Chapter 33 of Dasein's Journal: A Collection Of Philosophical Thought (FOR FREE)

Philosophia Prima: Reality as a Reflection of Ourselves

Philosophia prima or the first foundation of Philosophy is the search for the fundamental principles of reality. More commonly known as Metaphysics, Philosophia prima examines two common accidents of all natural bodies in order to reach fundamental truths. These two common accidents are quantity and motion since all natural bodies can be quantified and put into motion. Physics examines the qualities of natural bodies and when combined with the common accidents of quantity and motion, we get what is called natural philosophy, which is the study of the accidents in general of natural bodies. Philosophy in general, which is also the knowledge of consequences or science, is formed by both natural philosophy and political or civil philosophy. Like we have already mentioned, natural philosophy studies the consequences of natural bodies, whereas political or civil philosophy studies the consequences of political bodies.

Yesterday we looked at the fundamental principle that everything is in constant flux, thanks to the work of Heraclitus. Today we will look at the fundamental principle that our reality is a reflection of ourselves. Reflection is when Being bends back towards itself. Reality is that all that we perceive, experience and that manifests there-in-front of us. The fundamental principal that our reality is a mere reflection of ourselves would mean that everything we perceive and experience, beginning from our birth, until our death, is nothing but our own Being bending back towards itself. In simpler terms, the lens that we view the world through greatly determines our own reality.

To illustrate, let us look at the difference between a pessimist and an optimist. Pessimism comes from the Latin word pessimus, which means « worst ». A pessimist, at the most extreme case, will consider this world as a living hell and that this world is the worst possible one. Pessimists also believe that life is disappointing. By looking at the world through this lens of pessimism, it is very common that most pessimists find their average-everydayness to be filled with complaining and negativity. This pessimist lens often enough manifests a downward spiral within one’s reality, since the pessimist is « bought in » to his negative world view. On the other hand, optimism comes from the Latin word optimus meaning « best ». An optimist views the world as the best of all possible worlds. An optimist also believes that human suffering (failure or frustration for example) may occur in order for an individual to realize his/her mistake or irresponsibility and learn from it. In simpler terms, optimists view the world as a positive place and this often enough manifests an upward spiral of positivity within an optimist’s reality.

Even if the pessimist and the optimist are thrown into the same world, the manner in which they view the world has an important role in how each individual’s story plays out. Each individual’s reality is a reflection of the lens that one views the world through. By knowing what lens we currently look at the world through, we are one step closer to understanding ourselves. It is also important to mention that the lenses that we look at the world through are in fact interchangeable. This is called the art of reframing and we will take a quick look at this concept tomorrow.

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-Philario