Reasoning from First Principles

2015-01-30

One of the participants in the online group mentioned reasoning from first principles the other day. Reflecting on this today I began to see more deeply into the wisdom of this approach. Essentially this ties in with developing an objective cosmology. But whereas a focus on cosmology has more to do with understanding how the world is structured, the focus on first principles is more focused on the laws that govern how things happen.

One example of this is the law of octaves. From this law we can reason in a more practical way, because we have a much clearer picture of when and how things can (and can’t) happen in an unfolding process. In a like manner the law of threefoldness gives us crucial understanding about relationships and how seemingly dyadic situations can be reconciled.

One crossover situation is the doctrine of reciprocal maintenance. On the one hand it’s certainly a principle, simply stated as:

“Every recognizable entity on every scale of existence participates in the universal exchange of energies – supporting, and being supported by, the existence of others.” 

On the other hand it’s a practical aspect of our personal situations on a daily basis because we participate in this universal exchange of energies. This occurs whether or not we are conscious of some general principle.  However, an awareness of this principle can keep us connected to the reality of our situation; that not only do we ‘eat’, but we are in turn ‘food’ for something higher. A realistic reasoning process will take this into account so that we can fulfill our responsibilities in this regard.

Understanding and applying ‘first principles’ to the process of reasoning can strengthen our connection to both.