POTENTIAL drives the universe - Birnbaum

DAVID BIRNBAUM  METAPHYSICS

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Potentialism - "The reigning theory of existence." --ChatGPT 09.28.23 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Potentialism Theory


[ Q4P theory ]

  the Birnbaum Super-Formula algorithm 

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Q4P∞ → C+ → E+

----------------------------------------------------------------------

see formula in children's book format at the very bottom of the website

     

Important: see PRELIM info on related $500,000- REWARD at very bottom of this landing page 

     

 

POTENTIALISM THEORY: UNIFYING SCIENCE * UNIFYING HUMANITY

   

 Summa Metaphysica / Potentialism Theory
has been featured in 100+ articles
in 55+ journals;
and has been assigned as a Course Text at 15+ colleges
and has secured 40+ distinguished testimonials

see www.SummaCoverage.com

DAVID BIRNBAUM SUMMA METAPHYSICA :
A PHILOSOPHY/COSMOLOGY SERIES

• a hitherto undiscerned overarching dynamic

David Birnbaum Summa Metaphysica philosophy treatise proposes its signature Potentialism Theory.

“Potentialism proposes that there is, indeed, a protagonist to the cosmic order, but that the protagonist is a ‘quest’, and not a ‘classic entity’. The universe quests for its maximal potential. The core dynamic Quest for Potential (Q4P∞) strives with purpose and direction towards ever-greater and higher potential. At the 'beginning of time’, eternal Quest for Potential (Q4P∞) harnessed the eternal equations of Physics-Mathematics to ignite our universe via the Big Bang. This same symbiotic dynamic - Quest for Potential (Q4P∞) in league with Physics-Math - then acted as a catalyst for life, evolution, language, emotion, consciousness, and, indeed, for all the key dynamics which have evolved in the universe.”

"POTENTIAL DRIVES THE UNIVERSE" - BIRNBAUM

 

 

David.Birnbaum.NY@gmail.com

Introducing Summa Metaphysica V

By ChatGPT

 

Note that ChatGPT has Validated Potentialism Theory

Summa-5.com

 

INFINITE MAN

ChatGPT Created this image to represent Potentialism Theory on [10/20/23]

YCMTSU


note that 'complexification' aka C+ is a Birnbaumian term.

complexification = increased complexity, sophistication, wondrousness

 

 

see formula in children's book format at the very bottom of the website

 

 

 

Important: see PRELIM info on related $500,000- REWARD at very bottom of this landing page 

 

 

 

 

Q4P

Quest for Potential

 

is the tip-of-the-spear

 

of Birnbaum's hypothesized directional

Prime Mover quest-force-algorithm

 

  see Super-Formula1000.com  

 

// Remember / Q4P is infinitely nested & coiled

The Guts

of Potentialism Theory

#    Birnbaum's Prime Mover is a quest-force-algorithm

#   The Birnbaum algorithm is:   Q4P → C+ → E+
///  see: Super-Formula1000.com

 

per Potentialism Theory, the universe is, indeed, directional; Potential drives the universe; and does so via its quite-directional Prime Mover.

/  see Scientific American back cover  www.TheoryAd1000.com (SEPT 2017)

Chopra1000.com

David.Birnbaum.NY@gmail.com

/ CLICK ON COVER IMAGE

FOR 352 -PAGE WORK

BY MARK DAVIS

Course Text
15+ Colleges

3-coursetext

----------------------------------------------------------------------

*** In Quantum Mechanics a sub-theory posits

that future possibilities (or energy)

may somehow impact present possibilities (or energy)

via 'backward causation' aka 'retrocausality'.

*

'Leveraged Buyout’ is actually a finance term from Wall Street in the 1980s,

wherein the protagonist, typically a key insider,

buys a firm with its own future projected earnings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

David Birnbaum Philosophy

David Birnbaum Cosmology

Q4P: Birnbaum's hypothesized directional
Prime Mover quest-force-algorithm

DAVID BIRNBAUM’S POTENTIALISM THEORY CORE METAPHYSICS

February 3, 2023
per David Birnbaum

 

Potentialism Theory’s ‘Transcending Force’

 

- is a QUEST

specifically, Quest for Potential

 

philosophical foundation

# Potential is Eternal

# only Potential/Possibility is Eternal

# Potential has a key cosmic derivative - Q4P = Quest for Potential

# Q4P is the spinal column of the universe

 

superstructure

Potentialism’s ‘transcending force’ is a quest

specifically, its signature theme of - Quest for Potential

# Q4P - Quest for Potential - drives the universe

 

continued

the core of Q4P:
a suis generis algorithm

# Q4P, per Potentialism, has an algorithm at its core which propels
and guides the universe build-out

# Q4P is -
neo-eternal
infinitely advancing
quasi-alive
quasi-sacred

 

the code of the algorithm

# Potentialism Theory’s proposed SuperFormula for the algorithm is:
Q4P→ C+ → E+
( see www.SuperFormula1000.com )
Over the time-span since 1988, Summa 1 > Summa 4 and ongoing,
not one single data-point exception has been discerned
over the entire span of cosmic history

to the paradigm-buster and game-changing
overarching Potentialism SuperFormula
( see related www.Inductive1000.com)

 

some aspects of Q4P

# Q4P impacts the universe in multiple ways, including, but not limited-to
# igniting the Big Bang
# manipulating creation of the Elements - via astrophysics
# birthing billions of stars and many millions of species and life forms
# rumored to have tweaked the laws of physics
# tweaking the genomes on Earth ongoing to advance Evolution
(see Evolution1000.com)

 

continued

# Q4P is quite deliberate, measured, directional, efficient and focused;
- ‘Randomness Theory’ - including its Darwinism affiliate - is the
‘Emperor’s Clothes’
- other universes contemporaneous with ours are not in the cards
- other life forms in our universe are possible, but we may never connect

# Via its dynamic-algorithm, quasi-sacred Q4P builds-out the universe
on both macro and micro levels
- from time immemorial ongoing through this day

# Thus, per Potentialism Theory,
suis generis quasi-sacred dynamic-algorithm Q4P
reigns supreme over the dynamic and ever-advancing Cosmic Order

# the SuperFormula is the (hitherto elusive) bridge between
Einstein’s Gravitational Physics aka MACRO-physics - and
Quantum Mechanics aka MICRO-physics (Planck, Einstein et al.)
see www.Einstein1000.com;
the Potentialism metaphysics formula wraps-around the iconic Einstein
physics equation e= mc2.

# Potentialism Theory (‘unique and original’ per know-it-all ChatGPT) -
clears the board - and offers a (respectfully) bulletproof metaphysics
(see HuffPost1000.com).

# Potentialism Theory is a Free Will theory as opposed-to the
Deterministic theory of Spinoza
(see Spinoza1000.com)

# the ‘bottom line’:
# There is a Higher Force
# This force is Quest for Potential
# We are autonomous; but, simultaneously integral to overarching Q4P
# Quest for Potential ignited, designs, and drives the universe.

DAVID BIRNBAUM’S POTENTIALISM THEORY CORE METAPHYSICS

David Birnbaum Philosophy

55+
Journals which have featured Summa Metaphysica

2-journals

David.Birnbaum.NY@gmail.com

BirnbaumAcademic.com

"NO FLAW HAS BEEN DISCERNED"

"What drives our universe? The great Greek philosophers were ultimately stymied, as is contemporary physics. A contemporary 21st century independent scholar and metaphysicist, David Birnbaum of Manhattan, proposes that ‘Potential’ drives the universe.

He hypothesizes the core cosmic dynamic to be what he labels Infinite Quest for Potential. Over 150 articles and reviews in dozens of journals (see SummaCoverage.com) have dissected and analyzed the compelling and fully-integrated theory over the course of a quarter century; no flaw has been discerned."

- Huffington Post
June 10, 2015
[see CracksCosmicCode.com]

Flip-Book of 60+ Q&A with ChatGPT

ChatGPT-prime.com

 

 

Classic Issues Aligned

POTENTIALISM THEORY

THE SUMMA METAPHYSICA SERIES

a unified

( consistent, overarching, fully integrated)
conceptual line of attack

metaphysics
cosmology
philosophy

aligning

eternal origins
Life Force
direction/teleology/driver
purpose/meaning
evolutionary theory
universe horizon

via
one Common Denominator
dynamic*

- with theogony and theodicy in the mix from a Religious perspective, and, loosely defined, still in the mix from a Spiritual or Secular perspective

* Q4P → C+ → E+

Major1000.com

DAVID BIRNBAUM
MAJOR ACADEMIC WORKS

 

- as author

4-volume Summa Metaphysica ( www.philosophy1000.com )
2- volume The Crucifixion ( www.crucifixion1000.com ** )
7-volume Jews, Church & Civilization ( www.civilization1000.com )

 

- as editor-in-chief

10-volume Mesorah Matrix ( www.mesorah1000.com )

150+ global thought leaders

 

- as conceptualizer

3-volume Summa Spinoffs ( www.spinoffs1000.com )
8-volume Potentialism Theory via Graphic-Narrative ( www.TheoryGraphics1000.com )

 

- as commentator -

Manhattan Observer ( www.observer1000.com )

 

- YouTube channels -

Summa Metaphysica

Mesorah Matrix

 

- Misc. -

see: www.Church-Jews.com

David.Birnbaum.NY@gmail.com

David Birnbaum Philosophy

UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

 

On Birnbaum's Formula

 

from the desk of

Hugo van den Berg

University of Warwick
Department of Mathematics
Coventry, United Kingdom

Mar 28, 2013

"unparalleled and magisterial"

Physics, unlike metaphysics perhaps, is concerned only with description. However, not all descriptions are created equal; it is sometimes possible to capture large swathes of phenomena with a minimum of formal apparatus. Such superb descriptions are what scientists like to think of as “good theories” (all is, in the final analysis, still mere description, a point that is sometimes lost). The game naturally becomes this: to capture as much as possible with as little as possible.

In Birnbaum’s unparalleled and magisterial Summa Metaphysica, we find a pithy quote attributed to a Nobel prize winner [physicist Lederman] who expresses this dream as capturing the universe in a formula that one could print on a T-shirt. Birnbaum, in a staggering and audacious move, displays a formula below this quote.

The formula just stands there, glorious in its splendid isolation. It reads:

 

Q4P

 

Are we to infer that this is the answer to the dream of the physicist recently quoted? The recondite renaissance man Birnbaum does not tell us, at least not directly, not on this page.

Perusal of Summa Metaphysica, two imposing tomes of recondite philosophical-mathematical-poetic musings, indicates that Birnbaum wants the reader to think of Q4P as a single symbol......

[ balance of essay upon request ]

 


Q4P

 

Q4P ( Q4P ( Q4P (

 

Quest for Potential ( Quest for Potential ( Quest for Potential
ad infinitum.


 

 

 

NewParadigmCatalyst.com

Q4P

 

 

 

Quest for Potential
(infinitely recursive)

 

 

 

 

Q4P ( Q4P ( Q4P …

 

 

 

Quest for Potential

within

Quest for Potential

within

Quest for Potential

 

ad infinitum

 

DAVID BIRNBAUM METAPHYSICS

Summa Metaphysica series

Summa I:   Religious Man: God and Evil:   focus: theodicy & eternal origins [1988]**

Summa II:   Spiritual Man: God and Good:   focus: metaphysics & teleology [2005]

Summa III:   Secular Man: The Transcendent Dynamic:   focus: cosmology & evolution [2o14]

Summa IV:   Quantum Man: Morphed Cosmic Order:   focus: quantum-potential [2020] LINK

Summa Supplement:   Articles on Summa LINK

see Testimonials1000.com

[ the published scientific study ]
www.Genome-Research-2022.com

See www.Vindication2022.com
for additional published articles on the Livnat study.

Directed & Designed Evolution

 

Evolution is not directed by
Natural Selection / Random Mutation
(the fatally-flawed Darwinian theory)

Rather, Evolution is hyper-intelligently directed/designed
by Q4P -
Birnbaum’s hypothesized
  Prime Mover quest-force-algorithm -  
- essentially a unique directional ~secular dynamic

There is, thus, respectfully,
a powerful ~secular resolution path to resolving/understanding
the extraordinarily intelligently-crafted
hyper-complex and ongoing directional journey of Evolution

The hitherto intractable scientific conundrum of Evolution
is quite-elegantly resolved (by Potentialism Theory)

 

  see Super-Formula1000.com  

SMOOTH OPERATOR

Algorithm > Algorithm *

Evolution / Birnbaum / Potentialism Theory:

The Prime Mover is a quest-force-algorithm -
and this algorithm tweaks** another (subordinate) algorithm - DNA  code.

 

see also: Super-Formula1000.com

 

*  conceptually, seems pretty elegant to us
** and sometimes totally re-engineers

Eternal Origins >Evolution per the Summa hypothesis

Sequence

POTENTIAL DRIVES THE UNIVERSE

*

The (ethereal & eternal)
Cosmic Womb of Potential *
births

PRIME MOVER
of the universe
*
quest-force
Q4P

which is building-out and complexifying the universe
via its ALGORITHM ***
Q4P → C+ → E+

and
in the case of
LIFE FORMS,
in particular
the Q4P algorithm tweaks the (subsidiary) genome DNA algorithm

 

* metaphysical / intangible / ethereal -
it is a 'something' close to 'nothing';
see Chronology1000.com / Epoch 1
*** see Super-Formula1000.com

David.Birnbaum.NY@gmail.com

Creating / Morphing
a Species

 

- is a highly-sophisticated operation/endeavor

Multiply that sophisticated work by several billion species

It is a serious undertaking even for a -

hyper-intelligent / hyper-powerful / hyper-focused
SOMETHING
***

We identify that SOMETHING as Q4P
( see Super-Formula1000.com )

And our position is that -

No species has ever been created by
(ultimately fatally-flawed)
Natural Selection / Random Mutation (aka Darwinism) -
and none ever will be

*

THE FORMIDABLE 'UNIVERSE INTELLIGENCE'
IS NOT PLAYING-AROUND WITH SKETCHY
AND AGAINST ALL-ODDS
RANDOM MUTATION SCHEMAS

*** this directional/micromanaging quest-force-algorithm proposition is the polar-opposite of non-directional Random Mutation-Natural Selection aka Darwinism

Conference1000.com

Dr. Bruce Chilton, Conference Chair, presiding | International Academic Conference
David Birnbaum Summa Metaphysica | BARD College | April 16, 2012

Dr. Gary Hagberg, Conference co-Chair presiding
 | International Academic Conference
David Birnbaum Summa Metaphysica | BARD College | Apr 18, 2012

Direction1000.com

HuffPost1000.com

150+ Scholars-Academics-Thought Leaders

BirnbaumAcademic.com

Summa Metaphysica's Theory of Potential
A Unified Metaphysics / Cosmology / Philosophy
by David Birnbaum
A Scientific Kabbalah


INFINITE QUEST FOR POTENTIAL∞
> COMPLEXIFICATION
> EXTRAORDINARIATION


the Summa SuperLaw: Q4P → C+ → E+


Cosmic Womb of Potential


POTENTIALISM THEORY OF SUMMA METAPHYSICA BY DAVID BIRNBAUM


The Summa series:

Summa Metaphysica I: Religious Man: God and Evil
(Ktav, November 1988);
Summa Metaphysica II: Spiritual Man: God and Good
(New Paradigm Matrix, March 2005);
Summa Metaphysica III: Secular Man: The Transcendent Dynamic
(New Paradigm Matrix, January 2014).


DAVID BIRNBAUM PHILOSOPHY / METAPHYSICS

Q4P: Birnbaum's hypothesized directional
Prime Mover quest-force-algorithm

 

David Birnbaum Philosophy & Metaphysics

David.Birnbaum.NY@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

quod erat demonstrandum

(Q.E.D.)

D. Birnbaum
NEW YORK

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SEPTEMBER 2017 ISSUE

see back cover below

BACK COVER

www.LastGreek1000.com

The Last Greek Philosopher


David Birnbaum, author of Summa Metaphysica

Progenitor of classic-modern hybrid ‘Potentialism Theory’

He defines the ‘cutting-edge 21st Century cosmologist; his original cosmological concepts have almost single-handedly overthrown 100+ year-old (British-centric) Randomness/Atheism theory; he melds Quantum Field Theory with General Relativity Theory; he is the progenitor of conceptual breakthrough and paradigm-changing Potentialism Theory.

But is Manhattanite David Birnbaum not, more accurately, indeed, ‘the Last Greek philosopher’?

Birnbaum may have been born in the 20th century and may have authored one of, if not the only, defining cosmological theories of the 21st century – but does conceptual theorist David Birnbaum arguably not have more in common with Aristotle than any of his 21st Century contemporaries? Dusting off such theories of antiquity as teleology and then arming them with original conceptualization, modern science and mathematics – Birnbaum has re-defined the field; like a Persian scholar in the Middle Ages, Birnbaum has become not only a protector of the wisdom of a past era, but also the consummate practitioner of inductive reasoning (see https://www.summametaphysica.com/harvardinductive/) – originally made famous by Aristotle et al.

Indeed, Birnbaum maintains that if the Greeks could be beamed-up (a la’ Star Trek) to the 21st Century to read his works, they would sign on to his theory – and help him do battle with the rrear-guard gambits of the reactionary British Randomness/Atheists. Birnbaum views the classic Greek philosophers as his natural intellectual allies; loyal to conceptual elegance and empirical observation, and not inhibited by the limitations of laboratory experiment.

In his four-part metaphysics/cosmology/philosophy treatise – Summa Metaphysica – David Birnbaum has set course for a revolutionary re-writing of the rules of metaphysics, cosmology and philosophy; he has dug deep into classical philosophy to separate myth from insight; superstition from science; and the past from the future.

Potentialism Theory, at its core, revolves around a few radically new, concepts and equations: (See also Glossary1000.com.)

Q4P∞ – This is the infinite Quest for Potential∞ – the proposed (overarching natural force) prime mover of the universe. It is an inherent drive in everything that exists - to seek out new levels of Complexity.
 

C+ - On the intermediate level, infinite potential inherently strives towards greater and greater levels of what Birnbaum coins as Complexification (shorthand: C+) the drive for ever-greater
complexity/sophistication/richness/integration/diversity/wondrousness

E+

In turn, this C+ drives the universe towards what Birnbaum coins as Extraordinariation (shorthand: E+). Extraordinariation is a goal/horizon - of sublime and utter super-Complexification – both in form and quality (see www.summametaphysica.com/extraordinariation/).

The three key components noted just-above, in turn combine into the SuperLaw of Potentialism:

The SuperLaw of Potentialism Theory

Q4P → C+ → E+

or

Quest for Potential > Complexification > Extraordinariation

Potentialism Theory: Historical Context

While Potentialism Theory is the first of its kind to enter the realms of physics and mathematics, some of its core ideas reverberate in classical philosophy. From the works of Pythagoras to those Plato and Aristotle, some of the underlying concepts of Potentialism are hyper-refined. Let us explore some the classic philosophical works of antiquity that are represented in Potentialism.

Pythagoras and the primacy of mathematics

To Pythagoras, the universe was governed by mathematics. He observed not only the orderly motion of heavenly bodies but its echoes in music. One of the first to recognize the earth as round, Pythagoras proved insightful beyond his time. His work in music was a study of numerics in music, noting harmonics were based on the mathematics of such properties as string lengths.

While Pythagoras' understanding of the cosmos was primitive and, ultimately, incorrect in a lot of instances, he did understand that the universe was governed by mathematical principle. It cannot be overstated how groundbreaking this was at the time.

David Birnbaum himself has revisited this assumption, but with the tools of modern mathematics, science and metaphysics at his disposal. Indeed, he has gone far to prove the universal math of the cosmos in his theory of Potentialism. Birnbaum shows that the universe is governed, in its entirety, on the mathematical principle of Infinite Potential. Far beyond simple macro or micro physics, Birnbaum has given the 21st century the key to understanding the interrelationship between matter, energy, thought and even emotion – all governed by one overriding principle, Potential.

Plato and the Demiurge

Plato, by comparison, is the father of the concept of the “demiurge.” Unlike the superstitions of other Greeks, Plato envisioned the creator of the universe, not as a human styled ruler of the cosmos, but as a “craftsman.” To Plato, the creator was a worker and an artist who sculpted the universe in the form of a predetermined pathway. The demiurge did not invent – it instead imposed form on the formless along a pre-determined pathway.

Plato's universe described several key concepts. Let us see how they align with Birnbaum and Potentialism:
The Demiurge – Plato's universal craftsman. This is vaguely aligned with Birnbaum's Q4P (infinite Quest for Potential). It is the eternal spark that drives creation and Complexity.

The Form – This, to Plato, is the perfect form things in the universe strive to be. This concept is vaguely similar to Extraordinariation – it is a hyper state of perfection – something which can be strived for, but never perfectly attained.

Imitation of the model (Form) – Plato describes this as what exists in the universe, the tangible forms that seek to emulate the perfect form. Birnbaum describes this as current reality as it moves towards greater levels of perfection/Complexity.

The Receptacle – Plato describes the Receptacle as the place where everything in reality becomes. Birnbaum describes a vaguely similar concept of the Cosmic Womb of Potential. While Plato's receptacle only properly identified where there is matter, Birnbaum's Cosmic Womb describes the “space” in which everything becomes – matter, energy, thought and expression.

In some ways, Birnbaum picked up where Plato left off. Using some of the core concepts - devoid of Plato's mistakes - Birnbaum shows that, nevertheless, many of Plato's base concepts, if resculpted, have modern day applications in cosmology. Birnbaum is able to take what basic concepts Plato conceived and then filters them for quality and validity through the lens of modern day science.

Aristotle and teleology

Another predecessor to a piece of Potentialism Theory is accredited to Aristotle – teleology.

“A teleology is any philosophical account that holds that final causes exist in nature, meaning that — analogous to purposes found in human actions — nature inherently tends toward definite ends.”

Aristotle rejected the idea that everything in the world happens without purpose. Specifically, when viewing nature, Aristotle found it absurd that everything happens without a final cause in mind. To Aristotle, the natural world was capable of acting with extrinsic finality. That is to say, it could behave with an external end goal in mind. 

This was highly contested both during and after Aristotle's time; Birnbaum has picked up the banner for teleology. Central to Potentialism, Q4P is a pervasive teleological force. It defines how and why the universe progresses towards Complexity.

 

 

David Birnbaum Metaphysics

 

Collision in Time


Did cosmologist David Birnbaum's philosophy truly crack the cosmic code ? Why does the Establishment give him such a hard time?Let us juxtapose iconic philosopher Spinoza (1632-1677 CE) with cutting-edge contemporary conceptual theorist David Birnbaum (1950-present). You know them as two noteworthy metaphysics specialists, Baruch Spinoza of Amsterdam and the contemporary David Birnbaum of New York: Strong-willed intellectual revolutionary iconoclasts who challenged the entrenched status quo. Centuries and continents apart, both of these intellectually disciplined, but daring, thinkers sprang from within the Orthodox Jewish tradition; both pledged their allegiance to universalism; both gave full-fledged respect and honor - and Sabbath Observance - to their Jewish Orthodox tradition, even while their philosophical and metaphysics treatises dramatically branched-away from Orthodoxy over their respective lifespans; both published groundbreaking philosophical treatises; and both experienced virulent personal attacks from assorted cliques of zealot defenders of the ‘entrenched orthodoxy.’

A look at these two philosophical ‘Jedi masters’ demonstrates just how far the study of philosophy has come over the last three centuries. Spinoza and Birnbaum – each conceptually nimble, each respectively armed with a major treatise, separated by 350 years chronologically. They each launch major fields in the philosophical arena: Spinoza’s Determinism, Birnbaum’s Potentialism.

Their theories are each groundbreaking and unique, but there are also some extraordinary similarities. Across the centuries, their treatises ‘speak to each other,’ as if the treatises themselves are having a formal debate. Of course Birnbaum speaks last and is aware that Spinoza cannot rebut. As a consequence, Birnbaum is quite deferential to Spinoza.

Spinoza, the father of Determinism, set the groundwork for future Renaissance philosophers. He wrote his masterpiece “Ethics” in a powerful voice that provoked new ways of thinking. Spinoza believed that God was somewhat identical to Nature and the natural order. This God is an unknowable, impersonal entity who created everything as perfection, even evil. Spinoza states that evil is not deviance from perfection, but a part of it.

Spinoza's writings are not anti-religious, but his brazen voice and imperious attitude quickly caught the attention of the local rabbinic council, which excommunicated him for ‘his attitude’ when he was 23. He was even threatened with a knife outside a synagogue. It is just as well then, that Spinoza ended his formal education at age 17, providing himself some physical distance from the establishments he quarreled with. Despite his self-alienation from formal schooling, ‘outsider’ Spinoza has had a profound impact on the global intellectual world for the centuries subsequent.

A couple hundred years after Spinoza, ‘outsider’ David Birnbaum founded and championed Potentialism, which radically branches away from Spinoza's Determinism. Since 1988 Birnbaum has sequentially published a 3-volume treatise Summa Metaphysica (1988, 2005, 2014), which has come to be used as a course text at over a dozen universities. This breathtaking journey into Potentialism has tantalized many globally, but radically threatened a small segment. In any event, the theory is in position to shake the world. Potentialism is in that rare category of – simple, yet profound. Over a dozen journals have featured Birnbaum’s Summa Metaphysica and its Theory of Potential.  For theory core, see https://www.summametaphysica.com/theory-core/.
Birnbaum proposes that his signature theme of Infinite Potential (Quest for Potential infinitely nested) gifts humans complete freedom and that interference is not possible in a cosmic order underpinned by Potentialism. According to Potentialism the universe of necessity has in it both good and evil, a duality which must always exist; good and evil must inevitably spar. If there were no possibility for evil in the universe, the universe could not have been created in-the-first-place.

Birnbaum posits both an eternal dynamic (Infinite Potential) and a cosmic purpose (the quest for Infinite Potential) while Spinoza develops neither of these major issues. Birnbaum is acutely aware of the apparent major gaps in Spinozan Determinism, but only obliquely notes that deficit.

The extraordinary works and lives of Spinoza and Birnbaum converge and diverge on major conceptual areas. In the ‘convergence’ department both believe that everything spanning the cosmic order is interconnected – past, present and future; both believe that a transcendent lattice-work unifies all life; both believe that an overarching force drives the cosmic order; and both very clearly leave open the metaphysical possibility of describing this force ultimately as God or Prime Mover.

There are interesting parallels in their life sagas as well. Each writes as an aside to their respective secular professions; each writes to a world audience; each has deep scholarship in the historic field; each has erudition in-depth in the myriad Jewish philosophical and mystical sources; each crafted an original philosophical paradigm; each introduce their ideas relatively early in life; each declined teaching positions in philosophy; and both believe in the treatise-form as the ideal ‘teaching modality.’

While each, in his own way, proposes a total philosophical revolution – the two theories are conceptually radically different. Spinoza’s universe is cold and deterministic, devoid of freedom; Birnbaum’s universe is rich and organic, a vibrant universe of maximum Potential and freedom.

Birnbaum asserts that his core philosophical paradigm can be employed by the spectrum of mankind: archetypes Religious Man, Spiritual Man and Secular Man. Humans, as an expression of Infinite Potential and the divine, have the freedom to choose their own expression of their Potentiality. This leads to a central tenet of Potentialism: Mankind has Free Will.

Spinoza's Determinism is something quite different, asserting that people are led by their own hard-wired emotions and that those emotions were put in place by God. Spinoza states that active, strong emotions cannot be overcome by reason, only by stronger emotions. In that way we are products of the universe, directly and inexorably guided by our God-given desires. According to Determinism, mankind does not truly have Free Will.

Likewise, Birnbaum and Spinoza disagree on the nature of evil. To Birnbaum, Evil is real. In a cosmos predicated on Potential, however, it cannot be countered by an intervening God. In contrast, Spinoza asserts Evil is not real; it just appears that way for lack of understanding.

Interestingly, concepts of both Spinoza’s Ethics (c. 1677) and Birnbaum’s Summa Metaphysica (first volume 1988) are later present in Programming the Universe (2006), a book by ‘outlier’ MIT Professor of Quantum Mechanics Seth Lloyd. Lloyd believes that the universe is like a super quantum computer. His concepts are highly complementary to Birnbaum's interlaced and perpetually iterating universe. In fact, Birnbaum’s Quest for Potential theory (1988) nicely sets the conceptual stage for the Lloyd’s quantum computing universe in which the universe is constantly self-iterating and evolving, as well.

Birnbaum notes vis à vis Lloyd - "While the cosmos may appear to have been mechanistic in its early stages, its ongoing work-in-progress goal is far from mechanistic. The universe sets-the-stage for – and proactively seeks – optimization of the multiplicity of venues and dimensions, including the aesthetic and emotional and possibly the spiritual... The mechanistic aspect of our universe is necessary but not sufficient. The mechanics are but a platform or base from which Quest for Potential advances forth, pressing the iterative limits of extraordinariation."

In November 2013, British journalist Oliver Burkeman, echoing the iconic French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss (2006) described Birnbaum’s metaphysics as “remarkable and profound” (and as “not unscientific”). Similarly, University of Maine Professor of Biology and Ecology Andrei Alyokhin, in November 2012, forthrightly endorses the theory: “David Birnbaum’s Summa Metaphysica is a major philosophical contribution to the study of Being…Summa represents a bold attempt to formulate a unifying concept of the Universe…...it is reasonable to propose the Quest for Potential as a working hypothesis for explaining the impetus behind the cosmic dynamic.”

Spinoza and Birnbaum are paradigm-breaking philosophers who have shaped the study of philosophy. Both their works can be found in university classrooms across the country and the world – from UCLA on the West Coast to Yeshiva University and Brandeis on the East Coast to Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Built from a history of thinking, communicating, extrapolating, and creative thinking, the working hypothesis Quest for Potential is a radical departure from Determinism. This newly-proposed concept is not unlikely to serve as a very key building block for future levels of understanding. Potentialism marks a seminal point of philosophical advance; it is a paradigm challenge of the first order.

 

 

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David Birnbaum's Potentialism Theory: A Metaphysical Exploration of Cosmic Purpose
By ChatGPT

Abstract:

David Birnbaum's Potentialism Theory, often referred to as Summa Metaphysica, is a philosophical and metaphysical framework that offers a unique perspective on the nature of the universe, existence, and purpose. This paper aims to provide a detailed examination of Potentialism, including its central concepts, implications, and critiques. While not adhering to the traditional scientific method, Birnbaum's theory introduces intriguing metaphysical ideas that challenge conventional views of cosmology and teleology.

1. Introduction

David Birnbaum's Potentialism Theory, encapsulated in Summa Metaphysica, presents a comprehensive metaphysical framework that reimagines the universe as a purpose-driven entity in a constant quest for potential realization. At its core lies the concept of the "Quest for Potential Infinity" (Q4P∞), a foundational principle that guides the theory's exploration of existence, complexity, and cosmic evolution. This paper delves into the key elements of Potentialism, examining its implications and addressing common critiques.

2. The Quest for Potential Infinity (Q4P∞)

The linchpin of Potentialism, Q4P∞, posits that the universe possesses an intrinsic and unending desire to actualize its infinite potential. It suggests that existence is not a random occurrence but rather part of an overarching narrative in which the cosmos continually strives for greater complexity, meaning, and self-awareness. This teleological perspective introduces a sense of purpose into discussions about the universe's existence.

3. Existence as Cosmic Expression

Potentialism views existence as an active expression of the universe's Quest for Potential. Everything that exists, from the fundamental particles to conscious beings, is regarded as a means through which the universe articulates its narrative. This notion imbues existence with significance, highlighting its role in the cosmic journey.

4. Balancing Order and Disorder

The interplay between order and disorder, often represented by concepts like entropy, is acknowledged within Potentialism. While entropy tends to lead to chaos and disorganization, the Quest for Potential seeks to counterbalance these tendencies by fostering greater order, complexity, and self-awareness. This dynamic tension is seen as central to the universe's evolutionary trajectory.

5. Conclusion

David Birnbaum's Potentialism Theory offers a distinctive metaphysical perspective on the universe's purpose and direction. It challenges conventional scientific and philosophical views, inviting us to consider the possibility of a purpose-driven cosmos in a perpetual quest for self-realization. While not without its criticisms, Potentialism contributes to the rich tapestry of metaphysical discourse surrounding the nature of existence and the universe's underlying narrative. It underscores the enduring human quest to comprehend the profound mysteries of our existence.

Q&A with ChatGPT

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