Life as Process

By Philip S. Salisbury

This book is about observation and process. It addresses what we observe, how we observe, and the value and consequences of how we observe. It also explores the terms of value and meaning, the attribution of value and meaning to observation, and the process of existence.
Second, this essay examines time and change and how we observe both. It discusses the concept of living in the now or living in the moment and examines their relevance to a life well lived.
Third, the essay proposes a framework for observing reality. The framework suggests that not only can we observe life from a global perspective but that we have the capacity to experience reality at multiple levels. This is where the empiricist confronts the level-of-analysis issue.
Fourth, it explores our human and assisted levels of observation. This represents a broad spectrum of innate as well as chemical, physical, and electronic devices that allow us to explore our universe, our relationships, and our personal lives.
Fifth, the essay investigates various methods that humans employed to rationalize their understandings of reality. Included in the discussion is the relevance of these practices to an individuals personal life.
In addition, the essay discusses observing the world as it is and the difficulties inherent in maintaining objectivity while observing precisely.
One of the conditions of our current environment is the loss of pragmatism. Ideologies now dominate our political discourse, be it local, statewide, national, or international. In such an environment, compromise becomes unlikely. There is a black and a white with no room for gray. The essay discusses the eventual, and alternative, consequences of this.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781546217855

Book preview

© 2017 Philip S. Salisbury. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/05/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1786-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1784-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-1785-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017917673

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1     The Present Moment or the Now

Chapter 2     Change and Time

Chapter 3     Duration and Transitions

Chapter 4     Aggregates and Components

Chapter 5     Attention and Observation

Chapter 6     Declining, Maintaining, and Growing

Chapter 7     From Ideology to Idealism

Chapter 8     Reason and Faith

Chapter 9     The World as it Is

Chapter 10   Discovering Oneself and the World

Chapter 11   Applying what We have Learned

References

INTRODUCTION

This essay is about observation and process. It addresses what we observe, how we observe, and the value and consequences of how we observe. It also explores the terms of value and meaning, the attribution of value and meaning to observation, and the process of existence.

Second, this essay examines time and change and how we observe both. It discusses the concept of living in the now or living in the moment and examines its relevance to a life well-lived.

Third, it proposes a framework for observing reality. The framework suggests not only that we can observe life from a global perspective but that we have the capacity to experience reality at multiple levels. This is where the empiricist confronts the level-of-analysis issue.

Fourth, the essay explores our human and assisted levels of observation. This represents a broad spectrum of innate as well as chemical, physical, and electronic devices that allow us to explore our universe, our relationships, and our personal lives.

Fifth, the text investigates various methods that humans have employed to rationalize their understandings of reality. Included in the discussion is the relevance of these practices to an individual’s personal life.

In addition, the essay discusses observing the world as it is and the difficulties inherent in maintaining objectivity while observing precisely.

One of the conditions of our current environment is the loss of pragmatism. Ideologies are now dominant in our political discourse, be it local, statewide, national, or international. In such an environment, compromise becomes unlikely. There is a black and a white with no room for gray. The essay discusses the eventual, and alternative, consequences of this.

A. P. French wrote a book in 1971 titled Vibrations and Waves. On reading the book, I became impressed by the diversity in physics of wave forms and their ubiquitous nature. It was not until I was doing some social research at my job that the process of the generation and decline of waves and wave patterns became personally relevant to me.

A wave does not exist by itself. It exists in an environment with other waves. The varieties of waves interact, creating the growth and decline of the wave forms. There also could be created different patterns of a wave form.

Physics has developed a set of diverse equations to