Outline

<BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" LINK="#FFFFFF" ALINK="#000400" VLINK="#FFFFFF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#CC3300" FACE="Arial" ><B>Relationalism</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC99" FACE="Arial" >   </FONT> |   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Relationalism"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Structure"><U>Structure</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Organization"><U>Organization</U></A>   |   <B>Outline</B>   |   <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Synopses"><U>Synopses</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Through the Virtues"><U>Through the Virtues</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="odd"><U>odd</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Its Geometry "><U>Its Geometry </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="13858020.png" border=0 width="600" height="2" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Outline</div> <bR> <div> From Rationalism to Relationalism</div> <bR> <div> As in the Transformation of a Line Into a Sphere</div> <bR> <div> by <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0033" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/CGorga/Bio.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://hometown.aol.com/CGorga/Bio.htm"><U>Carmine Gorga</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Relationalism is not a denial of the values of Rationalism; rather, it is an expansion of it. And thus Relationalism becomes an automatic escape from the limitations of Rationalism. </div> <bR> <div> In physics as well as in literature, in economics as in art criticism, let alone philosophy, there are too many signs that the line of reasoning infused by Descartes' Rationalism in the early 17th century has come to an end. Indeed, it was my wife, Joan M. Gorga, who brought it to its logical conclusion when she stated: "I don't think; therefore, I am." (Unable to live in the emptiness of negativism, she soon started developing her own system of thought. She said: "I shop; therefore, I am." And she has left the reconstruction of this thought system to her future endeavors.) </div> <bR> <div> There are deep-seated reasons for the current crisis of Rationalism. Rationalism is incorrect anthropologically, logically, epistemologically, philosophically, geometrically, and theologically. Hence it has fallen prey to relativism. The great error of relativism does not stem from the proposition that "everything is relative"; rather, it stems from the proposition that everything is relative to man. This is vulgar absolutism: there is no restraint to hold man to any basic standard of decency.</div> <bR> <div> To climb out of the abyss of vulgar absolutism, we must create new modes of thinking, which can be examined under the rubric of Relationalism.</div> <bR> <div> While Rationalism reasons in terms of points and lines, Relationalism reasons primarily in terms of planes and solids in space. While Rationalism reasons in terms of linear math, Relationalism reasons primarily in terms of nonlinear math and fractal geometry. While in Rationalism one cannot enter the discourse except from the beginning, in Relationalism one can enter the discourse at any point of the reasoning. Any point is in fact the beginning of a sphere, if not the smallest possible sphere in itself. </div> <bR> <div> As against the reductionism of Rationalism, Relationalism does not only state that "Everything is related to everything else." Relationalism transforms this synthetic expression into an analytic proposition. Hence any element in its construction is demonstrably related to everything else, or it is inadmissible in the discussion. </div> <bR> <div> The fundamental proposition of Relationalism, which must be explored from every angle and in every field of observation, is that all that exists, exists in relations.</div> <bR> <div> The new program of research can be stated as follows. At every step, our analysis must be extended in all directions and must be much more complete than the analysis made by Rationalism. The reductionist linear thinking of Rationalism must be expanded into the organic spherical thinking of Relationalism.</div> <bR> <div> The rules of reasoning -- namely, the methodology -- of Relationalism are not arbitrary. Relationalism is controlled by a set of ancient principles drawn into a coordinated system of logic called Organic Logic, and by a set of tools of knowledge drawn into a systematic theory of knowledge called Complementary Knowledge.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >The Visitor will find the bare bones of the</FONT> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Structure"><U><U>structure</U></U></A> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >of Relationalism in a separate page. </FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.tiac.net/users/cgorga/structur.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tiac.net/users/cgorga/structu"><U><U>BACK</U></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </BODY>