CartesianRationalism,MaterialismandMonisminModern

MathematicsandScienceAPoliticizedAnalysis

EricReilly

Rationalism'sadvancementsafterthemantleofthedoctrine'straditionwassupplantedby
SpinozafromDescarte'sdualismbetweenindependentbutobjectivelysynchronizedstructures
ofrealitymind/matter,thought/extension,wasanattempttoestablishscientificlawstoexplain
thegroupingsofsimilarphenomena,butquicklyprovedinadequateonceitrejectedcausalityfor
thesimultaneousconcurrenceoftwoobjectsaccordingtoanobjectivetimeronwhichboth
objectsraninsynchronicity.ThisledtothesameproblematicfacedbyHume'sskepticism:the
questionofhowtojustifyacausalexplanationbetweentwoobjectsappearingoneafterthe
other,orifsuchapropositioncanbeprovenatall.
Ofcourse,provingtheexistenceofanobjectivelawofnecessarycoincidenceisnotprovable
either,butgiventhatweonlyseetwoobjectsappeartogetheroneaftertheothereachtimewe
seeone,wecanonlyassumeitisduetotheirnecessaryconcurrence,butcausalityrequires
proofofarelation.Theresolutionofthisproblematicisdiscoveredinanobviousontological
inquiryintothenatureofthestructureofrealityasatotalityofrelationsthroughwhichallthings
areconnectedthroughsomenecessaryandessentialarrangementorordering.Thismonismis
obvious:objects,iftheyaretheproductofrationallaws,mustbetheproductofotherobjects,
andthoseobjectsaretoo,andsoon.ThemonadhypothesiswhichmodelsitselfonDemocritus'
atomismseestheworldasagroupingoffundamentalpartsthatcannotbedemonstratedto
haveanycausaloperationupononeanother.Thequestionthatisraisedhereishowthese
fundamentalelementscametobe,accordingtowhatlawswerethereproducedtheexisting
quantityinsteadofsomeother,etc.Needlesstosay,howauniformfundamentalparticleor
materialbuildingblockcanbedistinguishablefromalltheotherstowhichitisselfidenticalin
relation,andhowtheircompositeorderingcreatesdifferentbodiesofuniqueaccidental
properties.Realitybeginswithassemblagesofthesematerialcomponents,notwiththe
individualparts.Thetruthisthattherearenobuildingblocks.Thereareonlyassemblagesof
bodiesmadeofsmallerbodies,themselvescompositesofsmallerbodies,untilweareatthe
levelofpartialsignifiersorobjects.Butthepostmodernradicalreinterpretationof'historical
materialism'asthefoundationforgraspingtheprocessbywhichconceptsemergedfrom
materialproductionandhistoricaltransformationsappliedthisanalyticalmethodtothecritique
orinvestigationofsocialsystemsthroughtracingthedevelopmentoftheirmaterialantagonisms

throughwhichitoriginated,grew,andasaproducerofrelative,transient,andmutabletruths,
woulddieaccordingtoislawsandfromthisnegationdetermineanewsocialorder'sgenesis.
Theonlyadequateanswertothisquestionmustrefertomonism,theunityofthewholeofreality
inaccordancetorationallaws.Therationalapproachofscienceisthereforeonlyasgoodasit
adequatelycorrespondstotherationalorderingofallthingsinnature,positinganaturalism
comprehensiveenoughtosupportsocialconstructivismbyrelatingitsconstructstothelawsof
natureappliedbyrationalbeingstowardadesiredend,anddesireasanecessaryproductof
beingingeneral,onceitsextensionhasbecomegreatenoughtocomprehendandmodifyitself
bythewillwithwhichitexperiencesitsdesiretoexist.Science,therefore,isradicallyobjective:
itmustnotexcludetheemotionsfromitsinquiries,butfindthenecessaryconnectionsbetween
themandtheobjectsitcomprehendsinordertomodifythemandtheobjectapprehendedby
themindasneeded.Infact,therationalintellectandtheemotionsaremaintainingaconsistent
monistpositionaunity,inwhichloveistheproductoftheintellectunderstandingtheessential
propertiesofsomethingthroughdiscoveryoftheirnecessaryrelationsofcausaloperationand
modification.Tocomprehendathingisthereforethecomprehensionofhowitcomesintobeing,
exists,changes,andperishes.Moreover,whatnewobjectsareproducedbyitsnegation
furthersthefieldofinquiryalongalineofinfiniteextension,aseachobjectmustgivewaytoan
infinitearrayofotherobjectsuponwhichallearlierobjectsprecedingitacteduponand
conditionedtheinternallawsoftheobjectofinquiry,andthemindthatstrivestounderstandits
rationaldeterminations.
Oneareawherewedonotseethisrationalorderingofideas,butanarrayofmeaninglessfacts
withoutanydynamicrelationshipsbetweenthemorexplainingthemisquantummechanics.
Asprobabilitystatesofparticlesystemscametobeseenasafunctionofindeterminateparticle
positionandvelocityastwodifferentwaysofmeasuringaparticlesystem'scurrentstate,this
indeterminacybecameastateoftheobjectivepropertiesoftheparticlesthemselves,andnota
stateofbelieforinformationabouthowweperceivetheirbehavior.Tobeindeterminateinthe
futurestatesitwillexistin,theparticlesystemmusteitherbeactingaccordingtosomeprinciple,
thuspositingthatparticlesviolatecausalityorcanchangetheaxiombywhichtheiroperations
areguided,implyingthatitcanwillitselftosubmittoadifferentprincipleatitsowndiscretion.
Sincethisonlyleadstoreligioussuperstition,thislineofreasoningrisksabandoningsciencefor
ideaswithoutanynecessaryconnectiontothematerialrealityorgroupingofmaterialobjectsit
attemptstofindessentiallawsinbyidentifyingtheircommonattributesanddifferences.Instead,
itbuildsideasthatworkexternallytotheactualorderingofrealityindependentofthemind's
perceptionsandbecausetheirpropositionsexplaintheprocess,itastakenasthenecessary
explanation.Ofcourse,onemaybuildallkindsoforderingsforexplainingascientificseriesof
operationswithoutreferencetotheobjectsthemselves,andwhilebeingarationalorderingof

ideasorimagesofrememberedobjects,hasnocorrespondencetohowtheobjectsofits
thoughtareordered,settingasidethequestionofwhethertheyhavethesameoradifferent
arrangementthanhowthemindofthereasoningbeinghasarrangedthem.
Whywouldphysicsbetroubledbysuchapparentlybasicphilosophicalproblems?Perhapsitis
thatitsorderingofconcepts,whilesometimesidenticaltoaspecificorderingofphysicalobject,
issatisfiedwiththisdirectandstaticcorrespondencemodeloftruth,andendsitsinquiryatthe
pointwhereitmustexplaintherelationdescribedintermsofthetotalsetofinterrelationshipsof
natureitisboundupwith.
Thisishowtheobservationsofleptonsandneutrinosdecayingafterahighenergycollisioninto
smallerparticlesinfluencedbynoneoftheforceswhichinfluenceotherlargerparticles,andhow
theirvirtuallyzeromasscanexplainhowhighlevelsofenergyarereleasedincollisionsand
howthebigbangwastheseriesofoperationsandconditionsthatthiscollisionanddecayacted
upon,modified,andtransformedintoeachofitsstateuptoitspresentstate.Still,thisoneway
linearrelationcreatesproblemsthatthecalculusofthesetXofpossiblestatesxoftheuniverse
revealsinitsirreversibleoperation.Whenweruntheseriesofoperationsintheopposite
direction,fromthepresentstatethroughtoitsinitialstate,byreversingthemathematical
operationswesubjectitto,theresultisdifferentfromthestateofxattheinitialpointwhenit
beginsthesequenceorordering.Whileweanticipatethatinthisseriesthesumofthewholeof
xstatesinthesetXwillapproachanumberthatalwaysexceedswhatwecancalculate.
However,ifwedefinenastheinfinitedivisionofitspresentvaluefromthepreviousone,wefind
thatwealsohaveaninfinitenumberofvalues,withthedifferencethattheseinfiniteelements
arebetweenthesamespatialdistanceoftheinitialstateatthebigbangandthepresentstate.
Wemightsay,then,thatitisreallynotonlythedistributionofthevaluesassignedtoeachstate
xinX,thatdeterminesallpastandfuturestates,buttheweightweassigntothedistribution.
Thisweightmeasurestheprecisionorrelativeimprecisionofhowwedistributedthevalues
acrossthesequence,andwhetherthepresentvalue,supposingitsvaluetobedeterminedby
futurestatesinthesamewayfuturestatesdeterminetheirearlierstates,becausetheinternal
lawsoftheparticlesystemsarethelawsbywhichitarises,existsinallitspossible
determinations,anddies.Spinoza's'determinationbynegation'impliesthatanobjectonly
negatesitself,allthingsbeingequal,onceithasexhaustedallofitspossibledeterminations.
Thus,inthelawitself,allpossiblestatesexistbeforetheycanevenbeobservedorsaidtoexist.
Wemayevensupposethatallpossiblesetsofpossiblestatesexistedpriortotheinitialstateof
theuniverseatthebigbang.Butsimplyworkingourwaybackfromthepresentwillnotinferthis
arrayofvalues,sinceitnecessarilycollapsedintooneseriesandnottheothersatthemoment
itcalledtheobjectsofphysics'inquirycameintobeing,existed,continuetoexist,and
presumablywillgivewaytootherparticleobjectsoncetheyhaveexhaustedtheirpossibilities.

Tofindwhichsupersetofinfinitenumbersofinfinitesetsofpossiblestatesmeansfindingthe
onememberinaninfiniterelationofinfinitelydifferentsetsinfiniteinquantity.Thus,thisposited
supersetofallinfinitiesmusthavenegateditselfasitdeterminedthepresentarrangementof
objectstowhichphysicsstillhasyettofindanecessaryandessentialrelationshiptoallthe
otherobjectstowhichphysicsdoesnot,withinthecircumscribedboundariesofitsfieldof
inquiry,referdirectly.Inotherwords,itmustanticipateitsfuturedeterminationstothethreshold
ofitsnegationtocomprehenditsessentialbeing.
Anothermethodofmathematicalanalysisanddeconstructionmightfindtheintersections,
unionsanddisjointedrelationsbetweensetstoconstructnovelsetsinwhichrecurringvalues
mightbediscoveredtoprovideuswithsomerealnumber,orperhapsanirrationalorimaginary
number,towhichsomeharmonicfunctionofthevariableinputvalueofthisnumbercanbe
relatedtosomevariableoutputvalueofpriorandfuturestatesoftheXsetofpossiblexstates
todeterminewhetherourdistributionsholdup,conformto,ormodelwithprecisiontheiterations
thismathematicalrelationproducesuptosomeupperorlowerlimitsforthevaluesofx.Ifwedo
notsetanupperandlowerboundaryonpossiblevalues,wewillneverhaveasetadequateto
workwith,whilewemaytakesomesmallsampleanddivideitinfinitelytoworkwithaninfinite
setofamoremanageabletemporallengthwithupperandlowerboundsonthespatial
continuityofsomeregressivesetofpointsapproachingtheirinfinitesumwithinthesetat1,or
0.9999999repeatingifwewishtochangea9toan8atsomenthdecimalpointtocreateareal
numbernotpresentinthesetofinfiniterealnumbersitcontains,repeatingthisoperationof
somexvaluesnthdecimalplacebyreplacingitwithadifferentintegeratdemicalpositionn1,
orn+1ifIstartfromthetenthsplace.ifIatthatpoint,goingdiagonallyalongthedecimal
expansionineachnewdecimalposition,modifyinthisfashionthenumbersintheinfiniteset
intonumbersnotcontainedwithintheoriginalinfinitesetofnumbers,Iwillbeyieldingnew
infinitiesandthusmodellingotherpossibleuniversesvianonlinearmanipulations.Even
entropy,oncebelievedtoanticipatetheinevitabledeathoftheuniverse,cannowtheoretically
transferitsexpendedpotentialenergyfromitsstateofnearlyinertequilibriumto,perhapsan
anomalousdipodalarrangementofthesmallestparticlegroupsthatcanberepurposedinthe
structuringofcomplexcosmologicalstructureslikestarclusters,galaxies,andgalaxygroups.
Thepointtokeepinmindisthatsmallchargedfields,throughtheirselfpropagationofwaves,
cancatalyzemacroscalechangestraceabletosmallmicroscalefluctuationsorreversalsof
subatomicsystemslikesuperpositionsastheycollapseintoastatethatexponentiallyincreases
thevaluesofthosesetsofvaluesassignedtomassivebodiesinspaceasaprobabilitystate.
Infact,newquadraticformulasmaysimplifypredictionsaboutthebehaviorofparticlesby
distributingthesumofoutcomesgreaterthan0inprobabilitybetweenasmallsetofeventsand
conditionalvalues.Forinstance,theuseofthesquareofi,theimaginarysquarerootof1,can

beoneoftwopossibleintegersassignedtotheconfigurationofaphotonabouttobesent
throughahalfsliveredmirror.Theothervalueof1describesthesamepossiblebehaviorofthe
photonintheoppositedirection,where1isa90degreerotationasitbouncesoffthemirrorin
directionx1,and1isthesameperpendicularchangeindirectioninthedirectionx+1.Butthis
imaginarysquareofimustbemultipliedbytheamplitudeofthesamephotonatstate0,whereit
isabouttobebeamed,andstate1,whereithascompleteditsmotionafterithitsthemirror.If
theamplitudeis1,thenitwillhaveaperpendicularrotationasithitsthescreen,butinwhich
directiondependsontheconfigurationvalue.Theotheramplitudeof0,whichisreallya
nonamplitude,producestheotherpossibleoutcomeofthephoton'sbehavior,inwhichittravels
throughthemirrorinastraightline,regardlessofitsinitialconfiguration.Keepinmindthatit
maybeeasiertorepresentlargergroupsofphotonsbeamedoneatatimeasbinarypairs,to
determinehowtheamplitudesoftheremainingphotonswillchangeiftwo0sortwo1smay
neverbenexttooneanother,andfuturephotonmotionsandamplitudeswillbechangedas
eachphotonaheadofthegroupissenttowardthemirror.Fromthis,wecanbuildmore
complicatedmodelsofphotonbehaviorwheretheyareallbeamedsimultaneouslybycubing
eachpairofbinaryvaluesassociatedwiththephotonpairs,thenfindingtheproductofthesum
ofeachcubedpair'svalue.Fortwopairsofphotons,orfourphotonstotal,two2x2matrixesof
theamplitudevaluescanbeoperatedononeanothertocalculatethefirstandlastamplitude
values,andifdesiredeachintermediarystateofthepairsbetweenthebeginningandendofthe
experiment.
WemaybetemptedtoinferfromFeynman'steststhatparticlessimplyare'set'todoxhalfthe
timeandxtheotherhalf,butsuchapropositionappliesastateofourbelieftothestateofthe
objectaboutwhichwebelievesomepropositionstobetrue,somenot.Whyaparticlewould
havetheinherentpropertyofsplittingitstwopossiblefuturestatesintoa50/50probability
distribution,andnot25/75,or3/97,oranyotherratioofprobabilitiesonecanimagine,without
referencetosomeinitialsimplervalueswhichtheparticlemayormaynotbeassignedatany
givenpointdependingonitsinteractionsatlocalandnonlocaldistanceswithother
perturbations,turnsscientificmethodologyintonothingbutanarchivalprocessofrecording
information,astaleempiricism,butrefusingtoorganizeitintoadynamicprocessof
relationshipsinwhichthecollectionoffactsisintegratedintotheinterplayofaunityofrelations,
notonlylimitsscientificinquiry,butmakesitvulnerabletosuperstitiousfancyandtenuous
pseudoscientificanalysis.
Apointofdeparturebasedonthisassumptionisthestudyofblackholeformationfromthe
collapseofmassivestarsuponthemselves.Thesesupernovaexplosionsdemonstrateona
macroscaleofcosmologyandstarformationhowtheexhaustionofastar'slifeinitsnegation
producesanotherreferenttheblackholetowhichwemayreferotherobjectiveprocessesin

theuniverse,includingwaveinterference,quantumdecoherenceandsystemcollapse,
radioactivedecayandelectromagneticcharges,whichthemselvesoperateonmorerecent
discoveriesofquantumentanglementandheterogeneousdichotomousparticlepairingsandthe
changesinthedirectionoftheirspinandtheirbindingarrangementsthatcanoccur,evenbeing
madeintothesetofalloppositevaluesbysendingasinglephotonchargethroughadensegas
throughwhichittraversestheparticlesystemataperpendicularangletoitshorizontalaxisand
alongthecenterofitsverticalcoordinates.Thetheorythatthegasdisruptsthespectralwave
functionofthephotonbyrefractingitasitcommunicateswiththechargeofthegas's
electromagneticpropogationofwavescausesthechargetoreversemagnetically,causingthe
particlesintheirdichotomouspairingofheterogeneousparticlestochangefromthesetofallits
possiblevaluestothesetofallvaluesoppositethoseoftheoriginalset.Wecantakethismodel
ofsupersetsofsetsofpossiblevaluesasareferencepointfromwhichtobeginaninquiryinto
thissamestateofinfiniteinfinitiesthatwenecessarilyassumetohavebeentheprobability
matrixnegatedbytheoperationofthebigbangonthevaluesinthatmatrix,whichmayhave
determinedtheinitialmatrixofpossiblestatesatthebigbangasafunctionofsomegroupof
variablestowhichthevaluesassigndependonafunctionofthevalueofthepresentstateasa
productofsomedistributionofthevaluesofstatesinbothmicroleveltemporalextensionsand
macroscaleextensionsofsomesetofobjectsaseachobjectisafunctionofthevaluesofthe
infinitevaluesprecedingit.Becauseweassumeinfinitenumbersofvalues,wemustassume,
assettheorymaintains,thattheactualsequenceinwhichthestatesarearrangedmattersnot
atalltohowthevaluesaredetermined.Infact,anyarrangementofinfiniteelementswillhave
asafunctionofeachmember'svaluethepriorsassignedtothehypothesizedvalueofthe
approximatesumoftheinfinitevaluesasitapproaches1.Theclosertheapproximationofthe
sum,themorepreciselywemayweighourdistribution.Sincewemustinferthedistributionof
somevaluesbasedontheobserveddistributionsofourinquiry,wenaturallywillapplythesame
weighttoavalueweonlyassumeisthesameasthatwhichweobservedbecausethe
distributionacrossauniformspacemustbehowweweighthedatagivenifwearetominimize
expectederrors(where,hadthevaluesbeenknown,wewouldinsteadhavedistributedthe
valuesandweighedthemtomaximizetheprobabilityofexpectedoutcomes).Wecanimaginea
situationwhere,werewetowagersomesumofcashxforthechancetowinback2x,bybetting
onthevalueweexpecteachelementtobeassigned,wecanformulateautilityfunctionto
explainourpredictions.
BeforeImentionedpriorpvalues,andhowwechoosethesecanvaryintermsofwhatwewish
toemphasizeinourdataset.Todeterminethepvalueofsomesingleelementxwemightopt
tousealowestcommonrootregressivefunction,orpreferaninductionofmanyvaluesin
predictingthevalueofsomeaggregatesubsetofelements.Orwemaydobothandcombine
theseoperationsinamathematicalcredenceofseriesPofallpvalues.Thiscredencemodel

allowsustomodifythevaluesofelementsasthecredenceofanevent,orthereliabilityofour
beliefs,risesorfallsinitsweight.Thusourpriorsshouldbeweightedbyourconfidenceinour
belief,butwhatdowebelieve?Ifwebelievethatalleventsareequallypossiblewhichone
mighthypothesizewithoutanyjustificationforassumingotherwise,wewouldsettheprior
valuesofaneventratherlow.Iftheprobabilityisanywherefrom0to1,andwegroup100
pvaluesforamanageablesetofquantities,Imightassigneachavalueof.01percent,
distributingthevalue1evenlyacrosseachofthehundredelements.Ifthefrequencyofsome
valuesappearstofallwhileothersrise,Iwouldadjustthevaluesinproportiontotheirrateof
relativeincreaseordistance.Aswechangeourdistributionsandweights,wemaywonderifwe
areperformingthemathematicaloperationsonourparticlesystemthattheessentiallawsof
physicsperformontheparticlesthemselves,andifthisdeterminateprocessofresolvingsome
setofpossiblesetsofpossibilestatesintoasingleset,andthissetintoaspecificdistribution,is
whatgoesonatthesubatomiclevel,wherewemightevenhalfPlanck'sconstantandmultiply
thisbythevalueofsomeothernonlocalparticlewhichappearstohavebeenaffectedacross
distancesthatcontradictspecialrelativity.IfwetakethesetofvaluesxoftheparticlesystemX
andfindtheproductofthosevaluesandthevaluesoftheformerandnewvaluesofthedistantly
affectedparticle,wherehalfofPlanck'sconstantisafractionalcoefficientofxasthedistance
betweenstatesishalvedtoyieldmoresensitiveandprecisevaluestolaterplugintoour
algorithms/utilitytheorems,weincreasethesizeoftheinfinitesetwithwhichwebegan,sowe
maytuneordistributiontothemorepreciseandcrediblestatesofourbelief.
Whileonemayneverbeabletodetermineexactlyhowthebigbangandtheinflationofthe
universeinferredfromcosmicmicrowavedistributionsthebyproductofthedecayofthelighter,
fasterbosonandleptonparticlegroup'shighenergycollisionswhosedistributionsuggests
inflationataspeedgreaterthanthemaximumspeedoflight,andarelativelysmooth,evenand
flatshapeoftheuniverseinitsinflationovertime,atleastallowsustoexplaintheessential
relationsbywhichwhateverhappenedhoweverithappenedexactlywasconditionedbyaset
ofalgorithmicoutputswithaupperboundedlimitatwhichitsnegationledtonewprobability
functonsandsetsofpossiblesetsXofstatesx1,x2,x3,etc.,adinfinitum,andthesetofthese
statesmultipliedbyhalfofPlanck'sconstant,orevennegativeofitshalfifwewanttogenerate
thesetofthevaluesoftheoriginalsetsnegationbyparingthemoffwithoneanotherasa
doubleorderedpairofthevaluesofsomeset~XwiththevaluesofsetX,whichwould,wecan
reasonablyinfer,havesomerelationshipwiththeentanglementofheterogeneousdichotomous
bindedpairsofparticles.
Ifweimaginethatquantumentanglementissomeeventwhichappearsbothasaresultof
photonwaveinterferenceandintheearlieststatesfollowingthebigbangasaresultofthe
interferencecreatedbythermodynamictemperatureanddensityfunctionsatornear,ifnot

abovethoseupperlimitsweassigntoit,entanglementmightexplainhowthecurrentstateof
theuniversecannotbereversedbyanylinearequationtoaccuratelyinferthestateofitsearliest
andclosestdistancesfromstatex0.
ReturningtoSpinoza'sdoctrineofimmanence,Iwillraisethequestionofhow,andifitis
possiblethroughSpinoza'srationalism,totracethedevelopmentoftheuniversetothe
emergenceoflovingsubjectsandtheemotionofloveinsteadofsomeotheralternativeemotion.
Whatisnecessaryaboutthisemotioninitsconnectionwiththetotalsetofrelationsbetweenthe
singularitywehavebrieiflypositedastheinfinitesetofinfinitesetsofinfinities,theinfinite
velocityandinfinitesetofpositionalstatespresupposedbyPascal,andtheexistenceoflove?
Willloveexhaustitssetofpossibledeterminations,orisitsomethingthatappearslaterinthe
universe,afterorganiclifeandincomplexorganisms,becausethisexhaustibilityhasbeen
overcome?Isloveselfexpanding,alwaysproducingasurplusbeyonditsdefinedlimits?Isit
throughlovethatwecanfinallyfindanactivitybywhichwemayexpandourownlimitsthrough
exercisingtheemotionofloverationally?Ifhate,envy,greed,andangerarefiniteandinfinitely
smallerinspatialextensionandmagnitudethanlove,canwedeveloparationalwaytolovethat
canproduceanewsetofsocial,political,andontoepistemologicalconstraintsinwhichlove
becomestheorderingprinciplethroughthenegationofdestructiveemotions?Howandwherein
thesingularity'sinfiniteseriesofinfinitelylargesetscanwediscovertheproabilityvalue
assignedbythesingularitytoloveatthestateinwhichitfirstisexperienced?Couldwehave
evolvedintocomplexhominidswhohadnoconceptoflove,orwasloveessentialfromthe
beginningasitbeginsatpointx2x,wherethesequenceofstatesfromthoseclosertothe
presentrunningbackfallsataratedoubleorsquaredthevalueofxn,wheren=n^2or2n,
increasingatarateofdoublethevalueofxthestatejustbeforeit,suchthateachstateisthe
nthrootor1/2ofthenumberofstatesfollowingitorstatefollowingitrespectively,aswe
assumethepresentstatemusthaveaninfinitenumberofearlierstateswhichbecome
increasinglydistantfromoneanother.Isthisdistance,spatiotemporallybetweeninteractionsof
nonlocalizedparticles,theoriginofloveasanactuallyexistingobjectofthoughtonthe
macroscaleofevolutionarybiologyandcognitivepsychology?Itwouldbereasonableto
assumethatthisdistancegivesthemindtheabilitytoperceivedifferencesbetweenchanged
statesitcanconsciouslyperceive,experience,andcompare,andbywhichweconstructa
memoryofourpastandafuturebasedondesireandimagination,andbywhichwemaylong
forwhathasperishedorwhatwehopetoonedaybringintoexistence.Astheinflationofthe
universeweighsitsdistributionsmoreheavilywherethestatesareclosertooneanotherintime
andlesswheretheyarespacedout,theroomfordeliberatereflectionismadeandlove
becomesasensationthathasmanypossibledeterminationsandisrationallyresolvedintoa
concept,orlaw,bywhichwemayapplyreasonandunderstandingtoitsinfinitelyinexhaustible
willtosurvivewherethingsthatdidnotlovewouldhaveotherwiseperishedfasterandinfewer

stepsalongtheinfiniteseriesofcausallinksinthechainofdeterminateoperationsconditioning
eachobjectasaneffectoftheinfinteseriesofcausespriortoit,repositingtheeffectasacause
ofallcausaldeterminationsafterit.
positasboththeconclusionofanearlierpositingofitselfasapremise,whichisitselfthe
conclusiontothenextpositingofitsaxiomaticprincipleasarepetitionofthesame,priorposited
loveinferredfromandpositedbythisselfrecursive,closedlogicalsyllogismsinaseriesof
repetitionsthroughwhichiteventuallydifferentiatesitselfintothepluralityofemotionalrelations
wedescribeaslovefordifferentthingsandunderdifferentcircumstances.Thus,thepremise
mustpositsomethingotherthanthepremisefirstpositedastheclosedsyllogismopensintoa
historicallogicalsyllogisminwhichthepostingofahistoricalpremiseimpliessomething
differentfromwhatisrepositedbytheantecedent.Ifloveisrepositedfasterthanthesubjects
wholove,thenthisuniquementalfacultymaybewhatsecuresoursurvival.Loveisthebig
bangofthenaturalworldonceithasbecomeconsciousofitselfandwantstobethatwhichit
canonlypositinimginationconditionedbythesetofallearlierstatesoftheintellectualfaculties
ofnaturethroughwhichitliberatesitselfpartiallyfromitspassivesubmissiontoitslawsand
rationallyappliesthemtotheconcrete,exisitingconditionsaccordingtoanotherconditionto
whichitstrivestopositasthenexthistoricalantecedent.Perhapslikethepairingofbinding
particles,loveistheresultoffluctuationsinthewavefunctionasitcollapsesunderstatesof
loveandhateexistingalongsideoneanothersimultaneously,wherequantumdecoherence,
collapsingthepartialsetofpossiblestatesintothatfinalstateinwhichloveasapossibility
finallyachievesitsactualexistencethroughthestruggleofmorecomplexbodiesworking
togethertoensuretheirsurvival,andthroughthisendeavorexponentiallyincreasesthe
potentialsofthecapacitiesofthemind'sintellect,imagination,andintuition,allthroughwhichit
maymorerationallyjudgeandbetterdecidehowandwhichemotionstoemploytoputlovein
theserviceofsocietyratherthansocietyintheserviceofanexclusive,finite,egoistic,selfish
loveofmaterialpossessions,accumulatedwealth,power,andgreed.

Lovemaybetheonlythingthatasubjectcanrepositasboththeconclusionofanearlier
positingofitselfasapremise,whichisitselftheconclusiontothenextpositingofitsaxiomatic
principleasarepetitionofthesame,priorpositedloveinferredfromandpositedbythis
selfrecursive,closedlogicalsyllogismsinaseriesofrepetitionsthroughwhichiteventually
differentiatesitselfintothepluralityofemotionalrelationswedescribeaslovefordifferentthings
andunderdifferentcircumstances.Thus,thepremisemustpositsomethingotherthanthe
premisefirstpositedastheclosedsyllogismopensintoahistoricallogicalsyllogisminwhichthe
postingofahistoricalpremiseimpliessomethingdifferentfromwhatisrepositedbythe

antecedent.Ifloveisrepositedfasterthanthesubjectswholove,thenthisuniquementalfaculty
maybewhatsecuresoursurvival.Loveisthebigbangofthenaturalworldonceithasbecome
consciousofitselfandwantstobethatwhichitcanonlypositinimginationconditionedbythe
setofallearlierstatesoftheintellectualfacultiesofnaturethroughwhichitliberatesitself
partiallyfromitspassivesubmissiontoitslawsandrationallyappliesthemtotheconcrete,
exisitingconditionsaccordingtoanotherconditiontowhichitstrivestopositasthenext
historicalantecedent.Perhapslikethepairingofbindingparticles,loveistheresultof
fluctuationsinthewavefunctionasitcollapsesunderstatesofloveandhateexistingalongside
oneanothersimultaneously,wherequantumdecoherence,collapsingthepartialsetofpossible
statesintothatfinalstateinwhichloveasapossibilityfinallyachievesitsactualexistence
throughthestruggleofmorecotheymplexbodiesworkingtogethertoensuretheirsurvival,and
throughthiscollectiveendeavorexponentiallyincreasesthepotentialsofthecapacitiesofthe
mind'sintellect,imagination,andintuition,allthroughwhichitmaymorerationallyjudgeand
betterdecidehowandwhichemotionstoemploytoputloveintheserviceofsocietyratherthan
societyintheserviceofanexclusive,finite,egoistic,selfishloveofmaterialpossessions,
accumulatedwealth,power,andgreed.Thisprocessbindsindividualstooneanotherinmutual
associationsinwhichthiscultivationofmentalandintellectual,andemotionalsovereigntyisthe
centralconditoinforSpinozasradicaldemocraticpolitics,inwhichtheStateisdesignatedwith
theresponsibilityofmaintainingpeace.

ThisfunctionofensuringpeacemeansmorethanthestateofnaturephilosophiesofRousseau
orHobbes,whograspedthatasocialcontractwoundbindindividualsintocitizenship,butonly
toensureharmonydefinedintermsofwarsabsence.ForSpinoza,thispeaceiscultivatedasa
meanstosecuringthefreedomandstabilitynecessaryforeachindividualcitizen,throughtheir
associationwithoneanother,toexercisefreelytheirrationalandintellectualfacultiesinthe
serviceofconsolidatingtheintellect,strengtheningempathyandlovethroughmasteryoverthe
emotionsintheirsubjectiontojudgment,comprehension,andtheadequateideasabouttheir
originsinthebodysrelationtoitsexperiences.

Thewillishereputforthasthepowerofactionbywhichthesovereignpoliticalsubject
liberatesthemselvesasmuchaspossiblefromtheirpassiveobediencetothelawsofnature,
implyinganaturalismthatisexpansiveandinclusive,forconstructivismtobetheactionofthe
willratoinallyplanningitsactionsaccordingtoadesiredobject,memory,imagination,oridentity.
Allbodiesoffinitemagnitudehaveapowerofaction,butthewillistheimperioinimperiumof
theminditisthepowerofactionthathasgraspeditsproperplaceintheorderingofthe
objectsofnature,andinthisgraspinggainsadequateideasaboutobjectssuchthatitcan
comprehendtheirinternallaws,theirgeneticandeschatologicalraisondaitrevisavisthemind

whojudgestheirusefulnesstoitsselfpreservation.Beyondmerecomprehensionofthelawsof
natureuponwhichtheworldofthesovereignsubjectisbuilt,thewillappliesthelawstofurther
itsrationalrationalatleastifithasmastereditselfsatisfactioninaccordancewithextending
oneslife.
TheanticipationofFoucaultsbiopolitics,Marxsbaseandsuperstructuraltransformatonsby
practicalactivity,andpoststructuraltrendsinlanguageandculturalanthropologycharacterized
byaradicalquestioningofuniversalcategoriesofemancipationattheexpenseofamore
rigorousfocusontheparticularitiesofsocialandhistoricallife,areallpresentinSpinozan
ethicalandpoliticalliterature,thoughitisunclearwhether,asidefromafewscatteredfootnotes
intheGrundrisse,whetherevenMarxhadeverreadandborrowedfromhim.

Manyofthepoliticalstructuresandlimitsonminorityrulearedrivenbyasurprisinglypragmatic
utilitarianism,whichwasperhapsduetoSpinozascarefullyconsideredargumentsinfavoran
emancipatedsocietyinwhichtheegoisticneedsofindividualsandthealtruisticdeedsof
collectiveassociationarefusedinseparablybythepracticalfunctionofunitedcitizens:itisa
checkonthedesiresofanyindividualtovoteoractoutofpuregreedwithouttheriskof
endangeringhisorherreputationandhavingtheassociationofindividualsworkagainsthimas
asafeguardagainstantidemocraticbehavior.Second,asSpinozaexpatiatesthevirtuesofthe
unityofthecommunityofsubjectsinmutualbondsoffriendships,allofwhichrefertothepower
ofthewillbeinggreaterintheunityofsocialsubjectsthanthesumofallthewillsofthesame
subjectsactinginisolation.Theextension,magnitude,andthoughtattributesheassignedto
theinfinite,selfconceivedsubstanceofreality,henowappliestothepoliticalandsocial
formationsofbodiesofpoliticalsubjectsastheyexploretheirdifferencesthroughunityand
fostermutualintellectualandemotionalgrowth.ThisgoaldefineswhatSpinozaconsidersa
stateofpeace.

Nowthatmonismandnaturehavebecomeapairofconcepts,thisforcesSpinozatoopenthe
fieldofnaturetoincludethesimplestbodiesandthemostcomplexorganizationsofbodies
assembledintoamachineofnatural,social,affective,andsovereignparts.These
demarcationsareofcoursearbitraryandblurred,butuseful,andSpinozasimmanence
maintainstheselfgeneratingactivitiesoftheintensivelawswithinandbetweenbodies
interactingandexchangingoneanotherspowersandpotentials.Butwhatisperhapsmost
extraordinaryisthatthedivisionintotheflexiblecategoriesnamedaboveasnatureat
increasinglysophisticatedlevelsofselfconsciousnessanddeliberateaction,wherenature
becomesnatureforitself,strugglingtopreservetheconceptofwhichithasanunderstanding
of,andofthesubjectsplaceinit.

Ifoneweretocomparetheseseparate,delimitedaspectsofnaturetoapassageinMarxs
GermanIdeologyconcerningthedivisionoflabor,itishardnottoappreciatetheforesightofa
philosopherwriting2centuriesearlier,priortoEuropeancapitalismsandcommercialindustry
hadbecomeentangledinglobalmaritimeandcolonialtrade,scientificandtechnicalinnovations
forrationalizingproduction,andcertainlynottheinfomationsocietyinwhichabrachof
economicactivityintheservicesectorfortheaffectiveandcommunicationlaborshasbecome
themostproductiveofvaluesocially(itshouldbenotedthat,asHardtandNegridoinEmpire,
thatitstillemploysthefewestworkersglobally,however,whichmayexplaincapitalsprivileging
ofthisworkersmorecomfortablelaboringpositionintermsofthetwoformsofexploitation
whichmanytendtoignore:

One,intensiveproduction,ortheincreaseintherateofsurplusvalueproducedduringthesame
workingtimebyreducingthesociallynecessaryaveragetimetoproducesomecommodity.
Thisreducestheproportionofvalueonthemarketembodiedinthecommoditybythesame
fractionofthereducedlabortimenecessarysociallyforthatspecificbranchofproductionover
theaveragetimebeforethereduction,andbeforecapitalinvestmentandorganizationof
laborsavingmachinesandimmersivetechnologiesofcognitivelaborintensifiedthemagnitude
ofvalueinthesameperiodduringwhichthesamelaborsubstancewasconsumed.

Spinozasmodelofthemachineofthesocialbodyisnometaphorheevenadmitsoffrictionsin
andbetweenitsparts,andthismachinicdisruptionpointstothecrisistheoriesofMarxism
associatedwithitsautonomousandimmanentorientationstoemergefromItalyandlaterafter
thestudentmovementsofParisagainsttheDeGaulleregime.Butasthevarious
poststructuralismsofPerelauMontyandFoucaultshow,thesefrictionaleventsare
'contingencies'towhichthedominatedhavetheadvantageoftimetorespondtoandconverge
upon.Powerhasthecontrolovertheglobalspaceitelevatesitselfabovethesocialfieldtoa
transcendentpointfromwhichtoarrange,order,anddistributebodies,technologies,and
subjectivitiesandthesignifierstheyinvestinatwork,home,school,asparents,consumers,
membersofcommunitygroups,sexualbeings,andthustheyareexploitedeveninwhenthey
dream,eat,sleepandfuck.

Theimmanenceoftheglobalmarketregimehasbecomeimmanenttoitself,andthis
selfimmanenceobeysalogicnooneanylongercommanders,andalawofvaluenooneisany
longerabletomesaure.Thisisboththestrengthandvulnerabilityofanassemblageoutsideof
whichnothingescapes.Theaimofthephysicist,themathematician,andthenewrevolutionary
subjectarethesame,operatingondifferentfields(scienceonaplaneofreferents,and
philosophyonaplaneofconcepts,asDeleuzeexplainedthedistinction).Buttheseplanesare

notseparableorcontainedinaheirarchy.Eveninthe19thcenturyMarxhadtheremarkable
foresighttounderstandthat'natural'and'social'sciencewouldmergeintoauniversalscience
astheextensiveandintensiveprocessesofcapitalistselfvalorizingproductionwouldhaveto
eliminatethedivisionsandseparationsoflaboringbodies,producingwhatistodayan
unmediatedstrugglethatcanonlybewonandbuildtheconsciousnessofthemultitideofthe
globallydominatedtotakeactioncollectively,reappropriatingitswealth,power,joy,andfree
timeandseizingcontroloverthehegemonicmechanisms,andrepurposingtheminthe
constitutivereconstructionofacounterdiscoursebasedonmutualaid,compassion,
egalitarianism,collectivedemocracy,andcooperativework,whereproductionisorganizedasa
fieldforeachandeveryindividualtoproduceandexploretheirformerlyrepressedcreative,
physical,intellectualandspiriitualpassionsasacontributiontoaworldthatobeysno'social
laws'otherthanthoseitselfconsciouslyconditionsthroughitsmasteryoftheforcesof
productionandrelationsithadbeensubjectedto,ratherthansubjectsof.

EricReillyisagraduateofmathematicsandquantummechanics,andorganizerforlabor
movementsaroundNYC,whereheisfrom.