Overthrowing Eastern and Western Economics: Chan Economics (Serialization Part 5)

2006/7/26 21:07:09

V

But the logic of reality is the fate of real people, just as gravity is the fate of real people. One can, of course, fantasize a state without gravity, but even that fantasy is so fatefully within gravity's grasp. So-called fate means that when you are within it, you cannot escape; and when you are not within it, it is nothing but flowers reflected in a mirror, the moon reflected in water — a farce. Yet the inescapable is also flowers-in-mirror and moon-in-water, and flowers-in-mirror and moon-in-water are themselves inescapable. Being within or without — both are still where fate resides. To escape in a flowers-in-mirror-moon-in-water fashion that which cannot be escaped as flowers-in-mirror-moon-in-water; to be inescapably flowers-in-mirror-moon-in-water about the inescapable of escape — this is the real fate and logic of human beings.

The fate of real people is isomorphic to the logic of reality. The key is not which logic is correct, because there is no such thing as "correct" — whatever can be correct is already within logic. Even less is there some God-like logic that is forever correct, unconditionally logical. Even the concept of "correct" itself is a product of fantasy. There is only fate — only the fate manifested within this logic of reality. And fate has nothing to do with correctness or otherwise, because even the consciousness of correctness or otherwise is itself fated. "Is" and "is not" are both merely fantasies of realistic logic. Here there is no question of determinism or fatalism, because determinism and fatalism are themselves fantasies of realistic logic. Without realistic logic, even the linguistic expression of determinism or fatalism would be impossible, and linguistic expression itself is merely a rather unbecoming pair of underwear belonging to realistic logic.

"Is" and "is not," "within" and "without" — these are indeed the discriminations of your mind. Yet discrimination is fate itself; those who attempt not to discriminate are still discriminating. And human existence itself is the greatest discrimination — this discrimination is humanity's greatest fate. Human existence thus realistically and logically constitutes humanity's greatest fate. Human existence means discrimination, means fate, means realistic logic. Human existence is the sole starting point of all theories that can be theorized by humans. It then necessarily gives rise to discrimination, fate, and realistic logic. This necessity is itself discrimination — it is the greatest fate and logic of human existence itself. Due to the isomorphic relationship between fate and realistic logic, we can simply say: standing upon the sole starting point of human existence, discrimination and realistic logic are the premises necessarily relied upon by all theories that can be theorized by humans.

Discrimination cannot be broken — what breaks discrimination is still discrimination; logic cannot be broken — what breaks logic is still logic. Discrimination is flowers reflected in mirrors and moons reflected in water; logic is moons reflected in water and flowers reflected in mirrors. After shattering flowers-in-mirror-moon-in-water, what remains is still flowers-in-mirror-moon-in-water, because the shattering itself was always flowers-in-mirror-moon-in-water. Shattering too is a kind of discrimination; shattering too is a kind of logic. Discrimination is something that must be present in all logic concerning human existence — without discrimination, no logic of human existence can become real. Discrimination is also a kind of realistic logic, but it is the common logical premise shared by all realistic logic concerning human existence.

(To be continued)