The Summa Metaphysica Firestorm
Why Atheism frantically tried to undermine
David Birnbaum’s Theory of Potential
June 12, 2014
Why Atheism frantically tried to undermine the Theory of Potential
David Birnbaum’s seminal philosophical treatise Summa Metaphysica (1988, 2005, 2014) achieves the holy grail of academia sought-after for millennia: It unifies Science, Spirituality and Philosophy.
In-the-mix Birnbaum’s seminal work proposes (see ExaminerPurpose.com) a new metaphysical foundation for the cosmic order; it fills-in hitherto elusive gaps in cosmological theory; it has been applauded globally; it portends a new era in academe – across-the-board.
Why then has a small clique of British hard-line atheist academics recently launched a rabid campaign to anonymously undermine it? Independent scholar David Birnbaum’s Theory of Potential has set off a firestorm of anonymous vitriol emanating from the hard-line Atheist community, particularly from a small circle from within British academia which advocates its pet Randomness/Atheistic doctrine.
Summa Metaphysica’s pro-scientific theory of Potentialism – which has now 100% withstood academic scrutiny for over 25 years since November 1988, suddenly in 2013 found itself the target of a vicious and ad homenim attack campaign of almost unbridled and primitive virulence. Curiously, these attacks have been detached from any specific scientific critique – whatsoever. And all the anonymous virulence mysteriously seems to emanate from the offices of several British Atheism-friendly universities.
And why was the vitriol always anonymous? And why were the antagonists afraid to publicly confront the quite-formidable David Birnbaum? And why are the antagonists so-fearful of actual face-to-face debate? Indeed, so curious is the Randomness/Atheistic academic crew which is clearly orchestrating the juvenile smear campaign.
Birnbaum’s Potentialism (see Sequence1000.com) does anchor the metaphysical authenticity of hypothesizing a religious approach to life (Summa Metaphysica volume I, Ktav Publishing, 1988), but the theory also metaphysically anchors a Spiritual life (Summa Metaphysica volume II, New Paradigm Matrix, 2005) – and, indeed, as well, a totally Secular life (Summa Metaphysica volume III, New Paradigm Matrix, 2014). All vector towards one unique and original sophisticated theme proposed by the author from the Get-Go. However, the overall theory, while proposing an underlying dynamic cosmic dynamic of infinite divine potential, is ultimately completely religion-neutral. It neither propounds nor challenges the existence of the classic Divine.
The Summa Metaphysica treatise (see SummaMetaphysica.com) had, indeed, totally ignored hard-line Atheism – which itself negates en toto any possibility whatsoever of any direction or impetus to the cosmos; Theory of Potential proponents on the other hand view this absolutist, hard-line Atheistic stance – with its militant invalidation of any ‘direction’ or ‘drive’ or ‘purpose’ whatsoever to the cosmic order – as more akin to Fundamentalist religious zealotry than to serious science.
Is the Randomness theory simple to ‘absorb’? Yes; it is quite simple: All is random.
Is it sort-of, a ‘Theory of No Theory’?
Is Randomness Theory ultimately serious?
Is it at all scientific?
Was it simply the product of over-intellectualized and self-congratulatory Group-Think run amok?
Has the Randomness/Atheist group (per their absolutism) indeed scientifically checked every last quadrant and dimension of the cosmic order – in its doctrine’s blanket and militant certitude that there is definitely no motivating dynamic whatsoever inherent in the cosmic order? Indeed, does this militant hard-line absolutist Left-wing Atheistic stance not seem to truly mirror the fanatic zealot religious Fundamentalism of the absolutist extreme far Right-wing (itself the favorite whipping-boy of British atheists)?
The ideology of hard-line Atheism, which is supported by the slightest, narrowest sliver of the global population (~1%), has been artificially implanted in academe over the last several decades by a small clique; it has been propped-up as the (sole) politically-correct global dogma by British Atheistic academe. This antiquated Randomness/Atheist schema has been propped-up as a dogma which could only be challenged at extreme political/academic risk by anyone across global academe. But, of course, outsider conceptual theorist and independent scholar David Birnbaum, was not beholden to this formalized global academic club.
In April 2012, Bard College (Upstate NY) hosted a multi-day international academic conference focused on Birnbaum’s Summa Metaphysica /Theory of Potential. The conference sent shock-waves around the world; it was an adroit, effective and, indeed lethal, end-run by Birnbaum and Bard around the British Randomness/Atheist-controlled academic journals and their de facto global academic intellectual blockade. Bard (college motto-“a place to think”) had turbo-charged Birnbaum’s global (see PotentialismTheory.com/ParadigmChallenge/). Bard College itself was subsequently callously and brazenly threatened with academic isolation by the British academic junta for hosting the major conference and projecting the new theory throughout global academe, but that’s a sub-saga. The Conference effectively marked “the beginning of the end” for Randomness (pseudo-) theory, previously foisted on global academe.
David Birnbaum’s Potentialism describes a universe driven not by randomness, as the atheist community purports, but by purpose. That purpose is hypothesized by conceptual theorist Birnbaum (see David1000.com) as the Quest for Potential (shorthand: Q4P). Birnbaum posits that the universe is, by definition, driven to seek ever greater and greater arrays of Potential – and then, ever-increasing levels of Complexity/Sophistication, onward and onward.
House of glass
But notice that there is no mention of the classic Divine in the core Theory of Potential. Why then, the unwavering animus and ceaseless crass vitriol of the British Randomness/Atheists? To answer that question we must consider both Potentialism's overarching qualities and the ‘house of glass’ which hard-line Randomness/Atheism has constructed for itself.
Birnbaum’s Potentialism does not live or die depending on whether or not the classic Divine exists. Whether the classic Divine exists or not, Potentialism presents a universal metaphysics – of infinite divine potential. However, the antiquated Randomness/Atheistic construct not only cannot support a place for religion, it cannot even reasonably exist in a world where even the possibility of Divine design might exist. And to preclude even the possibility of the divine on any front, British academia has adopted ‘hard line atheism’ which negates even the possibility of any purpose or drive or direction whatsoever to the cosmic order. Critics might say – ‘a bridge too far.’ For, both from an intellectual as well as a strategic perspective, it would almost certainly have been far more prudent for the Atheistic junta to have allowed for at least the possibility of direction/purpose, even if their schema negated en toto the existence of the classic Divine.
Thus British academia had set itself up for total disaster if a non-supernatural ‘direction’ could ever be discerned to the universe. Birnbaum’s Summa Metaphysica discerns such a non-supernatural dynamic – Quest for Potential; Birnbaum’s masterwork – and its centerpiece theme of Potential – checkmates the core assertion of hard-line Atheism. Potential is a cosmic force of nature driving the cosmos forever inexorably with direction and purpose. It is not Random and it is not a Supernatural Entity. Randomness/Atheism had been dead wrong. And the aforementioned Bard College Conference bestowed international blue-chip global academic legitimacy on Summa Metaphysica’s avant garde theory and extraordinary paradigm challenge.
Thus, the entire power-edifice of British academia-Randomness-Atheism, carefully built-up and disingenuously fortified over decades, implodes after a 3-day conference alongside the gentle Hudson River. Via one elegant concept, Potentialism, independent scholar David Birnbaum brings down the entire arrogant totalitarian academic regime and its antiquated dogma which had terrorized global academia for over 50 years via their vacuous schema – Randomness.
Note that this bizarre Randomness construct proposes that the route to high level humans in the 21st Century – tracking forward from the Big Bang thru the emergence of the Elements, primordial star systems, myriad galaxies, supernovas, the sun, our solar system, life, photosynthesis, DNA, organisms, sexual reproduction, multi-cellular life, the Cambrian Explosion, amphibians, forests, reptiles, mammals, dinosaurs, birds, flowers, hominids, homo sapiens, and ever-increasing consciousness/emotion – is just simply the result of random chance and happenstance. We just ‘happened’ to get to this point. Randomness pseudo-theory thus makes medieval Alchemy (turning lead into gold) look like hard science in comparison.
Note that our ‘original point-of-departure’, the Big Bang, is itself ultimately inexplicable by Randomness Theory. The realms of probability are simply not large enough to accommodate its unfolding by chance happenstance inter-related extraordinary sequence-of-events. Even an infinite number of allegedly random universes could not get us near to this point (see Paul Davies’ 2006 book The Goldilocks Enigma). Only an extraordinary dynamic (try Q4P) – with an end-goal – could possibly have gotten us here.
Birnbaum’s cutting-edge Potentialism, describes a cosmos not of chaos and pointless randomness, but rather one of direction. Birnbaum posits that the cosmos seeks the line of optimal realization of potential. That is, the cosmos will seek the most optimally efficient path in its quest for the most extraordinary denouement. The Theory of Potential discerns a teleological (purpose-driven) system of the cosmos - and the very intentional way the universe always moves towards greater and greater complexity/sophistication. Birnbaum coins the term Extraordinariation for the ultimate goal of the cosmos. As such, Potentialism discerns that indeed some dynamic is driving the universe in a very, very particular direction towards a goal. And this dynamic is Birnbaum’s hypothesized Quest for Potential.
The pinnacle British Randomness/Atheist academics had a good game going. Via their control of the major journals they had not only managed to stifle debate and crush dissenting voices, but had been able to erect a back-slapping ‘my-hand-washes-your-hand’ ideological cookie-cutter political club at the very pinnacle of academe; like-minded ‘insider club’ members would bestow honors upon one another, and box-out any intellectual dissenters from ‘the clubhouse’ altogether. Then the anointed of the press would be selectively let into the club house to be mesmerized by the ‘genius-wunderkind-star power’ of the ‘award-winning’ pinnacle academics. Complete departments in Cambridge and Oxford would be co-opted. The incestuous system would feed upon itself. Year after year. The apex player ‘insider group’ British Randomness/Atheists drilled-down into academe globally that the only alternative to Randomness was zealot fundamentalist Creationism. Global academe was thus given a YES/NO choice: Randomness/Atheism – or ‘the outcast, radioactive religious Creationist fundamentalist zealotry.’ Us – or ‘them.’ This ongoing stacked-deck would be foisted on academe for decades.
Then, along comes one guy, one outsider to this closed system, and via one treatise and one 3-day international academic conference ‘ends the party.’ Post-Bard’s international academic conference there was now, indeed, a bona fide alternative. Potentialism indeed provides a pro-scientific alternative to both the old zealotry on the fringe religious Right (militant religious Fundamentalism) and to the new zealotry of the fringe Left (militant Randomness/Atheism). The ‘new kid on the block’ was ‘Potentialism.’ And Potentialism looked pretty good. And pretty powerful. And pretty elegant.
The British Randomness/Atheists had a collective temper tantrum. Destroy this Harvard interloper! Destroy this Harvard boy who is ending our little British party. Destroy this Harvard boy who dares to de facto expose iconic Cambridge and Oxford as Cathedrals of Group-Think. Destroy this Harvard boy who has ‘called-our-card.’ Destroy this yeshiva-educated scholar who dares to simultaneously unify Spirituality, Philosophy and Science. Destroy this hombre who did an end-run around our precious little journals. Destroy this hombre who has exposed us for the scheming-politicos cum intellectual-lightweights which we always were. Destroy this Manhattan guy who has now potentially undermined all our books, lectures, Twitter-followings, awards, knighthoods….and, indeed, legacies. In short, our glory. Destroy this chutzpah-nik ‘New Yorker’ who has exposed our ‘highfalutin Oxford-proper’ egregious abuse of the public trust. De-legitimize him – at all costs. Erase him – if we can.
David v. Goliath
While the British zealot atheists comes out in full scale vitriolic attack – like a swaggering Goliath – intent on de-legitimization of Birnbaum and destruction of Potentialism, the American group does not take the bait. Rather, it comes back like the nimble and serenely confident biblical David confronting the marauding Goliath. This David – and his intellectual allies at MIT, Harvard, Yale, NYU, Brandeis and UCLA needs not respond in kind, because elegant reasoning is the greatest weapon of Potentialism. And in the arena of ideas, Potentialism’s elegance and intellectual power, grant its sword-bearer trump positioning on the battlefield.
Thus the obstreperous Goliath of Randomness is felled by David’s slingshot of Potential. In its ‘death knell’, Randomness clumsily, but vainly, attempts to crush the adroit ‘challenger David’.
Asymmetrical internal power
There is a fundamental difference between hard-line Atheism and Potentialism that is irrefutable. Randomness/Atheism is, by necessity, built on tenuous presuppositions. The core imperative of Randomness/Atheism is that there can be no possible room for any direction or drive whatsoever to the universe; If there indeed is any such ‘direction’ or ‘design’, then the entirety of their pseudo-theory stack-of-cards falls apart. Al their dominoes topple in succession. In contradistinction, Potentialism does not have to gird itself relentlessly against the presentation of any competing idea. Potentialism is a fully-integrated and fully-vetted theory – and its hallmark is its inclusiveness; Potentialism has ample space and place for the religious, the spiritualist and the agnostic. It most certainly does tremble at any and all new ideas.
Potentialism has survived a quarter century of (anonymous) ad homenim attacks from the hitherto apex predator atheist academic junta. Potentialism has withstood its trial by fire and it has come out unscathed. If anything, its Theory of Potential has only come out stronger; the futility and bizarreness of the ad homenim attacks upon it have projected Potentialism across the global stage.
As for Birnbaum himself, he has been unflinching in his conviction in the intellectual elegance and universality of his powerful and unique theory. He has been unwavering in his willingness to debate any and all comers – for the greater sake of ‘the integrity of the crucible of debate’.
Galileo v. The Church
It's somewhat ironic to think that Birnbaum stands in a similar place vis à vis Atheists, where once Galileo stood against the overbearing Church (the old arch-enemy of Atheism). In their own zealous and bare-knuckled tactics, hard-line Atheists have adopted the worst zealotry and toxicity of the medieval Church – which tried to de-legitimize and then erase all competing thought and ideologies from Europe.
Somewhere along the way British academia apparently forgot that their mandate is the pursuit of truth, and not the zealous and abusive accrual of academic political power – and personal glory. In any event, ultimately reason is ultimate power in academe. That is why Birnbaum can speak softly – and was calmly confident to take on the entire rabid British hard-line Atheistic hierarchy – initially solo.
The core Birnbaum theory
As noted, the core theme of David Birnbaum’s works is that one elegant dynamic and one elegant dynamic, alone (Quest for Potential) both instigates and drives the entire cosmic order (see TheoryCore.com) According to the author “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∞ strives with purpose and direction towards ever-greater and higher potential. At the ‘beginning of time,’ eternal Quest for Potential harnessed the eternal equations of Physics-Mathematics to ignite our universe via the Big Bang. This same symbiotic dynamic – Quest for Potential 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.”
Over a dozen institutions of higher learning have assigned Summa Metaphysica as a Course Text ranging from UCLA to Brandeis to Hebrew University (Israel). In the past 12 months alone, there have been over 30 feature articles across myriad journals focused on Birnbaum’s Theory of Potential (see SummaCoverage.com).
Reprise
In short, the drive to optimize Potential drives the entire cosmic order. Potential. A relatively simple, but powerful concept, finessed by Birnbaum’s Summa Metaphysica. One simple – albeit elegant – concept then pulls-the-plug on one of the most disingenuous academic political gambits of the last several centuries.
There is indeed a pro-scientific alternative to the pseudo-science Randomness/Atheism. Potentialism.
The Humpty-Dumpty of Randomness has been bumped off of the wall – and has indeed taken a great fall; And, back in so-Royal England, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men are certainly unlikely to be able to ever put the Humpty Dumpty of Randomness back together again.