Glossary of Terms
The way we use language both reflects and reinforces the way we perceive reality. It is therefore important for anyone who wants their underlying perception to be understood, to choose language that corresponds most closely with this perception and to avoid language that is liable to misrepresent it. When the underlying perception differs markedly from what is familiar to most people, the need for careful language use becomes crucial if people are truly to understand what is being said. This is a challenge because the language needs to be as simple and familiar as possible at the same time as clearly reflecting and reinforcing the difference in intended meaning from common perceptions. Changing a dominant paradigm is necessarily accompanied by a change in language use, but the latter needs to be given a chance to co-evolve with the new understandings of the nature of reality that the change brings. The transition phase is likely to be complicated as deeply entrenched existing forms of language give way to new ones.
The shift from abstract representations of reality into natural inclusion (NI) entails a movement from ways of thinking that impose a fixed structure onto and around reality to an appreciation of natural fluidity. Hence an accompanying movement from definitive frameworks to fluid framings of language is needed. This brief glossary of ‘abstract’ and ‘NI’ language highlights some of the most basic changes involved.
Abstraction: a mental process that isolates naturally occurring forms from their spatial context in order to consider them independently as self-contained objects.
Abstract rationality: a form of reasoning which assumes discontinuity between material things and space and so divides or integrates reality into isolated units or portions (wholes and parts; integers and fractions).
Actual: present in Nature as more than an imaginary occurrence.
Adaptation: abstract concept in which something is required to change in order to conform to constraints imposed by something else.
Agape: unconditional, welcoming, nurturing, receptive acceptance of life in all its guises by ‘world soul’.
Analysis: process of distinguishing amongst and between the basic ingredients of a complex natural phenomenon or occurrence. Where the phenomenon is regarded abstractly as a ‘whole’ object, its ingredients are regarded as ‘parts’.
Atomism: analytical philosophy which posits that all larger entities can be assembled by simple addition of smaller indivisible numerical and geometric entities.
Attunement: shaping of different kinds of natural occurrence in each others’ influence – for example a river system simultaneously shaping and being shaped by landscape.
Becoming: coming into form – a continuous process of energy transformation.
Being: existing – abstract perceptions view this as a definitive ‘state’, NI perception views it as the outcome of becoming within and around local regions of the infinite stillness of space as an intangible presence everywhere.
Binary: based on two alternative, mutually exclusive possibilities, most fundamentally ‘presence’ or ‘absence’, often represented digitally as ‘1’ or ‘0’.
Body: (abstract view) an independent massy object, which may be considered dead or alive; (NI view) a co-expression of space and energy in local gravitational form.
Boundary: (abstract view) a discrete limit or discontinuity, which isolates one kind of occurrence from any other kind of occurrence; (inclusional meaning) an energetic interfacing between one kind of occurrence and any other kind of occurrence. inter-relational presences that serve to distinguish one locality from another locality as containers and conduits.
Causality: presumptuous abstraction whereby a system or process as a whole is contained within a fixed boundary and its behaviour can be predicted with complete certainty so long as the initial conditions are known precisely.
Chance: (abstract view) random possibility; (NI view) fluid possibility.
Change: departure from stasis, ultimately through the inclusion of space throughout figure and figure in space.
Collectivism: abstract belief in the autonomy of a group or groups.
Community: presence of diverse organisms and/or people in common space.
Competition: abstract perception of the eliminative relationship between autonomous individuals or groups striving for possession of the same resource or position.
Completeness: abstract notion of absolute containment within a discrete boundary limit.
Connectedness: linkage of one tangible form to another, often regarded abstractly as synonymous with ‘continuity’, ‘unity’, ‘oneness’, ‘wholeness’ or ‘togetherness’.
Connectivity: variable ability to establish tangible connections between distinct localities; coherence of boundaries as energetic interfacings.
Conservative organization: minimizing boundary surface exposure in response to internal receptive influence through integration into packaged, unbranched and storing structures.
Context: (abstract view) environmental surroundings or connectedness with others; (NI view) what any local form arises from and is included within.
Continuity: quality of being without definitive beginning or end.
Contradiction: a statement that asserts the falsehood of another and the truth of itself.
Cooperation: abstract perception of autonomous entities working together in a common cause.
Darkness: (abstract view) absence of light; (NI) intangible presence.
Darwinism: abstract belief in evolution by natural selection.
Death: (abstract view) annihilation of life; (NI view) opening for renewal of life.
Definition: the abstract imposition of finite limits on any object.
Determinate: with a fixed boundary limit.
Determinism: abstract belief that destiny is entirely defined by present or ‘initial’ conditions.
Development: progressive transformation of one form into another, as in the transition from egg to embryo to adult of an animal or plant, but also often applied to economic progression.
Dialectic: each and other in mutual contradiction.
Differentiation: (abstract view) division into discrete entities or component parts; (NI view) developmental individuation into distinctive, dynamic identities.
Discrete: abstract condition of being isolated, discontinuous, definitively bounded.
Dissipative organization: maximizing boundary surface exposure in response to external receptive influence through differentiation into particulate, folded and branching structures.
Distance: tangible length of travel between one locality in space and an other locality in space.
Distinct: distinguishable but not necessarily discrete.
Diversity: intrinsic naturally fluid variety arising from the relationship of receptive space and responsive flux without the intervention of central or external administrative agency.
Dualism: abstract isolation of tangible from intangible presence, third-person or objective perception.
Duration: tangible interval elapsing between one locality in time and an other locality in time.
Dynamic: incorporating change.
Electromagnetic radiation: radiant energy.
Embodiment: inclusion or manifestation within a body.
Energy: (NI view) mobile presence; (abstract view) the ability of a force to do work
Energy flow: circulatory and directional distribution of energy.
Entity: a ‘thing’, whether perceived abstractly as an object, or naturally, as a flow-form.
Environment: (abstract view) what is outside and around an object; (NI view) what includes and is expressed by an inhabitant.
Eros: responsive, passionate, living spirit of natural energy flow around and between all natural forms.
Everything: all tangible presence.
Everywhere: limitless space, including its tangible contents.
Evolution: continuing creative exploration in a pool of ever-changing possibility; any process of cumulative transformation, whether this is understood in terms of natural inclusion or abstract, Darwinian selection.
Evolutionary: descriptive of any process of cumulative transformation.
Expiration: out-breathing or out-flowing; releasing what has been received through inspiration.
Expression: manifestation, utterance, outward representation.
False dichotomy: abstract imposition of discontinuity between mutually inclusive occurrences, most fundamentally between tangible and intangible presence.
Field: dimensionally constrained abstract spaces that facilitate the gathering and scattering of discrete particles.
Flow: continuous movement or transformation, often regarded abstractly as the translocation of tangible entities through space instead of the energetic reconfiguration of space.
Flow-form: form that arises naturally as a co-expression of mobile, informative presence (flux) and still, receptive presence (space).
Fluidity: continuous transformability.
Force: abstract concept of the physical quantity that ‘does work’ either by changing the motion of a body, by imparting acceleration to it, or by deforming the body.
Fraction: abstract concept of a specific amount as ‘part of a whole’.
Framework: definitive structure.
Framing: (abstract view) act of imposing definitive structure; (NI view) fluid structuring.
Freedom: (abstract view) independence from influence of other(s); (NI view) absence of definitive restriction by other due to intangible presence of receptive space.
Future: (abstract view) what comes after and is divided from ‘past’ by ‘present’; (NI view) what continually emerges from ‘past’ via ‘present’.
Gap: ‘space between’ one locality and another, viewed abstractly as measurable ‘distance’ between fixed localities but naturally as continuous with ‘space within’ and ‘space around’, a dynamic locality.
Geometry: mathematics of shape and form.
Generative: assimilation and distribution of external energy sources into dissipative growth and reproduction structures.
Gravity: (abstract view) attractive force exerted by a massy body; (NI view) receptive influence of space within a locality.
Hate: fearful opposition.
Hole: intangible presence within tangible presence.
Holism: abstract belief that the fundamental principle of the universe is the creation of ‘wholes’, i.e. complete and self-contained systems from the atom and the cell by evolution to the most complex forms of life and mind.
Honesty: being truthful, communicating and acting in good faith to self and others.
‘I’: personal reference to ‘self’ as a discrete individual (abstract view) or local identity (NI view).
Imagination: ability to play with possibilities.
Immaterial: (abstract view) of no account, nothing; (natural view) spatial.
Impartiality: comprehensive consideration, from all possible points of view, abstractly confused with objectivity.
Inclusion: incorporation of and/or by another.
Independence: abstract notion of absolute freedom from the influence of others, associated with the autonomy of ‘one’ as a complete, self-contained entity
Indeterminate: (abstract view) random, developmentally unspecified; (NI view) dynamically bounded, developmentally fluid.
Indigenous wisdom: the sense of what it means to be an inhabitant of Nature.
Individual: (abstract view) absolutely discrete local entity; (inclusional view) dynamically distinct local identity.
Individualism: abstract belief in the autonomy of individuals.
Individuation: process of becoming a unique, but not necessarily autonomous local identity.
Inferiority: abstract perception of lower worth or status.
Infinitesimal: descriptive of an abstract, infinitely small figure that cannot be assigned a finite numerical quantity.
Infinite: without limit and so beyond quantitative definition; recognized by NI to be a quality of space, not a quantity of matter.
Infinity: outward influence of receptive space
Influence: effect arising from inflow of energy towards and around localities of receptive space
Information: (abstract view) discrete facts; (NI view) local embodiment of energy between and around localities of receptive space.
Inhabitant: In-dweller.
I-opening: loosening of self-definition, allowing receptivity to other(s).
Inspiration: in-breathing; enlivening inflow.
Instantaneous: abstract condition of the now which separates time from dynamic localities.
Intangible: frictionless; incapable of being detected directly by an excitable surface.
Intangible presence: space, that limitless depth/openness/slipperiness, which permeates everywhere and lacks any resistance to movement; continuously present aspect of reality we are aware of from first-hand personal experience even though it lacks substance and so is incapable of being cut, displaced or imposing resistive pressure upon or from a material body.
Integration: (abstract view) summation of parts into a whole; (NI view) coalescence of individuated forms.
Interaction: abstract notion of combined action and reaction of independent bodies (cf ‘interplay/interrelationship’).
Interconnectedness: tangible linkage of one to another.
Interdependence: a universal condition, according to NI, of being variably open to one another’s mutual influence, due to the continuity of space; but attributed abstractly to interconnectedeness.
Interplay: co-creative exploration of possibilities.
Interrelationship: relationship of one with another.
Intuition: all-round awareness.
Kindness: compassionate awareness of the vulnerability and needs of all living organisms.
Life: (abstract view) possession of an organism prior to its death, associated with certain vital functions; (NI view) energy.
Light: electromagnetic radiation – often restrictively applied only to that which is visible to the human eye.
Linear: derived from or integrated within one or more straight lines and hence associating additively.
Living body: those in which surface tension is sufficient to sustain a high degree of coordination around a coherent self-identity as a centre of sentience.
Local: identifiable as somewhere unique, but not necessarily isolated from others.
Locality: somewhere unique; condition of being local.
Logic: method of reasoning, whether based on natural occurrence or abstract.
Love: intangible receptive influence and the tangible responses this induces.
Materialism: an abstract worldview, which ignores intangible presence.
Matter: energetic configuration of space somewhere within space everywhere. Changeable, local and temporary expression of receptive-responsive relationship between intangible time resulting in surface tension of varying intensity in solid, liquid, gas and plasma form sub-atomic to super-galactic in scale.
Monism: merging of ‘all’ into ‘one’ through abstract removal or confinement of intangible presence from or within tangible presence, so as to achieve ‘unity’.
Natural: present in Nature.
Natural co-creation: interplay of tangible and intangible presence.
Natural communion: the natural inclusion of all form within receptive space.
Natural inclusion: the evolutionary co-expression of mobile, informative presence (energy) and still, receptive presence (space)
Natural inclusional geometry: fluid geometry in which space and boundaries are regarded as mutually inclusive sources of continuity and dynamic distinction with variable connectivity, not mutually exclusive sources of discontinuity and discrete definition, as in Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries.
Natural inclusionality: a way of reasoning based on natural inclusion, as distinct from abstract rationality.
Natural material body: variably resistive and intrinsically dynamic locality of place-time.
‘Natural’ selection: abstract perception of the differential survival of one form of life as opposed to another, originally described by Charles Darwin as ‘the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life’ and often alluded to, following Herbert Spencer, as ‘the survival of the fittest’.
Nature: (NI view) everywhere without structural limit; all actual occurrence, both tangible and intangible (abstract view) somewhere or something defined as an object separate from human or spatial or godly presence.
Needfulness: fundamental condition of all life forms as inclusions of natural energy flow.
Needs: requirements for sustaining life; often abstractly regarded as ‘deficiencies’ arising from imperfection.
Negative: (abstract view) subtractive, detrimental, retrogressive; (NI view) receptive, accepting, vital to circulatory flow.
Neighborhood: (abstract view) vicinity around an individual or location occupied by a group of individuals; (NI view) space everywhere as an inclusion of dynamic individual and group identity.
Neo-Darwinism: abstract view of genes and their mutations as ultimate units of selection, giving rise to the definition of biological evolution as a change in gene frequency, and to the notion of ‘selfish genes’.
Network: branched, internally connective system, often treated abstractly as a ‘web’ of material or energetic ‘threads’, but understood more fluidly as a system of dynamic channels enabling enhanced communication and redistribution of energy.
Non-dualism: abstract unitary premise that no actual distinction exists between tangible presence and absence.
Non-linear: (abstract view) departing from simple proportionality due to sequential feedback between input and output of information to and from a dynamic system; (NI view) embodying intangible presence in natural flow-form.
Non-living body: those is which surface tension is insufficient to sustain a coherent self-identity as a centre of sentience.
Nothingness or no-thingness: space – treated abstractly as an absence of presence, without influence on material form.
Object: abstract perception of a locality viewed as an independent singular entity abstracted from its contextual neighborhood; such an entity whose movement is governed by external force.
Objective: descriptive of perceptions of localities as objects or definable goals.
One: (abstract view) an absolutely self-contained entity; (NI view) a local energetic inclusion of space with an intangible point (0) at its core continuous with infinite space everywhere else.
Oneness: quality of being ‘one’.
Openness: receptivity, a quality of space as intangible, frictionless presence.
Opposition: exclusion of and from another by absolute definition.
Order: having coherent form, often perceived abstractly as the opposite of randomness or chaos.
Organization: (abstract view) definable group with a common objective; (NI view) variably coherent dynamic grouping.
Other: (abstract view) not ‘self’, not the subject under consideration by dint of being ‘outside’ its boundary limit; (NI view) a distinct but not isolated presence from local self-identity.
Paradox: a self-contradictory view or statement, generally arising from axiomatic definition and false dichotomy.
Part: abstract perception of any discrete portion of a ‘whole’.
Partial: selective; displaying bias or favoritism.
Participation: involvement with others in a process.
Particle: abstract notion of a fully definable unit of matter or energy.
Past: (abstract view) what’s defined as previous to now and future; (NI view) what’s included by the present in the becoming of the future.
Permeability: quality of boundaries allowing passage between their insides and outsides, due to the presence of spatial channels.
Philia: The bodily companionship of each within the other’s compassionate reach.
Place-time: natural energy flow; the mutual inclusion of mobile energetic presence and immobile spatial presence, from which time, space, energy and matter are not separable as discrete entities or independent reference frames.
Play: fluid possibility.
Pluralism: abstract belief that existence fundamentally comprises many separate existences, not just one (as in monism) or two (as in dualism).
Point: (abstract view) a dimensionless intangible locality treated as if a tangible one; (NI view) a dimensionless intangible locality (0) within one.
Pool: intrinsically dynamic and heterogeneous ensemblage of natural flow-forms.
Positive: (abstract view) additive; beneficial; progressive; (NI view) responsive, giving, vital to circulatory flow.
Prepositional: one or other.
Present: existing; now.
Process: (abstract view) sequential change in form or position in fixed space, measurable in units of speed; (NI view) energy flow as an inclusion of limitless space.
Protective: storage and redistribution of internal energy sources into conservative survival and exploratory structures.
Quantum reality: realm of possibility that tangible reality emerges from and subsides into.
Randomness: abstract notion of absolute independence, freedom or incoherence of discrete events or locations.
Reasonableness: being realistic about what is or isn’t possible in past, present and future circumstances.
Receptivity: openness to inclusion.
Reciprocity: complementary inverse relationship.
Reductionism: abstract belief that any ‘whole object’ can be completely understood in terms of its component ‘parts’; method of enquiry and explanation based on this assumption.
Relationship: potential and actual channels for the co-creation of informative, responsive flux and intangible, receptive space into embodied beings expressing diverse patterns of life.
Self: (abstract view) independent entity that excludes and is excluded from what is outside its definitive boundary; (NI view) local identity that is energetically distinct from, but spatially continuous with its dynamic bodily boundary.
Something: a locally distinguishable form, regarded abstractly as an object.
Somewhere: a unique locality.
Space: (abstract view) an absence of presence, three-dimensional container or curved surface; (NI view) that limitless intangible depth/openness/slipperiness, which permeates everywhere and lacks any resistance to movement.
Sphere: most basic of all natural bodily forms from which all others in the natural world arise representing the lowest energy state in nature and expressing the most substantial ratio of volume to surface area.
Strength: source of resistance which provides tangible distinction between a local form and its neighborhood.
Subject: abstract perception of an isolated entity that acts or imposes its own view forcefully upon others and its neighborhood, regarded as ‘objects’; such an entity governed by overarching sovereign rule.
Survival: remaining alive, generally under adverse conditions; this generally entails entering a dormant condition associated with lowered metabolic rate, production of protective covering etc, NOT with the active growth and competition or co-operation envisaged by abstract notions of evolutionary fitness.
Sustainability: ability to continue living in current and changeable form.
Tangible: capable of being grasped or sensed directly as or by a resistive presence.
Time: (abstract view) a dimension, either existing independently and serving as a constant, linear reference against which to quantify movement, or in combination with space in a gravitational surface (space-time) locally deformed by massy bodies; (NI view) an implicit inclusion of ‘place-time’ or ‘natural energy flow’; intangible occurrence of continuous motion.
Transfigural: through or across a figure, a term introduced by Lere Shakunle.
Transfiguration: permeation of figure by space, allowing transformation.
Transformation: reconfiguration of form.
Truth: the reality of what is happening, has happened and will happen, abstractly regarded as ‘objective’ or ‘whole’, but regarded as fluidly bounded in NI.
Unity: abstract notion of complete singleness or togetherness.
Void: absolute emptiness.
Weakness: source of looseness which enables a local form to come into being and transform.
Web: a tangible connective membrane or network attaching one location to another, but not necessarily allowing internal communication or fluid reconfiguration; used by spiders as a trap and having a similar effect on abstract human thought.
Whole: abstract perception of any completely definable individual or collective entity independent from its surroundings
Wholeness: completeness; an impossible condition in and of nature.
Wildness: quality of being beyond human control: for abstract rationality a disturbing if not deplorable quality of the natural world, to be subjugated; for natural inclusionality a source of delight and inspiration, to be cherished, learned from and respected.
Zero: (abstract view) an absence of presence; (NI view) a dimensionless point within infinite intangible space; inward influence of receptive space.
