The Dance of Being: Man's Labyrinthine Rhythms : the Natural Ground of the HumanNow I continue the investigation, begun in Homo Quaerens: The Seeker and the Sought, into the generic traits of persons from a philosophic point of view. I treat such special topics of my method, set forth in that book, as bear upon the person's intrapersonal aspects: namely, his body and such of its functions as contribute to his preconscious acts. In particular, I deal with those aspects insofar as they may be construed as straining, so to speak, toward that self-transcendence which culminates in the veridical person - in effect, strands of subpersonal events which contribute to and converge upon his consummate personhood. In consequence, I explore the ontology of the person under the perspective of his naturalistically interpreted makeup; and I conceive my enterprise as propaedeutic to more generalized ontologic topics which I shall take up in subsequent books. |
Contents
A Vector Toward | 19 |
Mans Thingly Aspect | 51 |
Grounding the Event | 77 |
Elementary Structures | 97 |
Mans Crystalline Essence | 109 |
Mans Living Aspect | 139 |
Grounding the Organism | 169 |
Lifes Formative Matrix | 192 |
Common terms and phrases
acts adenine aggregate analogous associated biologic body boundary catabolism cell co-adaptation complementary complex components comportment compresence configuration constitute construed consummation contours correlatively cosmic cosmos creature dialectic differentiated diverse dwells dynamic effect efflorescing elementarity elementary particles emerge energeia energy entity entropy evanescent evolve existence expresses fabric factors ferment field flow functions ganism identity Imago immanent infrapersonal inner integral interior internal interplay interwoven intra-organismic intricate invariant invariant factors living locus manifold matrix matter mediates membrane metabolic milieu modes morphogenesis morphologic motion mutants mutual naturalistic nature non-being numberless ontology orchestration organelles organism organismic activity particle patterns person perspective phase phoneme phoneme differentiation physical physiogenesis potential primordial Process and Reality processes quest reciprocal reflexive regions relevant replication resonances respect rhythmic rhythms scheme self-identity sentiency space speak speech strands structure substance subtle symbols synapses temporal texture theme tion transcendental transfigured transformation transmitted unfolding unity variegated woven
Popular passages
Page v - And moan the expense of many a vanish'd sight : Then can I grieve at grievances foregone, And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan, Which I new pay as if not paid before. But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored and sorrows end.
Page 8 - ... itself, the incontinent form of being. It was a secret and ardent stirring in the frozen chastity of the universal ; it was a stolen and voluptuous impurity of sucking and secreting; an exhalation of carbonic acid gas and material impurities of mysterious origin and composition. It was a pullulation, an unfolding, a form-building (made possible by the overbalancing of its instability, yet controlled by the laws of growth inherent within it), of something brewed out of water, albumen, salt and...
Page 14 - He flew vigorously to one corner of his compartment, and, after waiting there a second, flew across to the oth'er. What remained for him but to fly to a third corner and then to a fourth ? That was all he could do, in spite of the size of the downs, the width of the sky, the far-off smoke of houses, and the romantic voice, now and then, of a steamer out at sea.
Page v - I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste • Then, can I drown an eye, unus'd to flow, For precious friends hid in death's dateless night, Ana weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe, And moan th' expense of many a vanish'd sight.