There are no others
Scientifically, body is a name and form, whose underlying substance is energy, but does it actually exist?
The Vienna Circle, a group of early 20th century philosophers, took a radically anti-metaphysical stance based on their Verificationist (or Verifiability) Principle. This principle is a philosophical doctrine fundamental to their school of Logical Positivism (which also goes by the names of logical empiricism or logical positivism or neopositivism).
The Verificationist Principle holds that a statement is meaningful only if it is either empirically verifiable or else tautological (ie, its truth arises entirely from the meanings of its terms). Thus, the principle discards as meaningless not only the metaphysical statements of traditional philosophy, but also other ethical, aesthetic, and religious principles because though they are asserted as true, they are neither tautological nor knowable from experience.
Verificationist Principle
However, the Verificationist Principle itself is only tautologically true as an arbitrary definition of meaninglessness because it certainly is not something that can be proved empirically. Be that as it may, its supporters have defended it by saying that the principle is indeed tautological, but it is to be taken as a recommendation for the conduct of scientific inquiry.
The question then that remains to be asked is, “Are metaphysical statements really meaningless?” Alright, let us accept what Verificationist Principle would have us accept as meaningful – only one that is capable of being shown as true or false and hence imparting knowledge, and not merely impacting beliefs, feelings, and conduct.
Identifying Yourself
Let us take a metaphysical statement made by Raman Maharshi when he was asked by a visitor to his ashram, “Does my realisation help others?” He said, “Yes, certainly. It is the best help possible. But there are no others to be helped. For a realised being sees the Self, just like a goldsmith estimating the gold in various jewels. When you identify yourself with the body then only the forms and shapes are there. But when you transcend your body the others disappear along with your body-consciousness.”
The operative metaphysical statement here is, “There are no others.” Can we somehow show this metaphysical statement to be true? If we do, then one can absolve metaphysics of the charge of “meaninglessness”.
The Maharshi himself provides the clues for that in the rest of his statement. He is saying that “others”, which would imply the bodies of others we see around us in addition to our own, are mere names and forms, or “forms and shapes” as he puts it. How are they “names and forms”? That is, why is the body mere “form”?
Clay and Pot
Let us take the example of a clay pot. Now, clearly, the pot is just a name-and-form because what exists there is only clay appearing in the form of a “pot”. So, “pot” is nothing but a word, a name given to the form assumed by clay. When the “pot” appears to exist as seen by the eye, what is it that “actually” exists? Only clay, right?
If you say, “But I can see the pot”, it has to be pointed out that no doubt you are “seeing” a pot, but that is about all one can say for it. If you insist that it also “exists”, then I can legitimately ask you to keep the pot and hand me back all the clay that is shaped into it. If you were foolish enough to attempt that even if it be in thought, you will be left holding on to nothing because the pot has no independent existence from clay.
Clay is the substance on which the pot merely “appears”. At the same time, when you are “seeing” the pot, what exactly is it that you are seeing, strictly speaking? Only clay. Because the pot is clay through and through.
You may apply all your other senses to it to see if there is a “pot”, but all you will, encounter all the while is only clay. The smell of the pot is nothing but the smell of the clay. The sound you hear upon striking the pot is nothing but the sound emanating from the clay. When you touch the pot, you are only touching clay. And, if you were so desperate as to try and taste the pot, your tongue will only tell you it is clay that it is tasting. And, when you weigh the pot, the weight is nothing but the weight of the lump of clay before it was shaped into that pot.
Notional Existence
So, from all angles we can see that a “pot” is only a notional existence, having no “real” existence, and hence it is only a name-and-form.
Of course, the Maharshi gave the example of gold and ornaments to prove his point, but the line of reasoning is the same in that case, with gold standing in for clay, and ornaments standing in for pot. Gold is the substance, and ornament is only a name and form. Ornaments do not exist, only gold exists.
Now, apply the above reasoning to a body. A body is nothing but a collection of cells, which in turn are made up of atoms. Atoms are made up of subatomic particles, which modern physics has shown to be nothing but forms of energy. So, body is a name and form, whose underlying substance is energy, scientifically speaking.
Maharshi is only taking one step more in saying that bodies are names and forms of the Self or Consciousness, which is not too farfetched because energy being a capacity, it has to be the capacity of something, and that something can well be the “Self” or Universal Being.
Thus, it is “true” that bodies are mere names and forms, and hence do not actually exist. Hence also the metaphysical statement “There are no others” is true. Thus, the Verificationist Principle’s claim that “metaphysics is meaningless” is not true.
(The author is a writer and poet; preview his poetry at https://a.co/fyEOQFa)
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.
Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .
