The Cosmic Tango
Thursday, 11 June 2017, 14:14 PM
The Artistry of Summa Metaphysica’s Potentialism Theory
Summa Metaphysica/Potentialism Theory is the creation of philosopher/metaphysicist/cosmologist David Birnbaum. To Manhattanite Birnbaum, different levels of the cosmic order mimic each other; indeed Birnbaum shows how detective-like we can unravel cosmic secrets by observing human or plant behavior and then extrapolate outward to the universe as-a-whole; and vice-versa.
Harvard and yeshiva-educated David Birnbaum sometimes speaks of the universe in the form of Yin/Yang lovers doing a cosmic tango. For scientists this can be off-putting. For the pure metaphysicist, intriguing.
Metaphysics was crafted within the realm of philosophy, not hard science. Certainly, metaphysics at its core incorporates (all) scientific principle as well as (all) data – as anyone crafting a theory of the universe, as a whole, needs to. But metaphysics is something much more. Metaphysics at its finest, deals not only with science, but also with consciousness, reason, art, morality, human existence et al. In modern terms, this latter cluster of metaphysics-related areas is often the turf of humanism. See Unifying1000.com.
David Birnbaum, the designer of the cosmological Potentialism Theory (aka Quest for Potential∞ Theory aka Q4P-Theory), as covered in his three-part Summa Metaphysica work, has accomplished what was once believed to be an unassailable task – the marrying of humanism and science and philosophy into one overarching theory of cosmology. See PotentialismTheory.com.
One dynamic central to Potentialism Theory is Push/Pull. From a humanistic perspective, the dynamic is easily understandable. To Eastern philosophy it is represented in the Yin and Yang dynamic. In Summa Metaphysica this duality is also represented as Achievement/Fulfillment…Active/Passive… Male/Female…Aggressive/Seductive.
David Birnbaum hypothesizes that the universe changes and grows because of an inherent need to achieve greater levels of complexity; Per Birnbaum, the universe vectors towards ever-greater complexity/sophistication/richness/integration/variety/wondrousness. See TheoryCore.com.
Q4P → E+. This is the core Potentialism Theory formula; it hypothesizes that the universe’s Infinite Quest for Potential (shorthand: Q4P) drives it ever-onwards towards the end goal of extraordinary potential, or in Birnbaum lexicon, Extraordinariation (E+). See also Glossary1000.com.
Q4P represents the Yang, the male, or the active drive of Potential, the spark that creates complexity. By contrast, E+ represents Extraordinariation, the end goal of the cosmos, the female, which ‘passively’ lures the active Q4P towards the desired goal.
Birnbaum describes these simultaneously, as well, in Western terms – the Push/Pull dynamic.
The Push – The Yang. The active drive towards complexity and, thus, Potential. The universal driving force of the universe. The neo-male.
The Pull – The Yin. It is the universal draw. It gives Push both meaning and destination. It is the inspiration that gives the universe purpose. The neo-female.
These two forces combine to drive the entirety of the universe in what Birnbaum calls the Cosmic Tango. And it is right that it should be described as a dance of lovers. From a humanistic perspective, the emotional coming together of humans is one of the highest orders of expression; and to David Birnbaum himself, it is a pinnacle of complexity.
But what is truly interesting is that this Cosmic Dance can be seen to replay itself over and over throughout the physical universe as well – be it on the micro or macro scale. Like all of Potentialism, it can be seen all around us. Take, for instance, the macro scale. Star systems and galaxies follow the Cosmic Dance. The planets encircle the sun, drawn by its inescapable gravity into a more complex formation. And the sun, in turn, spreads its warmth and light, nurturing the planets in return. In so doing the sun’s warmth and light gives the planets a chance at the ultimate known expression of complexity – human life. Similarly, our sun is cradled with the great pull of the Milky Way itself, without which our star would have long wandered away, alone into the void.
Likewise, on the micro scale, we see the balance of the proton and the electron within the atom and, more importantly and more complexly, the spiral of DNA – the universal blueprint of all life, be it plant or animal. The sugars spiral about one another in the long dance as chromosomes link between them, the complex product of their union. Thus we see the Cosmic Tango played over and over, both in the realm of the humanistic and the realm of the physical sciences – a universal, choreographed dance amongst all things in the universe as the dance of David Binbaum’s Potentialism Theory (aka Quest for Potential∞ Theory aka Q4P-Theory) plays itself onwards. See SummaCoverage.com.
Potentialism Theory: 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).
Potentialism Theory: Dovetailing: MIT & NYU
Recent hi-level academic works dovetailing with Birnbaum's Theory of Potential include the following:
Programming the Universe (Knopf, 2006) by Professor of Quantum Mechanics Seth Lloyd of MIT;
Mind & Cosmos (Oxford Press, 2012) by Professor of Philosophy & Law Thomas Nagel of NYU;
Our Mathematical Universe (Knopf, 2014) by Professor of Physics Max Tegmark of MIT.
See xMIT1000