Purposeful Living: Only cause and effect exist in nature. But human conduct can have purpose –to carry out an action of which one has previously formed a picture. Purpose exists only in the human mind. Question: What is a human being’s task in life? How is the orderliness found in nature different than living a purposeful life? Comments - Questions: Chapter 11 Discussion Forum [0]

[0] Purpose and Destiny [0]

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top [0]11.0 [0] Concept Of Purpose
Overcoming of the concept of purpose in spheres where it does not belong.

11.1 [0] Percept Cause Precedes Percept Effect
The percept of the cause precedes the percept of the effect.

11.2 [0] Conceptual Factor Of Effect
If the effect is to have a real influence upon the cause, it can do so only by means of the conceptual factor.

11.3 [0] Real Influence Of Concept (Action)
A perceptible influence of a concept upon something else is to be observed only in human actions.

11.4 [0] Ideal Connections In Nature
The naïve man knows how he brings an event about and from this he concludes that nature will do it in the same way. In the connections of nature which are purely ideal he finds not only invisible forces but also invisible real purposes.

11.5 [0] Laws Of Nature
Monism looks for laws of nature, but not for purposes of nature.

11.6 [0] Purposes Of Life
Nothing is purposeful except what the human being has first made so, for purposefulness arises only through the realization of an idea.

11.7 [0] Human Destiny
My mission in the world is not predetermined, but is at every moment the one I choose for myself.

11.8 [0] Embodiment Of Ideas
Ideas are realized purposefully only by human beings. Consequently it is not permissible to speak of the embodiment of ideas by history.

11.9 [0] Formative Principle
The formative principle of the totality of nature unfolds and organizes itself.

11.10 [0] Teleology
The theory of purpose maintains that  there is a high degree of purpose and plan unmistakably present in the formations and developments of nature.

11.11 [0] Coherence Within Whole
The systematic coherence of the parts of a perceptual whole is simply the ideal coherence of the parts of an ideal whole contained in this perceptual whole.

11.12 [0] Cosmic Being
Wherever there is a systematic linking of cause and effect for our perception, the dualist may assume that we see only the carbon copy of a connection in which the absolute cosmic Being has realized its purposes.