Every Religion Is Open
Many existing religions are incompatible with each other. To me, these incompatibilities are – one way or another – as many signs of superficiality. Underlying this is Openness, as in: ‘Open direction to God.’ [see also: “Religion IS Openness”] Dare I speak of God? Dare you? God is a ‘concept’ that means something different to Read the full article…
Stand by Your Man
For the ladies. The principle is gender-unrelated. Even if your man is ostensibly incorrect (but not immorally so) or even especially in such case, it’s important to make some effort to ‘stand by.’ It is very human to do so, very warm, probably quite irrational, very endearing, close, following, thereby listening and hearing what cannot otherwise Read the full article…
Ethics is YOU
That is: eventually and with all relevant support. Different kinds of ethics Some see the basis of ethics in a general principle: “Do to others as you want that others do to you.” Others see it in some kind of authority: “The ten commandments.” Others see it in an agreement between humans: “Human rights.” … Read the full article…
Pure Consciousness
‘Pure’ as in ‘without any object of conscious attention.’ One can get close to it in deep meditation. Is it meaningful to do so? Consciousness is conscious of something Otherwise, there would be nothing. No object, no subject, no consciousness. Just nothing. That would be self-contradictory. One can be conscious of the concept ‘nothing.’ The Read the full article…
Strength as a Virtue
“Show your weakness.” OK? Virtue is not always related to plain strength. More than ‘showing weakness,’ isn’t ‘avoiding weakness’ not more virtuous? The etymology of virtue or virtuous: ‘characterized by moral excellence, valor, strength’ and also: ‘manliness, courage, bravery.’ In ancient Rome, virtus was mainly important as a male adornment. Vir is Latin for ‘man,’ Read the full article…
Is Beauty an End Value? – No Purpose but Itself?
Beauty definitely is a value. As in Trojan-Greek mythology, people can go very far because of it: to the end of their known universe, to the end of themselves… and back again. Referring to ‘five Aurelian values’ [See: ‘Five Aurelian Values’] Are these ‘end values’ [see: “Being of Value”]? Yes. Are they the only end Read the full article…
Why Death Penalty is Murder
Taking into account full human being, there is no relevant difference between the accused and the accuser. ‘Taking conscious human life’ This is a quite good definition of murder. In case of the death penalty, it’s murder with full premeditation. In ‘taking,’ one can see a relevant fuzziness which makes thinking about, for instance, euthanasia Read the full article…
Beyond Cosmetics
Where ‘depth’ is involved, in many cases, efficiency runs counter to appearances. AURELIS ends on Inner Strength. This goes way beyond cosmetics. Since AURELIS is specifically depth-minded, this is specifically important. A drawing from my PhD thesis: You think you draw something to you and actually, you’re drawing it away from you, endlessly… until the Read the full article…
Artificial Intentionality
Intentionality – the fact of being deliberate or purposive (Oxford dictionary) – originates in the complexity of integrated information. Will A.I. ever show intentionality? According to me, A.I. will show intentionality rather soon Twenty years ago, I thought it would be around now (2020). Right now, I think it will be in 20 years from Read the full article…
Supernatural is Natural
If ‘everything that is’ is denoted as nature, then how can the supernatural be anything more than nature? Oops, did I already say – within this question – everything that needs to be said? Of course, it’s terminological. I just equalized ‘nature’ with something of my own choice. Indeed? But what is another option for Read the full article…
Sanctity of Life
At first place, I mean human life. This can eventually be broadened to any life, any ‘sentient being.’ Sanctity To me, life is its own sanctification. It doesn’t need a sanctifying instance, even if there were one. If you want sanctification to come from ‘anything’, then – to me again – that ‘anything’ sanctifies life Read the full article…
Consciousness & Communication
Why and how has consciousness emerged? One take on this: intra- as well as extracranial communication. Why = how Organic life is not the product of an engineer who starts with the question of why he should build something, then proceeds with how he can achieve his goals. Organic life evolves from instance to instance, Read the full article…
The Beauty of You
The beauty of you is the direct consequence of Beauty that you let shine through you, personally. There are two sides to this subtitle’s statement: the letting (which is in a deep sense Beauty itself) and the personal. I can say one thing. It’s not easy. And then again, it’s easy in the way of Read the full article…
Infinite Causality
A cause is always caused and always causes. Moreover, it is always just one point in an infinite set of points making up reality. [This is an ‘Ultimates’ text. Please, don’t take it at face value.] ‘The’ cause is always a human concoction. Theoretically, a cause is a necessary prerequisite for the caused. A caused Read the full article…
The Temporal Eye
In memory of a personal experience. Sitting at a bench looking over a field of grass and a pond. Trees in the distance. Sunshine. Late afternoon. Very relaxed. Becoming the trees. You may see this as a mystical experience. I do, if ever there is one. Being the trees. No difference between them there and Read the full article…
Importance of Clarity
Even more important, especially in the domain of AURELIS: striving for clarity, each one doing the best (s)he can. Vagueness out? Some find vagueness OK for being able to bring people together where this would otherwise not easily be possible. People can stand behind the same vague idea, so at least they meet, mentally or Read the full article…
Looking for Meaning
Many bright people live in a world devoid of meaning. By avoiding the devoid, they even get more and more in a strut. How to get out? This is an important text to me… and to you, dear reader, for one plain reason: without meaning, there is no meaning… of anything. Meaning is related to Read the full article…