9: What is ‘defining’?
According to http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defining :
Main Entry: de·fine
Pronunciation: \di-ˈfīn\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): de·fined; de·fin·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin definire, from de- + finire to limit, end, from finis boundary, end
Date: 14th century
transitive verb 1 a : to determine or identify the essential qualities or meaning of - whatever defines us as human b : to discover and set forth the meaning of (as a word) c : to create on a computer -define a window -define a procedure
2 a : to fix or mark the limits of : demarcate -rigidly defined property lines b : to make distinct, clear, or detailed especially in outline -the issues aren't too well defined
3 : characterize, distinguish -you define yourself by the choices you make — Denison University Bulletin
The big thing missing from that definition is that in order to define something you need to define what that something is not. For instance, what’s white? The opposite of black is what most people would answer. What is bad weather? It’s the opposite of good weather. You can continue doing this in your own mind and you’ll quickly realize that that’s how we generally define things; through opposites or exclusion. An example of exclusion would be if you have three animals, a duck, a cat, and a dog. If you try to explain to an alien that knows what ducks and cats are, what a dog is, first you would try to explain that it’s the animal that’s not a duck or a cat. If I see a toy on the ground and see wheels, but notice that there are not 4, I know that it’s not a car.
This way of defining is natural and needed to process information fast. However, it has a major disadvantage, it forces separation. Well, defining tends to separate. This point was necessary early on because it explains how we must look at our relationship to god, other people and the multiverse. In fact for many ‘western’ minds, it brings up a general opportunity to evolve the way things are defined.
The ‘western’ mind tends to look at everything as a straight line. Point A to point B, a line segment, which may contain other points between its ends. Black and white, are thought of as two end points on a gradient scale of grey. Even in this way we can see that black or white is more then just the opposite of its opposite, it is a part of a ‘grey scale’. In the east there is another way to express varying values of black and white, which we all have seen, the yin-yang symbol. It describes that opposites are related in an equal circular relationship. Applying this to our grey scale model gives us this end result; the relationship between black and white is a circle of grey where black and white are on two opposite sides. This creates two linear gradients from black to white and white to black. The point is that when we see the relationship as a circle we realize that neither black nor white, have anymore value than say a 50% grey. We also see the dependence of all of the shades with each other. That you can’t really separate black, from white or grey! That black and white are just different aspects of the same thing.
I’m sure that I will bring these points up many times, in less words. It’s really kind of a root foundation needed to understand most of the questions I will address.
Main Entry: de·fine
Pronunciation: \di-ˈfīn\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): de·fined; de·fin·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin definire, from de- + finire to limit, end, from finis boundary, end
Date: 14th century
transitive verb 1 a : to determine or identify the essential qualities or meaning of - whatever defines us as human b : to discover and set forth the meaning of (as a word) c : to create on a computer -define a window -define a procedure
2 a : to fix or mark the limits of : demarcate -rigidly defined property lines b : to make distinct, clear, or detailed especially in outline -the issues aren't too well defined
3 : characterize, distinguish -you define yourself by the choices you make — Denison University Bulletin
The big thing missing from that definition is that in order to define something you need to define what that something is not. For instance, what’s white? The opposite of black is what most people would answer. What is bad weather? It’s the opposite of good weather. You can continue doing this in your own mind and you’ll quickly realize that that’s how we generally define things; through opposites or exclusion. An example of exclusion would be if you have three animals, a duck, a cat, and a dog. If you try to explain to an alien that knows what ducks and cats are, what a dog is, first you would try to explain that it’s the animal that’s not a duck or a cat. If I see a toy on the ground and see wheels, but notice that there are not 4, I know that it’s not a car.
This way of defining is natural and needed to process information fast. However, it has a major disadvantage, it forces separation. Well, defining tends to separate. This point was necessary early on because it explains how we must look at our relationship to god, other people and the multiverse. In fact for many ‘western’ minds, it brings up a general opportunity to evolve the way things are defined.
The ‘western’ mind tends to look at everything as a straight line. Point A to point B, a line segment, which may contain other points between its ends. Black and white, are thought of as two end points on a gradient scale of grey. Even in this way we can see that black or white is more then just the opposite of its opposite, it is a part of a ‘grey scale’. In the east there is another way to express varying values of black and white, which we all have seen, the yin-yang symbol. It describes that opposites are related in an equal circular relationship. Applying this to our grey scale model gives us this end result; the relationship between black and white is a circle of grey where black and white are on two opposite sides. This creates two linear gradients from black to white and white to black. The point is that when we see the relationship as a circle we realize that neither black nor white, have anymore value than say a 50% grey. We also see the dependence of all of the shades with each other. That you can’t really separate black, from white or grey! That black and white are just different aspects of the same thing.
I’m sure that I will bring these points up many times, in less words. It’s really kind of a root foundation needed to understand most of the questions I will address.
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