The Absolute is the totality of things; all that is, whether it has been discovered or not. It is usually conceived of as a unitary of the external cosmos and internal spiritual conscious — at least insofar as it can be acknowledged by the human mind — and as intelligible. In some varieties of philosophy, the Absolute describes an ultimate being. It contrasts with finite things, considered individually, known collectively as the Relative. Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... Totality Corporation was a publicly-traded internet services provider based out of San Francisco, from the years 1999 to 2005. ... Thing has various meanings: Thing (also ting or þing) was a governing assembly in Viking society. ... The term conception can refer to more than one meaning: Concept Fertilisation This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Look up one in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Ancient and Medieval cosmos as depicted in Peter Apians Cosmographia (Antwerp, 1539). ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal apes belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for wise man or knowing man) under the family Hominidae (known as the great apes). ... Mental redirects here. ... The Greek word λόγος or logos is a word with various meanings. ... Socrates (central bare-chested figure) about to drink hemlock as mandated by the court. ... In ontology, a being is anything that can be said to be, either transcendantly or immanently. ... Kinship is a biological and/or familial relationship between two organisms. ...

Origins and specific conceptions

Heraclitus concerned himself with the knowable portion of the Absolute with his Logos. Plotinus, a Neo-Platonic philosopher, saw all forms of existence as emanating from 'The One'. The concept of the Absolute was re-introduced into philosophy by Hegel, Schelling, and their followers; it is associated with various forms of philosophical idealism. The Absolute, either under that name, or as the "Ground of Being", the "Uncaused First Cause", or some similar concept, also figures in several of the attempted proofs of the existence of God, particularly the ontological argument and the cosmological argument. Heraclitus of Ephesus (Ancient Greek - Herákleitos ho Ephésios (Herakleitos the Ephesian)) (about 535 - 475 BC), known as The Obscure (Ancient Greek - ho Skoteinós), was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor. ... The Greek word λόγος or logos is a word with various meanings. ... Plotinus Plotinus (Greek: ) (ca. ... Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is an ancient school of philosophy beginning in the 3rd century A.D. It was based on the teachings of Plato and Platonists; but it interpreted Plato in many new ways, such that Neoplatonism was quite different from what Plato taught, though not many Neoplatonists would... Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel [] (August 27, 1770 – November 14, 1831) was a German philosopher born in Stuttgart, Württemberg, in present-day southwest Germany. ... Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling (January 27, 1775 – August 20, 1854) was a German philosopher. ... Idealism is an approach to philosophical enquiry that asserts that everything we experience is of a mental nature. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Existence of God. ... An ontological argument for the existence of God is an argument that Gods existence can be proved a priori, that is, by intuition and reason alone. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The concept was adopted into neo-Hegelian British idealism (though without Hegel's complex logical and dialectical apparatus), where it received an almost mystical exposition at the hands of F.H. Bradley. Bradley (followed by others including Timothy L.S. Sprigge) conceived the Absolute as a single all-encompassing experience, rather along the lines of Shankara and Advaita Vedanta. Likewise, Josiah Royce in the United States conceived the Absolute as a unitary Knower Whose experience constitutes what we know as the "external" world. British idealism was a philosophical movement that was influential in Britain during the mid to late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. ... Logic, from Classical Greek λόγος (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, (but coming to mean thought or reason) is the study of criteria for the evaluation of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy among philosophers. ... Broadly speaking, a dialectic (Greek: διαλεκτική) is an exchange of propositions (theses) and counter-propositions (antitheses) resulting in a disagreement. ... Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ... Francis Herbert Bradley (30 January 1846 - 18 September 1924) was a British philosopher. ... Timothy L.S. Sprigge (1932- ) is a British idealist philosopher who has spent most of his career at the University of Edinburgh. ... Sri Adi Sankara Adi Shankaracharya or Adi Shankara (the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord), Shankara (approximately 509- 477 BC (though some claim 788-820 CE)) was the most famous Advaita philosopher who had a profound influence on the growth... Advaita Vedanta (IAST ; Devanagari ; IPA ) is a sub-school of the Vedānta (literally, end or the goal of the Vedas, Sanskrit) school of Hindu philosophy, the other major sub-schools of Vedānta being Dvaita and . ... Josiah Royce (November 20, 1855, Grass Valley, California. ...

Recently, certain philosophers have attempted to reconceive Christianity as a Gnostic religion (see Mary Magdalene). Here "The Absolute" is referred to as "The All". A philosopher is a person devoted to studying and producing results in philosophy. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Gnosticism is a blanket term for various religions and sects most prominent in the first few centuries A.D. General characteristics The word gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge, gnosis (γνῶσις), referring to the idea that there is special, hidden mysticism (esoteric knowledge... Mary Magdalene is described, both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted disciple of Jesus. ...

The concept need not be taken to imply a universal unitary consciousness, however. American philosopher Brand Blanshard, for example, conceived the Absolute as a single overarching intelligible system but declined to characterize it in terms of consciousness or experience. Percy Brand Blanshard (August 27, 1892, Fredericksburg, Ohio – 1987) was an American philosopher known primarily for his defense of reason. ...

The Ultimate

The Ultimate is a general term embracing the concept of an ultimate supernatural reality which transcends material reality and from which, according to a broad spectrum of Eastern philosophies and religions, material reality derives. The Ultimate is Generally non-anthropomorphic and may or may not (depending on one's specific doctrine) possess discrete will, intelligence, awareness or a personal nature. In philosophy, transcendental/transcendence, has three different but related primary meanings, all of them derived from the words literal meaning (from Latin), of climbing or going beyond: one that originated in Ancient philosophy, one in Medieval philosophy and one in modern philosophy. ... In the West, the term Eastern philosophy refers very broadly to the various philosophies of the East, namely Asia, including China, India, Japan, and the general area. ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... // will power redirects here. ... Intelligence is the mental capacity to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas and language, and learn. ... In biological psychology, awareness describes a human or animals perception and cognitive reaction to a condition or event. ...

Examples of religions and philosophies which embrace the concept of The Ultimate in one form or another include Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism and existential or metaphysical forms of Christianity. Terms which serve to identify The Ultimate among such beliefs include the Tao (the Way), Brahman (Universal Spirit), Universal Mind^{[citation needed]}, Universal Intelligence, Dainichi-Nyorai (nature-substance), and numerous other appellations. Polytheistic religions readily acknowledge a unifying principle which transcends their various gods. {{Hinduism small} Hinduism (Sanskrit/Devanagari: , , also known as , ) is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ... Jaina redirects here. ... Taoism (sometimes written as and actually pronounced as Daoism (dow-ism)) is the English name for: Dao Jia [philosophical tao] philosophical school based on the texts the Tao Te Ching (ascribed to Laozi [Lao Tzu] and alternately spelled Dào Dé Jīng) and the Zhuangzi; a family of organized... Existentialism is a philosophical movement emphasizing individualism, individual freedom, and subjectivity. ... Plato and Aristotle (right), by Raphael (Stanza della Segnatura, Rome). ... This article is becoming very long. ... Taijitu This article is about the Chinese character. ... Brahman (Devanagari: ब्रह्म ) in the Vedantic schools of Hindu philosophy, is the signifying name given to the concept of the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality of all things in this universe. ... Universal Intelligence is a term used by some to describe what they see as organization, or order of the universe. ... Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The vital essence of Man, soul, spirit, spark of awareness, is said to have originally derived in each case from The Ultimate, and to be indestructible after the nature of The Ultimate, and to be capable of returning to its source. This returning could be said to be the goal of most Eastern religion. A man is a male human. ... The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self-aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. ... The English word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning breath. ... Indestructible is the sixth album by Rancid, released on August 19, 2003 (see 2003 in music). ...

The general commonalities between the various versions of The Ultimate are: infinity, indescribability, formlessness, and transcendence. An additional commonality is that one must renounce and/or transcend physical existence and its distractions, in some cases even to the point of extinguishing identity and individual awareness, in order to understand or co-exist with The Ultimate. Uniformly, human passions and vices are regarded as barriers to spiritual advancement, and such virtues as humility, charity and righteousness or pacifism are felt to help pave the way to enlightenment. The infinity symbol ∞ in several typefaces. ... In religion, transcendence is a condition or state of being that surpasses, and is independent of, physical existence. ... Humility is the state of being humble. ... Allegorical personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony van Dyck // The word charity entered the English language through the O.Fr word charite which was derived from the Latin caritas.[1] In the twelfth century it indicated a state of benevolance towards the poor. ... Righteousness is an important concept in the theology of Judaism and Christianity. ... Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes. ... . It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Spiritual enlightenment. ...

Parallels may be drawn between such traditions and Judeo-Christian-Islamic monotheistic (i.e., Abrahamic) thought. The concept is of a universal subconsciousness, undivided and incapable of being depicted through gods or icons, parent to the individual souls of men, and to which men strive to return. This sought-after return is impaired by evil thought and deed, and facilitated by altruism. In addition, the traditions share a general value system that discourages worldliness and encourages seeking higher, more intangible principles, such as righteousness, justice, and good deeds done for their own sake. Judeo-Christian-Islamic is a common alternative to the term Judeo-Christian that acknowledges the common roots of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. ... In theology, monotheism (Greek μόνος(monos) = single and θεός(theos) = God) is the belief in the existence of one deity or God, or in the oneness of God. ... Map showing the prevalence of Abrahamic (purple) and Dharmic (yellow) religions in each country. ... Christ the Redeemer (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek , eikon, image) is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it, or by analogy, as in semiotics; in computers an icon is a symbol on the... In religion and ethics, Evil refers to the bad aspects of the behaviour and reasoning of human beings —those which are deliberately void of conscience, and show a wanton penchant for destruction. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... For other uses of the word, see karma (disambiguation). ... Righteousness is an important concept in the theology of Judaism and Christianity. ... J.L. Urban, statue of Lady Justice at court building in Olomouc, Czech Republic Justice is the ideal, morally correct state of things and persons. ...

Where the basic division begins to appear between Eastern and Western spiritual tradition with regard to The Ultimate, is in the separation of God from Creation, nature, and the souls of men themselves. In Eastern thought this is not done, but in Western spirituality it often is. Creation (theology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Galunggung in 1982, showing a combination of natural events. ...

See also

• Absolute Infinite
• Conceptions of God
• Cosmos
• Oneness (concept)
• Paul Tillich
• SUMMUM
• Universe

The Absolute Infinite is Georg Cantors concept of an infinity that transcended the transfinite numbers. ... The Eye of Providence or the all-seeing eye is a symbol commonly interpreted as representing the eye of God keeping watch on mankind. ... The Ancient and Medieval cosmos as depicted in Peter Apians Cosmographia (Antwerp, 1539). ... Oneness is a spiritual term referring to the experience of the absence of egoic identity boundaries, and, according to some traditions, the realization of the awareness of the absolute interconnectedness of all matter and thought in space-time, or ones ultimate identity with God (see Tat Tvam Asi). ... Paul Johannes Tillich (August 20, 1886 – October 22, 1965) was a German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher. ... Summum is a religion begun in 1975. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia article on the Absolute

Philosophy Portal