Philosophical Method

Triality Account of Time and Reality

In the autogenetic theoretical context, the quality of temporal becoming cannot be structurally reduced to the factual linear-sequential aspect of time. For this purpose, a triality account of time is proposed, which is constituted in the form of three distinct chrono-ontological formats. These distinct formats may be thought of as three interdependent temporal layers, which are linked together like the Borromean Rings, that is, if any one of the indirectly linked layers is removed, then there remain two unlinked layers.

Each layer captures a different aspect of reality, namely the "Apeiron aspect'', the "Statu-Nascendi'' and the "Factual aspect'' correspondingly.

The "apeiron aspect'' is inherently without any structure of analytic relations, expressing in this manner the irreducible global unity or non-separability of reality at this layer, which acts as a source for "the actual taking place''.

The latter might be conceived of as a kind of disclosure topos of manifestation, i.e. as a recurrent ontophainetic platform in "statu-nascendi'' pertaining to the "time-space'' of the present.

This is meant to be distinguished from the notion of factual space-time, which in turn merely culminates the observed traces of this process constituting the "factual aspect'' of reality.

Whereas the "apeiron aspect'' is not amenable to any direct predicative determination, both the "statu-nascendi'' and the "factual aspect'' constitute layers whose respective characteristic function can be articulated in terms of distinctive underlying "categorial frameworks''. The notion of a categorial framework is of a Kantian origin and plays a major role in the elucidation of the theory.

Autogenesis - Self Referentiality - Constellatory Unfolding

The foundation rests on the notions of autogenesis and strong self-referentiality. These two notions are considered as mutually implicative of each other. Strong self-referentiality is the structural underpinning of autogenesis, and inversely, autogenesis is the processual manifestation of strong self-referentiality.

The actual taking place of reality consists in the subtle interplay between the strong-self referentiality aspect - pertaining essentially to the concepts of structural identity and unity -, and the procedural autogenetic aspect -pertaining to the concepts of non-trivial temporal becoming in its multiplicity, continuity, manifestation, and replication.

This subtle bidirectional relation between strong self-referentiality and autogenesis can be grasped via the notion of constellatory self-unfolding, if and only if, the latter, technically is understood as proceeding via a triple ekphrasis, namely, in, out, and towards the identity:

(i) “in” targets the emergence of genuine ontological novelty, through iterations of the process of unfolding bearing the power to delve into deeper and deeper manifestations of this strongly self-referential structural identity/unity;

(ii) “out” targets the absence of an external cause triggering the multi-faceted unfolding of the strongly self-referential identity/unity; and

(iii) “towards” targets the reverse, vertically encompassing internalization of all these emergent ontological manifestations, explicated through unfolding, as energetic qualifications of the strongly self-referential identity/unity.