| Summary—I Am Canadian argues that Canadians must find a new way to become leaders on the world stage. I am a sick man. I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man. I think that my liver hurts. But I don’t know a damn thing about my illness. I am not even sure what it is that hurts. I am not in treatment and never have been, although I respect both medicine and doctors. Besides, I am superstitious in the extreme. I am sufficiently educated not to be superstitious, but I am. No, sir, I refuse to see a doctor simply out of spite. Now, that is something you will probably fail to understand. Naturally, I will not be able to explain to you precisely whom I will injure in this instance by my spite. I know perfectly well that I am certainly not giving the doctors a dirty deal by not seeking treatment. I know better than anyone that I will only harm myself by this, and no one else. My liver hurts. Good, let it hurt still more. Existential Freedom. So begins the existential text entitled Notes from the Underground (1864) written by the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-80) defined existentialism as the philosophy for which existence precedes essence. For manmade things, the idea of the thing comes before the actual thing itself—that is, essence precedes existence. But for man, who arrives on the scene and then becomes what he is, existence precedes essence. The difference is that man continually creates his own essence in every moment through his decisions and actions. René Descartes (1596-1650) insisted on the primacy of the individual and the analysis of human consciousness. This starting point for existential philosophy is the Cartesian cogito—ie. cogito, ergo sum—ie. I think, therefore I exist. Awareness of consciousness or self-awareness is coincident with the act of soul-searching and is what separates man from animal. In addition to the Cartesian cogito, René Descartes also formulated the theory of systematic doubt whereby the doubter says no to arguments no matter how plausible so long as he saw the possibility of doubting the argument. Existential freedom is the ultimate freedom that cannot be taken from a man. In essence, it is the right to say no. Existential freedom refers to the fact that we can make any choice at any time through reflection on the cogito. Existential freedom is the theory which asserts that we are condemned to be free. The Existential Cognitive Model. Consider that the Freudian cognitive model makes the reality-based ego the decisionmaker who must choose between the internal values of the id, self, soul, mathematics, the method of argument and God—and the external authority of the superego, behaviorism, scholasticism, church, government, medicine and education. Remember the Socratic belief that by knowing thyself is the same as knowing God. Also remember what Sir James Jeans said—God is a mathematician. The authoritian cognitive model stands in direct contrast with the existential cognitive model. Existentialism is the philosophy which asserts that morality must be determined inwardly rather than from external authority. In its simplest terms, it is the ego acting like a search light that chooses between the id and the superego. The malignant cancer within society is the outwardly focusing behavioral psychological model—which denies the existence of consciousness—while the inwardly focusing existential model makes consciousness and the soul primordially important. QED—ie. quod erat demonstrandum—ie. which was to be proved. I propose that in one years time student doctors are responsible for determining whether The Existential Cognitive Model is valid or not. The Method of Argument. Based on the natural light of reason, Descartes formulated his famous Cartesian Model for constructing arguments which is—Order thoughts from simple to complex—Only accept clear and distinct ideas as true—Divide arguments into as many parts as necessary—Check thoroughly for oversights—And, using reversibility, rehearse, examine and test arguments over and over until they can be grasped with a single act of intuition or faith. Initially, one faithfully or intuitively senses truth, which is followed up by constructing rational arguments and then intuitively capturing completed arguments. In other words, faith leads us to reason and then reason leads us back to faith. Consider then making Philosophymagazine a standard model for constructing arguments—ie. sixteen hundred words that begins with a story. Essentially, the difference between an argument and an opinion is that an opinion does not have to be backed up. And we must remember what Socrates said—Follow the argument wherever it leads. QED. I propose that in one years time university seniors are responsible for determining whether The Method of Argument is valid or not. The Theory of One. It is well established that the greatest scientific problem of all time is how to marry relativity with quantum theory. Relativity is the natural law of space and time and is based on lightspeed. It describes spacetime dilation in accordance with the Pythagorean Form. The quantum theory of the atom is the natural law of matter and is based on both Planck’s constant and a probabilistic wave equation. I have solved the problem of how to unite relativity and quantum theory with my theory of one by recognizing lightspeed and Planck’s constant as the very same boundary of the spacetime continuum. I further argue that even if my Theory of One is wrong, it is still effectively right because it sets forth the pathway to truth—which is the question of how to unite relativity with quantum theory. QED. I propose that in one years time grade 12 high school students are responsible for determining whether The Theory of One is valid or not. Ten Minutes and Ninety Minutes. Each sixteen hundred word essay takes approximately ten minutes to read. The ten minutes per essay multiply by nine essays then becomes an in-ninety-minute pocketbook. Philosophymagazine uses the option based deployment strategy. John Gribbin and Paul Strathern have produced an excellent library of twenty-five or so in-ninety-minute pocketbooks. For example one could read Einstein in Ten Minutes before going on to read Einstein in Ninety Minutes. Niels Bohr, one of the founding fathers of quantum theory, defined the complementary principle as the coexistence of two necessary and seemingly incompatible descriptions of the same phenomenon. One of its first realizations dates back to 1637 when Descartes revealed that algebra and geometry are the same thing—ie. analytic geometry. The ten minutes per essay multiplying by ten essays produces a ten essay pocketbook. Looking at the in-ten-minute essay provides a comparison to the in-ninety-minute essay or collection of essays. I sent a copy of my The Theory of One essay collection to Peter Mansbridge of the CBC in 2001. I Am Canadian. Blaise Pascal (1623-62) once wrote that man escapes freedom by means of the two sovereign anodynes of habit and diversion—He chases a bouncing ball or rides to hounds after a fleeing animal—or the ball and fleeing game are pursued through the labyrinth of social intrigue and amusement—anything, so long as he manages to escape from himself. As far as Canadians are concerned—our habits and diversions are about chasing pucks and managing pucks or writing about chasing and managing pucks. Firstly our Canadian society must graduate from the method of authority to the method of argument—meaning that the government must now either challenge or accept standardized arguments such as Philosophymagazine—ie. sixteen hundred words. Secondly the cognitive model identifies the malignant cancer within the healthcare system and society as the outwardly focusing behavioral psychological model, which denies the existence of consciousness—while the inwardly focusing existential model makes consciousness and the soul primordially important. Thirdly I propose that we would deliver five-essay pocketbooks of The Theory of One in Ninety Minutes to grade twelve students. At the end of the year the students would write a Philosophymagazine-style essay argument depicting whether the theory is correct or not. The stylized pocketbooks would have large writing and fit perfectly into an inside coat pocket. Fourthly we would deliver single-sheet essays to coffee shops, old-age homes, homeless shelters and prisons across Canada. Philosophymagazine has the potential to turn Canada into a society with a hundred percent literacy. And we must never forget that higher truth is the cornerstone of mental wellness. Conclusion. Since the government has neither challenged nor accepted my arguments—I would argue that we must spend the next year working towards determining the validity of the three arguments (challenger)—ie. The Existential Cognitive Model (student doctors) and The Method of Argument (university seniors), The Theory of One (grade 12 students). Here the challenger must write a Philosophymagazine-style essay either confirming or rejecting the arguments set forth. Firstly by writing monthly essays and secondly by orchestrating the production and distribution of material and thirdly by making myself available to meet with government agents—We could well turn Canada into the philosophic and scientific center of the world. As Descartes would say—Better the ladies of the salon rather than the pedants of the university. Lastly any government agent—eg. doctor or educator—choosing not to take responsibility for the current state of affairs is acting in bad faith. |
