would be nothing.

But being identical to oneself and different from others means being logically consistent and therefore logically possible. So all existing things must be logically possible. But are there things that are logically possible and yet they don't exist? What would it even mean?

you've hit on something there litewave.
it's a strange twist (more than wordplay i believe) that the factor of commonality
which unites beings is at once the force which makes them all unique: identity.
[my logic leads me to believe that there is a singular unique thing... if there
were many unique items, they would lose that quality. my sense is that there
is a unique Source, and that all (other) things are derived from it.]

i can readily imagine a "logically possible" thing that doesn't (yet) exist.
any proposed project that might be built seems to fit that criteria.

[blossomingtree]

Originally Posted by H:O:R:A:C:E

um, you're welcome blossomingtree.
blessings to you.

(eternal thanks)

Namaste

[litewave]

Originally Posted by H:O:R:A:C:E

you've hit on something there litewave.
it's a strange twist (more than wordplay i believe) that the factor of commonality
which unites beings is at once the force which makes them all unique: identity.
[my logic leads me to believe that there is a singular unique thing... if there
were many unique items, they would lose that quality. my sense is that there
is a unique Source, and that all (other) things are derived from it.]

Well, perhaps the Source could be "identity" itself, as a property that all existing things have.

Originally Posted by H:O:R:A:C:E

i can readily imagine a "logically possible" thing that doesn't (yet) exist.
any proposed project that might be built seems to fit that criteria.

If the project is indeed logically possible, maybe it exists - perhaps at a time in the future or in a different world. It depends on how the project is defined - then we can see whether it is logically possible. Definitions may be difficult though. If the project is defined as existing now but it is incompatible with the current state of our planet or universe, then the project is not really logically possible (consistent) even though it may appear so. And because it is not logically possible, it doesn't exist.

Originally Posted by H:O:R:A:C:E

i'm gonna disagree with you on several points lemex. i don't believe that
ego is required to acknowledge existence; that could come 'simply' through
awareness [or is awareness what is existence?]. ego does enter into the
discussion however, since, by definition, it "is responsible for reality testing and
a sense of personal identity"... which goes to the heart of the OPs question.

Carl Jung says that the ego is the sense of self so it's much more than a sense of identity. Spirituality has a penchant for redefining things for its own ends and does so frequently and often with ego. If you imagine a centre point and a circle, the circle represents your 'sphere of consciousness' and the centre point is the ego. The ego creates your reality and although it's not widely acknowledged the creation of reality is a two-way process, it's as much about what's inside as outside. Your ego also filters, so what you've read and believe your ego is responsible for, including your being Spiritual and everything you say on this forum.

Originally Posted by H:O:R:A:C:E

it's a strange twist (more than wordplay i believe) that the factor of commonality which unites beings is at once the force which makes them all unique: identity.
[my logic leads me to believe that there is a singular unique thing... if there
were many unique items, they would lose that quality. my sense is that there
is a unique Source, and that all (other) things are derived from it.]

i can readily imagine a "logically possible" thing that doesn't (yet) exist.
any proposed project that might be built seems to fit that criteria.

The factor of commonality is that all things have existence and therefore reality, but what sate of existence is a different matter, and as for identity... you've lost me there.

What we're missing is that Spirituality is a belief system and only a very small subset of reality that is aware of only one four-billionth of the electromagnetic spectrum, that sits on a rock that's flying through a desolate part of the galaxy.

[blossomingtree]

Ego does not have to dominate, and it can and does dissipate, that is the point and purpose of all genuine spiritual traditions. Then like the cloud lifting away from the ever present sun, the aspirant can bask in its ever present glory/warmth of Truth/Universal Self. Getting to that stage is the "work" so to speak and speaking for myself, if you are not consistent, it can come back. Doesn't make it untrue though nor the beauty of the sun any less

YMMV.

BT