NAME- DAVESH SHARMA

Roll No - 21PHIL206815
Email Id- davesh.sharma.581@gmail.com

Existence, consciousness and their correlation

“One should know oneself to be nature of existence-consciousness-bliss” – Adi Shankracharya.

The search for the truth leads to the concepts of existence and consciousness.
For experiencing the existence of an object, it must exhibit some properties, and to interact, others must
be receptive or experience some changes that are brought about by the object. To experience is to be
conscious or as stated by Christopher Koch, a leading neuroscientist and philosopher – experience is
consciousness. Interaction is made of two concepts- ability to cause change and to be receptive to the
changes caused by the other. We can only experience the existence of an object if it causes some kind of
change in another object with which it interacts. So, every object that we know exists can project some
kind of change. On the other hand, every object that can project also can experience changes caused by
the other. If we assume the meaning of consciousness as the ability to experience or to be receptive to the
changes and existence as the ability to project qualities or cause changes then we can see that existence
and consciousness as all-pervading in the entire cosmos. As the phenomena evidenced by LIGO and
VIRGO laboratories, even the empty space-time fabric of cosmos is receptive to the changes caused by
energy and mass e.g. massive cosmic objects like a black hole or neutron star mergers cause ripples in the
fabric of space-time also known as gravitational waves. So consciousness and existence are not some
unique property of some entities but are the all-pervading reality of the universe. Then the question arises
how this unified aspect of reality is manifested as the multitude of phenomena, we observe? For this, we
need the concept of being and becoming. There is an inherent connection between consciousness-
existence which is also known as “Sat Chit” in Upanishads and being and becoming - concepts found in
Greek philosophy.

The being is the unchanging and universal aspect of the universe. It is the cosmic law
that guides all the interactions of our universe as stated in constructor theory all laws of physics are stated
by saying what tasks are possible, what are impossible, and why. A task is impossible if there is a law of
physics that forbids it from being performed and possible otherwise. They are principles, which underlie
and supplement the existing most fundamental theories of physics. Hence the laws only permit something
to happen or some kind of change to not happen

The becoming on the other hand is always in flux and is more related to the particulars.
It is manifested as matter-energy and is never in a permanent state but is always moving and
transforming. Its essential nature is dynamic e.g. stars, planets, earth, moon. Though they may seem to be
relatively permanent with respect to the short span of our lives, however, even they get transformed in
millions and billions of years. Any material form that exists presently will be destroyed in due time or
transformed into something else. Even at the microcosmic level matter-energy is always vibrating,
pulsating, and moving. In this microcosmic world where quantum laws are more applicable we know
from the Heisenberg uncertainty principle that the very concepts of exact position and velocity together,
have no meaning in nature so without simultaneous knowledge of velocity and position, a mechanistic
picture of the universe is not possible. So becoming (matter-energy) is the substance that is being guided
within a framework of being (unchanging laws). Though the laws may be certain, but matter due to its
fundamental nature cannot be perfectly measured or behave deterministically.

An object is only guided by the laws to which its physical existence is receptive e.g. an
electrically neutral particle-neutrino cannot be guided by electrical and magnetic fields so the laws of
electromagnetism do not affect the nature of its existence. The nature of matter-energy depends upon its
type of receptivity to other phenomena and in turn, the type of receptivity and interaction happens within
a framework that is permissible by the laws. Consciousness and the being (universal, unchanging laws)
are both incorporeal, but they define the nature and interaction of the corporeal existence i.e. matter-
energy.

The concept of natural law or the order of the world has existed in many cultures such as
"Tao" in Daoism, "Logos" in Greek philosophy, "Maat" in ancient Egyptian culture, or as "Rta" in the
Vedic civilization, in Abrahamic traditions there also some parallels in Sufi traditions such as in the
works of philosopher Ibn Arbi and can be found in Gnostic texts such as Apocryphon of John found in
Nag Hamadi codices in 1945.

The concepts of Being and Becoming can be found in works of ancient western
philosophers such as Heraclitus, Parmenides, Plato, and Aristotle and can also be found in the
contemporary western philosophy of Martin Heidegger. In Indian philosophy, the Upanishads are the
main source of the Being as the eternal and immutable reality of this cosmos known as the Brahman on
the other hand Buddhist scriptures– focus more on the momentary and impermanent (kshanabhangavada)
existence of things which is more in consonance to the concept of becoming. One of the earliest schools
of Indian philosophy Samkhya also proposed this dualism as the two aspects of reality. One is the
Purusha who is immutable and exists as pure consciousness and the other is the Prakriti the material
aspect of this existence that is always in flux.

The rational and intellect part of us correspond to understanding the being (the laws) and
our senses to perceiving the becoming (forms of matter-energy), together they form the basis of our
experience, whose fundamental constituents are an existing reality and a conscious agent. Our senses and
our body are adapted to experience certain aspects of matter and energy e.g. our eyes can sense some
spectrum of electromagnetic radiation or our skin can feel some effects of pressures or temperatures. On
the other hand, our mind makes meaning and understanding of these various experiences and also guides
the movement and attention of the senses. The mind through the help of various experiences does various
inductions and deductions through which it is possible to know some aspects of the law. So our body and
senses correspond to the matter and energy aspect of this universe and our mind corresponds to the law of
this cosmos. The mind also in a way acts as the law of the body which governs its functions and
movements, and the body as the material on which the mind can act and through which it can manifest its
will. In the cosmos, the being (law) and becoming (matter energy) come together and manifest various
possibilities of existence. Likewise, in the microcosmic form of humans, these two come together as mind
and body to manifest various possibilities of life. Mind-body, being-becoming, energy-law are never
really separate from each other but as per our understanding act as different entities working together to
manifest the possibilities of life and existence.

There is a more intricate relation between being-becoming and consciousness-existence which I would
like to further explore and elaborate on in my research.

Objectives of research:

 To explore the concepts of being-becoming and consciousness-existence and synthesize them into
a coherent theory;
 To utilize elements of both eastern and western philosophy and present a theory that could bridge
the gap between the two;
 To explore the meeting point between ancient wisdom and current scientific theories &
 By analyzing these concepts, I will endeavour to derive an ethical theory that could bring a
pragmatic direction into our lives.

I aspire to pursue the concepts of consciousness and existence, “sat-chit” and show a
meeting point of ancient wisdom with scientific knowledge. Despite the existing differences, I would like
to present a perspective through which holistic similarity can be seen in all of these traditions that in turn
could synthesize them and bring harmony in ways of life. All of these cultures had a deep conviction of
an underlying unity within the cosmos and they also saw the cosmic order as the inspiration of moral and
ethical order in society. The necessity of contemporary time is not to focus on appetites and sensory
pleasure which are desires for the fleeting forms of becoming (sensory pleasure is derived from objects of
matter and energy) but on the rational good which is inspired by natural order (being), which show us our
place in this circle of life, that is holistically connected to all other life forms and the environment.

As stated in the second chapter of the first cycle of Kathopanishad, “The good and the
pleasant come to a man and the thoughtful mind turns around them and distinguishes. The wise choose
out the good from the pleasant, but the dull soul chooses the pleasant rather than the getting of his good
and it's having.” (Kathopanishad, 1.2.2, translated by Sri Aurobindo)

Expected research contribution:

Today we are spectators to an increasing divide between different ideologies.

Although, the diversity of perspectives and approaches are helpful for a society to grow yet many times
their friction results in exhaustion of time, effort, and resources. Through this research, I aim to contribute
towards creation of a platform where different philosophical ideas can be more permeable to each other
and also show convergence and interaction of philosophy and science.

Also, through research, I would like to bridge gaps and move forward in a direction
where harmony and coexistence could be promoted because after all our life is connected to our
environment. Without right physical conditions life, as we know, could not evolve therefore, we need to
understand the workings of nature and through reason arrive at actions that benefit all.
How I’m going to do it:

The primary methodology of the research will be qualitative which will include a critical
survey of original texts and will also include the analysis of peer-reviewed papers that have been
published related to the topic. Data will be gathered from journals, e-journals, and libraries. For ancient
texts in Indian and Greek philosophy, data will be gathered from the most authentic primary sources that
are available and secondary sources that are most widely accepted. The emphasis will be to deal with the
concepts present in the research at metaphysical, epistemological, and axiological levels. The research
method will be directed towards exploration, comparison, and integrative study of various traditions and
schools of thought in the area of consciousness, existence, and being-becoming. The approach will be
critical, phenomenological, and conceptual to begin research with the least biases and presuppositions,
and then work in a way to explore various possibilities and give a logical coherence to the final
hypothesis. The research method will also make use of the various scientific theories and observations to
support the theories formed by philosophical investigation.

Bibliography:

Müller, F. M. (1897). The Upanishads. New York: Christian Literature.

Koch, C. (2019). The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness Is Widespread but Can't Be Computed.
MIT Press.

Laozi, ., & Mitchell, S. (1988). Tao te ching: A new English version. New York, N.Y: Harper & Row.

Mead, G. R. S. (2016). The Corpus Hermeticum. (n.p.): CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Sharma, Chandradhar (1964). A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy. M. Banarsidass.

Russell, B. (1967). A history of western philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Merali, Zeeya (26 May 2014). "A Meta-Law to Rule Them All: Physicists Devise a "Theory of
Everything"". Scientific American. Nature Publishing Group. Retrieved 11 January 2016.

Aristotle, ., & Hope, R. (1966). Aristotle: Metaphysics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

"Buddhism". (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 26 November 2009, from Encyclopædia

Britannica Online Library Edition.

Chittick, William C. (April 2007). Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets. Oxford: Oneworld Publications.
Wheeler, M. (2020). Martin Heidegger. The {Stanford} Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Further readings

Ridpath, I. (2018). A Dictionary of Astronomy (3 ed.). Oxford University Press.

Heidegger, M., Macquarrie, J., & Robinson, E. (1962). Being and time. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Eknath, E., & Nagler, M. N. (1987). The Upanishads. Petaluma, CA: Nilgiri Press.

Savitt, Steven, "Being and Becoming in Modern Physics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy (Winter 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), forthcoming URL =
https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2021/entries/spacetime-bebecome/

Bhagavad Gita As It Is Original by Prabhupada

Annas, Julia (2001). Classical Greek Philosophy. Oxford University Press.

Irwin, Terence; Fine, Gail, eds. (1996). Aristotle: Introductory Readings. Hackett Pub.

Duignan, B. (Invalid Date). Plato and Aristotle: How Do They Differ?. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/story/plato-and-aristotle-how-do-they-differ

Heaven, Douglas (6 November 2012). "Theory of everything says universe is a transformer". New
Scientist. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 11 January 2016.