From: Malcolm McClurg <mmcclurg@mica.edu>
Subject: My Spatial Problem
Subject: My Spatial Problem
Dear Professor X,
My
name is Malcolm McClurg. I have encountered a problem regarding
existence of space. I was wondering if you could, and would, be willing
to help me resolve it, though any degree of advice will be greatly
appreciated.
I'm unfamiliar with with
methodologies, tools, jargon etc. that might may allow for a technical,
more efficient, explication. I am simply, and loosely, compiling passing
thoughts. These thoughts have led me to the the single problem.
But first,, a personal introduction.
I. INTRODUCTION
As
mentioned, my name is Malcolm McClurg. I am a first-year student at the
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). My sculpture professor has
given an assignment. Its directive is only one word, 'STRUCTURE'. Vague?
Yes. That's art school. Luckily, such generality isn't of immediate
relevance. My understanding and approach to art (hereon referred to as
'the artifice') is philosophical. Or perhaps my philosophy is simply
artistic. Usually, I concern myself with both the philosophy of physics and metaphysics (truly,
I want to be a physicist). I read much. I study much. And I devise
much. The product of these three habits is the question at hand.
When
art school assigns a project, I balance my physical inquiries with the
'artistic' methodologies professors require. Experience tells me there
is a point at which even MICA professors can find a piece of work too
abstract, to theoretical. (be such theories well expounded or not). I
adhere to this balance simply to respect my professors' authority. But,
this professor has gotten on my nerves. During my negotiation of this
balance, he has been overtly diminutive. I am no longer interested in
pleasing him. Through this project, personal discovery is in what I am
now solely interested. I want answers, or as close to them as I can get.
So here I am.
A. Terms
And here are my the terms in which I'm contemplating the problem:
1.
Ubiety: The spatiotemporal coordinates of any given entity, where an
'entity' is any object that necessarily exists beyond my direct
perception (aka an independent existence). Ubiety is the whereness of existence. For our purposes, the specificity of whereness will not be qualitatively considered. (Ex. A jar fell off a cliff at the Grand Canyon on June 3rd, 1997, at 3:49:05 p.m. : all prepositional phrases within the statement compose the jar's ubiety.
2. Parallax / Parallactic: The discrepancy found between two or more perceived presentations of any same entity. The parallactic perception
is that which does not necessarily reflect the true and independent
existence of the object. A parallactic perception can hold an epistemic
status no more certain than 'unreliable'. The analysis being conducted
regards all parallax as speculative.
3. Dasein / Daseinic: Being-in-itself. It is a term central to Heideggarian phenomenology. He solidified the term in The Basic Problems of Phenomenology. It is existence stripped of its subjective, therefore fungible, ornament.
B. How Might Space Defined & Identified?
The corollary of motion, is space. The dynamic is expressed in figure 1.
A → B
(fig. 1)
Motion
is necessarily the product of movement; without movement prior, it
cannot be. There can only be movement, however, if prior there is
distance across which a thing can travel. Such that, the place of a
given entity before (A) and after (B) said entity's movement can
accurately verify the completed motion of this same entity. Motion,
then, is the transference of truth-claim from ubiety (A) to ubiety (B), where ubiety (abbrev: ubi.) (A) can never share the truth-claim of ubi. (B). Ubietic change is motion. And, if this generic entity, (X), possesses ubiety, it must be daseinic. Further, (X)
is composed, even if partially, primary qualities, and these primary
qualities establish it as independent existence. This system describes
the basis of my general method, specifically, the criterion used to
identify space -- specifically, space-in-itself, daseinic space, true
space. My intent is to provide for myself a deeper, perhaps even whole, understanding of space-in-itself, confronting the following question: Is it in fact possible to truly, absolutely, move from (A) to (B)? (i.e. If it can, how can the existence of space-in-itself be rationally proven?)
II. The Problem: Parallax and Regression, The Identity-of-Your-Idea, . . . etc.
An important distinction to make, ubiety is whereness, but it is not location. It is what allows there to be a location. Ubiety is the basest ability to occupy a position.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (I continue).
[ TLDR; Does
space exist? Yes or no, can the answer be mathematically proven? Can
the existence of space be mathematically proven? If not, why? If yes,
how? Are there already proofs? If yes, where and what are they? If not,
might my rudimentary line of reasoning, outlined below, be sound enough
to at least point me in the direction of worthwhile research (though I'm
aware regardless that I presently haven't the education to effectively
pursue such research)? ]
I
apologize for the somewhat abrupt stop. I don't want to take up your
time, and, if allowed, I can ramble on for hours. I think the general
gist of my rough contemplation / outline accurately composes my central
concern, and the methodology through which I might further explore the
topic: can the existence of space be mathematically proven. In the
excerpt included above, there's a salient adherence to a logic-semantic
line of reasoning (in the trend Kripke, Quine, Saussure, Frege, Russell,
Whitehead, Lehrer, etc.). But don't let me fool you. Written are but
little more than passing thoughts, starting points. I'm not attempting
to, and am not interested in, arguing that space is not necessarily
created nor maintained as a linguistic presupposition. Simply, the
references made and ideas cited are the closest to those of the physical
sciences that I, an undergrad (an art student, no less), have any
familiarity.
Or, if I've only come
across as unintelligibly pretentious -- a nonsense lunatic, sorry!
Regardless, if you've read this, thanks for your consideration!
(I hope I make sense!!)
Thanks much,
Malcolm McClurg