A BAHAI ONTOLOGY OF THE PERSON

Existence itself is threeness.


1. The ontological reality of the things we know of in the ordinary sense are not simple things, rather they are contingent things or contingent realities.

2. The things we know are composites and their ontological reality is thus complex.

3. These composites can be studied by examining their types, their structures, and their relationships.


Metaphysics today we now call the social sciences and all social scientists are metaphysicians.


4. Thus metaphysics is the study of type, structure, and relationship, and other similar methods of processing data, and our consideration of the way these various dynamic processes create both our existence and our reality. Post-modern ontology is most likely constructivist in outlook and does not depend on any form of realism.

5. Thus one can formulate a postmodern Thomism built upon the study of these three processes which form a Trinitarian or tri-nominal ontological reality, just as traditional Thomism does.


Type, Structure, Relationship.


6. A human being or person, then, is a complex composite based upon these three inter-related processes of type, structure, and relationship, processes which operate at all levels of reality.

For example, a person, for the sake of argument, is comprised of a body, a mind and a soul. Each aspect can then also be seen to be part of a tri-nominal composition: a body has type, structure, and relations, a mind has type, structure, and relations, etc.

Thus each of the three traditional Thomistic levels of reality (existence, activity and essence) have a tri-nominal composition.

7. Basically, then, the ontological reality of a human consists of an individuality or rational soul, a physical body and a spiritual nature (infinite divine qualities). In Thomistic terms, these can be referred to as being, action, and potency or existence, activity and essence, or even as type, structure and relationship.

8. Individuality may be equated with passive existence, while the activity of the physical nature and the spiritual nature combine to create a dualistic or complementary continuum of constant dynamic activity or flux (like yang and yin) around the passive core. In Thomistic terms, being, act and potency.

9. However, at different times each aspect of the tri-nominal composite of the human person or being may be placed in the active or passive role. This positive, negative, and neutral organization forms the essential process of these aspects and in that sense this dynamic process is at the heart of the formation of reality and existence.

10. Each of these three aspects has both an essential and independent type, structure, and relationship which interlinks to the other aspects. Thus types, structures, and relationships are often open ended and capable of almost infinite variation.

11. Individuality then is a particularly unique structure with certain typological features and with certain dispositions of relationships to others. Individuality then is one real aspect of the human composite in existence and we can label the other two aspects in a similar manner.

12. These fundamental natures thus always have a tri-nominal basis. For example, individuality can be seen to be comprised of self, ego, & persona, etc, and again each aspect can be further subdivided by concentrating on the types, structures, and relationships involved.

13. Three-ness is the prerequisite for existence. All structures then are based on three-ness, they are created or emerge from three-ness, all types and relations are based on three-ness. Three-ness is the minimum requirement of our reality.

14. As in Thomism, things which are not three can not be said to exist in our world or in an ontologically real sense.

15. It is axiomatic that all things in a three dimensional universe must have this minimum of three-ness in order to exist. This does not preclude more dimensions.

16. However, assume for this argument that all physical reality is based on this three-ness principle, all individuality the same and all spiritual reality the same.

17. It must be understood that all types of things have this same three-ness, that is they have type, structure, and relationship. Also all structures are the same, that is they have type, structure, and relationship, and the same with all relations.

Constructivist Reality grid:


---------------------TYPE-----------STRUCTURE-------RELATIONS

Physical nature-
Bodies

Active nature-
Individual

Potential nature-
spirit


18. Ontologically real simple or non-contingent objects do not exist because all realities are composed of types, structures, and relationships (composites) as per our current understanding of science (physical) and metaphysics (ie social sciences). Such philosophies as materialism are not sophisticated enough to explain common human reality in an adequate manner.

19. On the other hand all individuals have a true uniqueness which is special, each individual being is somewhat different from every other. Baha'is view this individuality as being unique in conception and also in its adaptation and development during the persons lifetime and this uniqueness is eternal after conception.

20. This basic tri-nominal ontology can be established in a congruent manner with a postmodern form of Thomism.

Rburns 12/23/2011