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the absence of first principles
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Because "Darkness" is not something we can talk about—at least not directly—we can turn to something else: "This and That", life as it unfolds. Of course, this is just talk. Language is a model, a mindset we use to communicate. It's not reality, just a shifting part of it.
For me, the most coherent way to speak about life or the universe is through science. Other valid forms of expression include the arts, poetry, music—anything that points without claiming. Religion, I leave out. And even with philosophy, I hesitate. Too often, both rely on authority, dogma, or the illusion of final answers. Perhaps I'm mistaken. But that's my sense of it.
If this website were a book, where would you find it in the library? Likely under "Philosophy" or "Spirituality." But it’s neither. Some might say it belongs to "Nonduality," but even that feels too boxed in. It doesn't belong to a category.
Still, there is a certain mindset explored here. I've sometimes called it metaphysical anarchism—or, if you like, anarcho-metaphysics. Neither term is accurate in the usual sense. It’s not metaphysics in the traditional philosophical way. Nor is it anarchism in the political sense, though it borrows a spirit from both.
Political anarchism, as defined in many sources, challenges authority and resists unnecessary hierarchy. It envisions stateless societies, free associations, and voluntary cooperation. But this is only one dimension—the political one.
The word "anarchy" comes from the Greek anarkhia, meaning "without ruler" or "without principle." That's closer to what I mean.
Anarchy is what is already happening! Life, reality, the universe—none of it is governed by an ultimate authority or first principle. There is no universal Truth. Reality is wild, open-ended, untamed. Order exists, yes—but not absolute rule. Exceptions and anomalies are everywhere. Recognizing this is what I mean by metaphysical anarchism.
Metaphysics seeks first principles. Anarchism points to their absence.
Metaphysical anarchism is living with the recognition that no principle is final, no structure secure, no foundation permanent. Nothing is in charge. Nothing is fundamental. Nothing happens for a reason.
Ironically, political anarchists often work toward real ethical order— because there is none. Anarchy is not a dream. It is the existing condition. It's here already—in society, in the cosmos, and in the personal mind. Even "I" don't rule my so-called mind. It's not mine at all!
Maybe there is something in charge. Maybe not. But there's no way to know for sure. Any belief in a first principle—whether Matrix aliens, quantum fields, panpsychism, divine consciousness, or one of the 3000 named gods—is arbitrary. It's all guesswork, inherited myth, or preference. If we can't know, who cares what we believe?
“Questioning authority is the beginning of freedom of thought.”
And just to be clear: the "Darkness" I speak of elsewhere on this site is not a first principle. It’s not a thing, not an origin, not a source. It's beyond any principle that could be formulated. It's what remains when all principles dissolve.
Question everything. Even this.