Absolute, the

That which has an unconditioned existence, not conditioned by, relative to, or dependent upon anything else. Usually deemed to be the whole of things, conceived as unitary, as spiritual, as self-knowing, and as rationally intelligible, as finite things, considered individually, are not. The expression was introduced into philosophy by Schelling and Hegel.
(The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, Oxford University Press 1995)

A term used by post-Kantian idealist metaphysicians to cover the totality of what really exists, a totality thought of as a unitary system somehow both generating and explaining all apparent diversity.
(Antony Flew: A Dictionary of Philosophy, rev. 2nd edition, St.Martin's Press N.Y. 1979)

The word absolute is derived from the Latin term ab-solvere or ab-solutus, which means free from, losgelöst, absolved. This is the meaning of the word as it was used by the German idealists of the 19th century. The Absolute is what has its being independent of anything else. It is neither rest nor motion, neither matter nor mind, but the indefinite ground of all consequent processes proceeding necessarily from it. The Absolute contains all differences and opposites that follow from it by the process of self-evolution, but it remains aloof of this evolutionary process of change, it remains ab-solved, perfectly free from entanglement or attachment to its consequents. It is determined solely through itself, its essence is aseity.
I use this aspect of the infinite and perfect Absolute for determining a special kind of thinking that I call Transrational Thinking (Paranoesis). In considering speculative idealism, I think that the term absolute thinking renders more appropriately what I want to predicate of this higher form of thinking.

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Act, Action

A word sometimes applied to things (for example, the action of acid on metal), but primarily relating to doings of purposive agents. Aristotle distinguished an action - what a man does (poiesis) - from what merely happens to him (pathos: usually translated 'affection' or 'passion').
There are three main philosophical problems about action. (1) The first concerns how it is to be defined. The standard account, 'a bodily movement preceded by an act of will', runs into problems. (2) The second issue concerns the evaluation of appraisal of action. (3) A source of much recent debate has been the explanation of action. ... Should we say that my reason for donning the coat is the cause of my action?
(Antony Flew: A Dictionary of Philosophy, rev. 2nd edition, St.Martin's Press N.Y. 1979)

In Essay Notions of Mind and Thinking, I relate action to mind: ...mind is not only a characteristic or state of the human being, but also an activity. Mind is action, we are the mind acting as mind. Mind is not thought of as a mere attributive function of the personality, but moreover as a basic idiosyncrasy of being human. Mind is what is always involved in all our actions, the mind itself is this action. Without mind we could not act. Action or Will to action is part of our mind.

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Actual, Actuality

Actuality and Potentiality. Contrasting terms for that which has form, in Aristotle's sense, and that which has merely the possibility of having form. Actuality (Greek: energeia) is that mode of being in which a thing can bring other things about or be brought about by them - the realm of events and facts. By contrast, potentiality (Greek: dynamis) is not a mode in which a thing exists, but rather the power to effect change, the capacity of a thing to make transitions into different states.
(Antony Flew: A Dictionary of Philosophy, rev. 2nd edition, St.Martin's Press N.Y. 1979)

The word wirklich ('actual') is connected, both etymologically and in Hegel's thought, with wirken, 'to be active or effective', wirksam, 'effective', and Wirkung, 'effect'. 'What is actual can take effect (wirken).' ... This is why actuality is said to be the unity of the inner and the outer (or of essence and existence) - categories which precede actuality in the Logic: a low-grade entity, such as a rainbow, is contingent in the sense that its existence is not the product of its own inner nature or essence but is solely dependent on other entities. (cf. 'What is rational is actual and what is actual is rational').
(Michael Inwood: A Hegel Dictionary, Blackwell Publishers, 1992)

[on Hegel:] ...the category of actuality (die Wirklichkeit) which is described as the 'unity of essence and existence'. That is to say, the actual is the inner essence which ex-ists, the force which has found complete expression. ... Being as actuality is the unity of the inner and the outer; it is essence manifesting itself. ... For the Absolute as actuality is essence manifesting itself; and the manifestation is the universe as we know it. The Absolute is not simply the One. It is the One, but it is also the Many: it is identity-in-differnce.
(Frederick Copleston: A History of Philosophy, 1963, Volume VII, p. 193)

cf. Potentiality.

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Actualization

Übergang oder Überführung aus dem Zustand der Möglichkeit in den der Wirklichkeit, Verwirklichung. (Transition or transferrence from the state of possibility into the state of reality; realization)
(Hoffmeister: Wörterbuch der Philosophischen Begriffe, Felix Meiner Verlag, zweite Auflage)

According to Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed., actualize means to become or make actual, realize.

I use this term for the process of self-manifestation of the Universal Mind (hyponoesis) into the aspects of Individual Mind (exonoesis) and externalized Matter (exohyle). The Universal Mind contains everything as potentiality, as possibility, but unexpressed as the forms of mind and matter, as consciousness and world. For a more detailed explanation see the following:

• I discuss the process of actualization and self-actualization in Essay Evolution of Exonoesis.
• Thinking as an actualizing process, the actualization of information, and the contrast between potentiality and actualization: see Essay Knowledge and Information.
• See also in Introduction: Metaphysical Principles (Integrative Actualization).

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All-Knowing

see Omniscience.

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Allwissen

see Omniscience.

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Anoemata

Noemata, according to ancient Greek philosophy, are the objects of thought, that is, actual information. A-noemata represent potential structures that become manifested as Noemata or actual information either directly through conceptual thinking or Transrational Thinking. Anoemata is potential, undefined or latent information, not yet actualized by an operative process of our mind. (see Essay: Paranoetic Information Semantics)

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Aspect, Aspectuality

aspect: Etym. ME, fr. L aspectus, fr. aspicere to look at, fr. ad- + specere to look.

1. a: the position of planets or stars with respect to one another held by astrologers to influence human affairs; also : the apparent position (as conjunction) of a body in the solar system with respect to the sun
   b: a position facing a particular direction : exposure
   c: the manner of presentation of a plane to a fluid through which it is moving or to a current
2. a: 1) appearance to the eye or mind
   a: 2) a particular appearance of countenance: mien
   b: a particular status or phase in which something appears or may be regarded
3. archaic : an act of looking : gaze
4. a: the nature of the action of a verb as to its beginning, duration, completion, or repetition and without reference to its position in time
   b: a set of inflected verb forms that indicate aspect

(Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, 1994)

One of my metaphysical principle is multi-aspectuality: Mind (Exonoesis) and Matter (Exohyle) are aspects or attributes of an underlying and fundamental entity (Hyponoesis). The problem of identity of each aspect is resolved in the fact that both are dependent on the Hyponoesis for their existence and essence.

Mind and Matter are two aspects or modes of the same underlying reality, the Universal Mind. In Essay Unity and Plurality of Hyponoesis the dual-aspect theory is elaborated: According to the dual-aspect theory are two different modalities or aspects of one underlying reality. I call this fundamental reality: Universal Mind (Hyponoesis). There is no independent substance of matter or mind besides the Universal Mind. Therefore, aspectuality just means different manifestations of the same reality.

See also Essay The Identity of Subject and Object.

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Autohyle

The dynamically self-organized matter-energy (Exohyle) represented as higher-order entities (such as organisms). Autohyle is indicative of what we call Life and what the ancient Greek philosophers meant by the concept of "psyche".

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Autonoesis

The introspective or self-reflective faculty of the Individual Mind, also called self-consciousness or self-awareness. There is a rational and emotional aspect within Autonoesis. The rational aspect represents what is commonly called intellect or rational faculty, cognition or just plain thinking. The emotional aspect represents what is known as feeling, soul or psyche in the modern sense of the term.

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