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GregBoyd
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 1818
| Posted 8/18/2001 10:03 AM (GMT -6) |   | Hello all.
The "Threefold Structure of Reality" thread has taken off like I never imagined! It's been, for me at least, very interesting. (If you haven't visited the thread lately, your missing something!). Please keep posting "observed threes" on THAT thread. I'd like to keep the material consolodated.
The purpose of this new thread is to invite people to help out with the next stage of this project.
The Background
The "Threefold Structure of Reality" thread was started as an exploration, with a possible web site report on a group project as its result. In Trinity and Process I argued that the most fundamental conceivable reality was THREE, and on this basis argued, on metaphysical grounds, that the ultimate reality (GOD) had to be conceived of as triune. (I have succinctly summarized the argument recently on the "Threefold Structure" thread).
I have also long suspected that, since the force that creates and moves the world is threefold, this threefoldness was perhaps evidenced throughout creation. The ultimate structure of things was threefold and the pattern of this threefoldness was manifested in thought, religion, psychology, physiology, anatomy, neurology, art, literature, mythology language, music, and culture (viz. traditions, sports, cliches, nursery rhymns, entertainment, etc.). While I have causally collected "threes" over time, I never was very intentional about it. Reading Peirce this summer put a fire under me, and I've become intentional. The thread was, and is, meant to explore these possibilities -- and so far it has exceeded my expectations.
My Project Plans At Present
My cataloguing of this material (from the thread and my own previous and present research) now includes almost 80 pages (single spaced)! I'll try to get out a "preliminary report" on this with shortened entries in the next couple of weeks (we'll post it on this site and try to keep it to 20 pages or so). But I've always thought that some time or other, a book on the topic might be possible. I want to move from observing threes to "an abduction": a plausible way of explaining them. I want to see what kind of pattern emerges when all of this is brought together, and how the pattern is to be explained. And, of course, my "abduction" will be that the threeness is best accounted for by postulating a threefold God who creates and moves the world.
I have now become certain that this book is supposed to happen.
Indeed, I think this topic is the kind of thing which Christians and non-Christians alike could be interested in, and thus perhaps the kind of book a secular publishing house would be interested in taking on. The book thus could be useful in a pre-evangelistic sort of way, rendering intelligible the idea of a threefold Creator to people who might not otherwise be inclined to the idea. It might also have some theoretical and practical applications in other areas that Christians and nonChristians alike could find beneficial.
But all this is very tentative at this point.
How You Can Help
I'm asking for help on this project in three ways. (ah, note the three!)
1) I want to encourage all of you to keep posting your insights, or suspected insights, however big or small, on the "Threefold Structure" thread. I'm suspecting that this thread, already 10 pages long, could easily grow to 50 (how long can these threads go adiaphora?). Be encouraged that your postings will not be lost in the pages of a long long thread. I am cataloguing it all for a possible future book. I plan on crediting the participants on this thread (and others who have contributed outside this thread) as "research assistants" (for that is what you are). ( A disclaimer will be made in the book that the views expressed by me are not necessarily shared by all those who helped compile the information it contains).
2) I'd like people to suggest titles for this book, titles that would create intrigue in the minds of Christian and non-Christians alike. Do this with a view to an lay audience that would not necessarily Christian.
Lately I've been playing with this one.
Threeness
and
the Nature of Things
Or
The Key is Three
The Threefoldness of God and the World
Something like that. Please suggests your titles on THIS thread.
3) As I've said, I already have a wealth of material -- and in the next year it will likely triple -- but most of it is a) not substantiated and b)not properly documented. I am now trying to organize it into various fields, which will form various chapters of the book. (e.g. Metaphysics/ Natural Sciences/ Human Anatomy/ Psychology/ Physiology/ Christianity (Trinity, salvation)/ Other World Religions/ The Bible (the interesting threes of the Bible / Literature/Culture).
What I will need is research assistants who are at least familiar with, if not experts in, the various fields to help me substantiate and documents this material. Since Christus Victor ministries has a total of three financial contributors (more couldn't hurt , I'm looking for volunteers?. It doesn't matter where you live, if you have access to the necessary material. We could correspond via e-mail. I send you the material, and you go to work on it. That simple. (I'm not imagining that we at CVM can document and substantiate all the material, and I have Ph.D acquaintances that I can utilize when necessary. But I couldn't possibly get them on board with the project enough to use them to document the majority of the material.) You can work at your own pace since I don't see myself having time to write this book for another couple of years. But given the wealth of material, we should start piling through it now.
If you're interested in this project and are willing to engage in this kind of meticulous research, will you let us know by sending CVM an e-mail?
Thanks much. I really appreciate all the participants on this CVM discussion room. I find the input stimulating and am delighted many others find it the same.
Blessings
Doc
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