Book Title: Search For Absolute In Neo Vedanta
Author(s): George B Burch
Publisher: George B Burch

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Page 44
________________ 654 BURCH which provokes a philosophy which goes beyond science, based on the spiritual demand “that nature should be contemplated and not merely used” (II 108). (2) Pure objective (or contemplative) thought is thought of objective but imperceptible contents (II 102), that is, universals. The selfsubsistent object “has no necessary reference to the perceivable, ”100 but “has necessary reference to the speaking of it” (II 110), is "believed only as it is spoken” (II 107), is constituted by being spoken (II 112)—a conceptual theory of universals, which makes them independent of particulars but dependent on the thinking (although not literally thinking) process, although Bhattacharyya calls it realism in contrast with the "solipsistic idealism” of science (II 108). Anything speakable "is understood in necessary reference either to senseperception or to the speaking of it," and the latter, not restricted by perception, is believed as independent of the belief of any individual mind and so self-evident. The self-evident understood in the objective attitude is the self-subsistent object. It may be inaccessible to the mind, and so is of no interest to science, which is concerned only with intrinsically knowable objects. The philosophy (not science) of the self-subsistent object comprises logic, which studies the form of the object, and metaphysics, which studies the object itself (II 110). Logic, a system of "speech-created forms of meaning" (II 112), presupposes metaphysics (II 111), which "defines itself in logic" (II 113), and insofar as there are alternative metaphysics there are also alternative logics (II 112). No metaphysical concept, however, is intelligible without reference to the "subject or spirit” which goes beyond meta- . physics (II 111). Alleged deductive proof in metaphysics is a sham. Metaphysical abstractions (considered high grade abstractions by metaphysicians and diseases of speech by positivists) are “symbolic meanings which derive their whole value for belief from the spiritual experiences that they symbolise” (II 112). Pure objective thought, therefore, necessarily leads to spiritual thought. And it is the contrast between logic, the entities of which are obviously not real, and metaphysics, where they are supposed to be real, which suggests the distinction between the self-subsistent and the real. This distinction is verified in the consciousness of objectivity as a symbol of the real subject (II 113). (3) Spiritual (or enjoying) thought is introspection, theoretic consciousness which rejects the objective attitude, the enjoying under 100 Philosophy, consequently, is neither a speculative world-view or synthesis of sciences nor a critical examination of the structure of science (II 109).

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