(Continued from volume 15)
It has been shown that one of the stepping stones of geometric reasoning, known as "dimension", is able to be defined in terms of ideas and their combinations. As long as we assume that ideas are discrete and indivisible atoms of thought, we are free to imagine that each of their compounds reveals a specific quantitative ratio.
Such ratios, by nature of recursion, come in a variety of shades standing between the two extremes of our senses (i.e. emptiness and fullness). And together they comprise a dimension once they manage to line up as an ordered list.
But instead of delving too much into the endless well of technicality, let us step aside a bit and go back to the initial philosophical motivation which gave birth to the concept of emptiness, fullness, and their relations.
In order to fully comprehend the meaning of what we've seen so far, we must borrow the power of symbolism and leverage it for the sake of endowing our vision with human qualities.
In Western civilization, there used to be a notion that our material realm is made out of 4 elements - Water, Air, Earth, and Fire. This, of course, is regarded as a myth in today's standard.
When it comes to metaphorical connotations, however, one cannot simply deny that this 4-element model plays a huge role in shaping people's worldview due to its prevalence. Its symbolic nature is of importance not because we are disciples of pseudoscience, but because we know that it contributes to the way in which we, as cultural beings, interpret the world around us in a figurative manner.
At the root of the hierarchy of our universe, there is Water - the primordial birthplace of all substances. It is the fountain from which every worldly being springs into existence, and it is the ultimate source of everything we are able to grasp, feel, and express in our language. It is the one, and only one pool of all possibilities from which every conceivable permutation of senses arises.
Then there comes the pure essence of every matter. It begins with the dualism of the two elements, Air and Earth, whose mutual contrast creates the horizon and splits the monotony of the void into cogitable duos which are characterized by "up and down", "front and back", "near and far", "in and out", "good and bad", "light and dark", "hot and cold", and other manifold interpretations.
Their dichotomous nature opens up the gateway to the fourth element, Fire, which fuels the furnace of synthesis and its divergent consequences. It is the site of fusion wherein multiple things embrace one another and merge into one collective body of existence, thereby yielding a composite whole which brings forth its own phantasmagoria of complexity.
Water is the impetus from which Air and Earth emerge as two opposing forces. These two dwell in a constant state of alternation between conflict and harmony, driven by the dynamism of Fire - the engine of fusion which, by nature of combinatorics, bakes a plethora of intricate forms.
These four elements altogether let the whole web of ideas blossom in the midst of primeval nothingness (i.e. Ether).
Ether is the root of space (Water), and space is what gives birth to the duality of our perception (Air and Earth). From this duality and its means of combination (Fire), all the rest of the universe is born.
What has been illustrated so far is just one of many symbolic representations. What is really important is the abstract meaning it conveys, and the role of symbolism is to help us envisage it in a tangible form.
It is not hard to find a modern reenactment of such a metaphorical construct. Those who have been immersed in the fictional world of Starcraft, one of the bestselling videogames made by Blizzard, probably have noticed that the game's backstory revolves around the pancosmic race called "Xel'naga".
Xel'naga, in pursuit of creating the most perfect lifeform, gave birth to two experimental races - Protoss and Zerg. The design of Protoss was based on "Purity of Form", while the design of Zerg was based on "Purity of Essence".
Purity of Form indicates the organism's ability to formulate and maintain its most ideal form (i.e. structure), which is done by synthesizing various life-giving components in a quintessential manner. Such a way of evolution, however, was deemed too slow-paced by Xel'naga.
Purity of Essence, on the other hand, indicates the organism's ability to adapt its core metabolism to whichever environment it is exposed to. It is one's capability to grow on its own from the simplest to the most complex of all forms. Such a powerhouse of emergence, however, unleashed itself and swallowed its very creator (Xel'naga).
By careful observation, we come to notice that Purity of Essence is equivalent to Water because it is where growth originates, as well as that Purity of Form is equivalent to Fire because it is where elements fuse to yield sophisticated compounds.
And, as the underlying lore of Starcraft implies, totality is achieved when these two forces of creation come together and cooperate as one almighty being.
(Will be continued in volume 17)