Overthrowing Eastern and Western Economics: Chan Economics (Serialization Part 8)
2006/7/31 21:56:57
Because common sense habitually gets entangled in concepts like consciousness and matter, it is necessary to conduct some analysis of these concepts and point out the absurdity within them. Concepts like consciousness and matter, being concepts that can be conceptualized by humans, are of course grounded in human existence and necessarily fall within the foundational logic of human discrimination. Only on this basis can discussing concepts like consciousness and matter be possible. Apart from human existence and discrimination, all similar concepts of consciousness and matter are utterly unobtainable — and even "apart from" itself must be grounded in human existence and discrimination.
Some might argue that human existence and discrimination must be grounded in reality and objectivity — that matter comes first, and without matter, how could human existence be? But all reality that can be made real by humans, all objectivity that can be made objective by humans, exists under the premise of human existence and discrimination. Without human existence and discrimination, where would reality and objectivity come from? Even speculating about a reality or objectivity divorced from human existence and discrimination is itself grounded in human existence and discrimination. Without human existence and discrimination, no speculation can speculate! Any discussion, hypothesis, thought, practice, idealism, materialism, and so forth — all are without exception grounded in human existence and discrimination.
Even something like Kant's thing-in-itself — regardless of whether the thing-in-itself exists or not, whether it is observable or not — must be grounded in human existence and discrimination. Discrimination in relation to human existence is humanity's inescapable fate. No matter how humans struggle, they remain within this samsara of human existence and discrimination. Here there is no question of helplessness, because even helplessness is within this fateful samsara of human existence and discrimination. Here, adding everything adds nothing more; taking away everything takes nothing less. It is neither eternity nor an instant, because the logic of time is merely an added structure. Likewise, arising and ceasing, success and failure — all things that can be theorized, conceptualized, objectified, practiced, and so forth by humans — are merely added structures. What comes does not increase; what goes does not decrease.
The concepts of common sense are merely the fantasy products of commonsensical logic. But human existence and discrimination are both fantasy and not fantasy, because whether they are or aren't fantasy is merely a kind of logical relation, which must be grounded in human existence and discrimination. Here, all binary oppositions and N-ary unifications both have and don't have the usual logical possibilities, because all logic takes this as its premise. Even contemplating the non-existence and non-discrimination of humans must take this as a premise. At this point, all conditions are exhausted yet life ceaselessly regenerates. Because this differs so profoundly from ordinary commonsensical concepts, it must be explained step by step. As for whether one can truly comprehend and understand it — that depends on each of you!
(To be continued)