Daniel J Shepard

Panentheism Addressing The Lack of a 1st Cause Daniel J Shepard

Hegel's Theory... is a philosophical summit So it is 'a' summit appears to have been reached only for us to find, having attained such a summit, a new summit awaits beyond the one we just laboriously conquered. The climb towards Hegel's summit began with 'nothingness' and revealed stunning paradoxes great metaphysical thinkers such as Zeno, Aristotle, Boethius, Copernicus, Leibniz, Kant, and Hegel himself attempted but failed to resolve. The gallant attempts put forward by these great thinkers led to metaphysical perceptions which temporarily satisfied segments of our species but never rose to the level of consensus required of a universal metaphysical model. A universal metaphysical model answers, at a minimum, three metaphysical questions: Where am I? What am I? And, Why do I exist? From such a model the term 'I' finds itself, naturally and with an ease of complete continuity, capable of being rationally replaceable with the terms: 'you', 'we', 'you and I together', 'humanity', 'life', 'the earth', 'the solar system', 'the galaxy', 'other life forms within the universe', 'all life forms within the universe', 'the universe', 'all universes'. Thinkers such as Zeno, Aristotle, Boethius, Copernicus, Leibniz, and Kant demonstrated the problems broad forms of substitution create when applied to the limited metaphysical systems these thinkers left in place. Hegel is no different just because we come to 'a' summit. There is always a summit to follow each summit we conquer. To state: 'Hegel's Theory... is a philosophical summit.' is not to imply there are no other summits awaiting us. Before we can begin our climb to the next summit, we need to understand the new perception Hegel displayed for us. It is Hegel's metaphysical system, which raises the question regarding the need of 'a creator of the universe', the need of' 'a primal cause', the need of 'a first Cause'. Kant's metaphysical system left us with an understanding regarding a perception of a second location existing: a location for the universe and a second location for 'God'. Such a perception did not emerge because Kant stated the need for a second location but rather such a perception emerged naturally as a means of resolving issues Kant's system brought to the surface of reason. It is panentheism which provides the answers to the questions raised by both Hegel and Kant and it is these answers which are fully explored within this volume.