Aristotle, among others, laid the foundation for P-B in the Western world and the worldview that is a self-destructive dead-end. “Aristotle, who inherited from Plato the notion that the soul was an indestructible substance [what we would call simply “energy” in P-A], in later life rejected this view and described the soul as a formative principle and not separable from the body.”[i] As we have learned, identification with the body leads to illusion and suffering. We will learn not to depend on philosophers for authentic wisdom.
“In reaching that conclusion, Aristotle established the direction which modern thought has taken up to now, putting emphasis on that which can be defined and rejecting the notion of substance. This emphasis has led to logical positivism, which explicitly states that it can deal only with that which can be defined, which is to say, with form.”[ii] As we know, all form whether physical or mental is an illusion having no substantial reality, hence Aristotle made a fundamental error and sent the Western mind on a wild-goose chase. In P-B, we will continue to chase that goose to no avail.
[i] Young, Arthur. The Reflexive Universe. Cambria, California: Anados Foundation, 1976, p. 248.
[ii] Ibid.
