Central claim

The conference of difference is the process primitive of existence

This thesis makes one claim: The Conference of Difference abbreviated as CoD and symbolized as $\{\Delta\}$ is the constant expression principal to existence.

To understand this claim, we must first examine the sense of the words used in forming it; for as Confucius declares in the Analects:

If words be not correct, language is not in accordance with reality.

In terms of its etymon, the word existence means 'condition of being' and by literal extension the 'process of declaring together [of] action to be'. This thesis claims that this process of declaring together is best understood as the conference of difference, a 'condition of bearing together', transforming the 'condition of bearing apart'.

In context of these terms, the central claim can be restated with absolute precision: All existence is a conference of difference—symbolized in the equation: $$\exists = \{\Delta\}$$

This equation of existence reveals a crucial characteristic namely that, as a principle, the CoD is metaphysical: 'originating behind' existence and thus principle to existence not of it. This parallels the maxim declared in Plutarch's Symposia where the character Firmus declares:

It is universally true that a principle is before that whose principle it is.

Let's reveal this principle in the most fundamental constituents of matter and energy, the cosmos and cognition.

An elementary particle

Whether we infer or observe the existence of an elementary particle as a discrete corpuscle,^[1] a quantum wave packet,^[2] or an excitation of a field,^[3] each reveals a conference of difference. The fundamental implication is that the 'conference of difference' is not a property of any single physical theory, but the process primitive principal to existence itself. Our models change, but the process primitive to existence—the conference of difference—remains its constant expression.

A solar system

Whether we model a solar system as a Newtonian clockwork of gravitating masses,^[4] a relativistic curvature of spacetime,^[5] or a dissipative structure within a galactic context,^[6] each is grounded in the conference of difference. The fundamental implication is that the 'conference of difference' is not a property of any single astrophysical model, but fundamental to the condition of being of a solar system itself. Our frameworks for understanding gravitation and structure change, from forces to geometry to thermodynamics, but a solar system—as a conference of difference—remains its constant expression.

A thought

Whether we model a thought as a computational algorithm executed by a neural network,^[7] a dynamic global pattern in a connectome,^[8] or a bioelectric morphogenetic field,^[9] each declares itself as a conference of difference. The fundamental implication is that the 'conference of difference' is not a property of any single cognitive or biological model, but a constitutive pattern of cognition itself. Our models for understanding intelligence: the 'condition of choosing between' one being: 'action to be' over another change. But whether they are defined via computer metaphors, network theories or embodied cognition, a thought—as a conference of difference—remains its constant expression.

Now, with this foundation, we can look deeper.

The wood that fuels your fire is itself a conference of difference of cellulose and lignin. The fire is a conference of difference of wood, heat and oxygen. The device you are reading this on is a conference of difference of code, silicon and light. You, the reader, are a conference of difference of trillions of cells, each itself a complex conference of molecular differences.

The conference of difference is the one constant in all of this. It is the process primative. It is the engine of reality. From quantum fields to galactic clusters, from the first cell to global civilization, there is one principal: 'unvaryingly foremost' condition: the conference of difference.

This is the single most crucial ontological revelation in history because it identifies the ontological primitive of existence. It resolves the ancient conflict between the One and the Many. It shows that existence is not a collection of isolated objects, nor a featureless unity, but a dynamic, relational process—a perpetual conference of difference. Perhaps the irony to this revelation is that it was never a secret, demanding of special knowledge or initiation to comprehend. It has been present before our very eyes all along, as, of course, the ontological primative of all things would logically be.

All that remains is to trace its evidence through every domain of reality, which is the purpose of this dissertation. Let's proceed.

The Gospel of Being

by John Mackay

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