Philosophical Dialogues I
Essence a n d Existence I
By Franz J. T. Lee
Written Between 18th October, 1999 and 4th August , 2003.
© 2003 Franz J. T. Lee All Rights Reserved.
WHO
AM I ?
SCENE: Botanical Garden, University Campus
(Coseino, Professor of Philosophy, is strolling on the University Campus. Deeply immersed in his thoughts, he is suddenly interrupted by a student, Patricia. At first, as usual, his blood starts to boil, expecting to resolve some disturbing student matter. But, when Patricia voices her academic interests, Coseino is pleasantly surprised.)
Patricia: Professor, in our Philosophy class, you mentioned Us, We. Ever since, I was brooding over the matter. It seems to me that you spoke about a very special "We", and, somehow, I felt that I am not included in that "We". Can you spare a few moments to explain to me, Who Are You?
Coseino: Firstly, my dear Patricia, don't you think that the question should rather be: What Are You?
Patricia: Fine, then: What Are You? I am really beginning to think, to reason.
Coseino: Excellent, you yourself have answered the decisive moment of your brilliant question; as you stated: We Are. You have already noticed that we are, we are essentially.
Patricia: You have me baffled. I am a human being. Are you not a human being? Are you not like me, essentially a human being?
Coseino: Of course, Patricia, We Are, We Are Being. Whether we are "human beings", that is another question to be treated later.
Patricia: Still, I insist. Who or What Are You? You must be something; anybody, anything is something. Donald is a Duck. Bill Gates is a CEO.
Coseino: To reply, I have to postulate, to set my Essence. Well, I will not keep you longer in the dark: We Are Cosmos.
Patricia: My dear Professor, is that your Name, your Organization?
Coseino: No, smart Patricia, we need no name, we do not call anybody names. But, if I should air your inquisitiveness, you could safely call us Pandemonium, the Pandemonium Crew.
Patricia: Well, my distinguished teacher, a strange name, but if you are Cosmos, then: What Is Cosmos?
Coseino: A brilliant, intelligent question. A real, a true question! It is an answering question, an inquisitive answer. You yourself have given us the answer to your question!
Patricia: Wow! Prof., I heard about "nutty professors", but I never thought that I myself belong to the category of "nutty students". How can I answer a question by asking a question? Do I also ask an answer by answering?
Coseino: My dear, you are everything except being nutty. You are simply beginning to think.
(Two chattering students pass by, giving their stereotypical smiles and uttering the common: How Are You?)
Patricia: I wonder why they do not ask: Who or What Are You?
Coseino: (greeting the students) What Are You?
(Disenchanted, the two rush off to their classroom.)
Coseino: You asked: What Is Cosmos? You gave
the answer: What Is Cosmos! Quidditas! You remember we dealt
with this
"whatness" in our philosophy class.
Patricia: Of course. In other words, Cosmos is that What Is! So, You Are What is, you are Cosmos!
Coseino: Certainly.
Patricia: But, does What Is, does Cosmos Think? Do You Think? I have been taught that only the "human being" thinks, not all beings; surely, The Divine, God, also thinks, thinks in, of, for and by Himself. This I learned in my theological seminar.
Coseino: My sweet Angel, let us confront the matter, step-by-step! You have been taught that all Human Beings Think, something which is very doubtful, but you have not been informed, That Thinking or Thought Exists. We Are, We Are Cosmos. But, We Are NOT ONLY, also, We Exist, We Think. Being or Essence IS, IS Cosmos. Hence, your question should be: That You Exist?
Patricia: I don't understand. "That You Exist?" is not a question.
Coseino: Correct. It IS not a Question; it exists as an answering Question a n d as a questioning Answer. Later, I will explain to you that it exists as Intellect a n d Reason.
(They are nearing a bench in the University Park. Coseino still feels tired, as a result of farm work in the morning. Patricia registers his desire to rest.)
Patricia: Professor, surely, I enjoy our sympathetic chat, but I feel so peripatetic, could we sit down and continue our discussion?
Coseino: No problem, I had a similar brain wave.
Patricia: So, you, the Pandemonium Crew, not only ARE, you also EXIST?
Coseino: Yes, that it what I tried to explain.
Patricia: How do you exist? or, should I ask: "That You Exist"?
Coseino: This "That" exists as a special term. In German it is called "dass"; it expresses "Dassheit", "Thatness", Quodditas. Surely, you will remember that we have explained this "concept", when we dealt with Aristotelian Philosophy; it concerns Existence, Theory, Philosophy and Society.
Patricia: Now, let me ask you some questions in my own way: How Do You Exist? As What? As a fish? As a Human Being? As an Intellectual? As the "Crown of Creation"? As the "Highest Blossom of Mother Nature"? As the "World Spirit"? Do You Exist in any special manner? As Elites? As "Great Men"?
Coseino: As nothing of the sort, as nothing special, as nothing great. This is how Plato or Aristotle, Nero or Caligula, Pericles or Croesus, Cromwell or Robespierre, Rockefeller or Rothschild, Hitler or Mussolini, Lenin or Mao, have existed.
Patricia: Sorry for being so adamant. I am really interested in You, your "Crew", and your Philosophy.
Coseino: Using your term, but giving it our contents, you are asking me: How Do We Exist? You yourself stated, that We Exist. Now, you want to know HOW. The Questioning Answer: We Exist Einai, or, We exist As Einai.
Patricia: Einai! In your classes, I was always a diligent and attentive student. As far as I can recollect, einai is a Greek word, and it denotes: Being. Why did you interchange Being and Existence? Why do you interchange "Being-So", "Sosein" (Being) and "Being-There", "Dasein" (Existence), why do you let Sein and Existenz exchange their places?
Coseino: Caramba! "Diligent" and "attentive", that's very true! For the time being, to these "laurels", we should perhaps also add: "formal-logical" and "metaphysical".
Patricia: (a little bewildered and uncertain) Did I say something out of place?
Coseino: (calming her down) Certainly not. On the contrary, your ideas were expressed precisely, and your questions are stringently philosophical. Please, say whatever you wish, ask any question which troubles you!
Patricia: (a bit more relaxed) Thanks, you are so kind. If you do not mind the bouquet, I really enjoy your classes, I would not like to miss a single one of them. Now, concerning Einai, could you illuminate my philosophic doubts?
Coseino: With pleasure, however, you have to think a little with me, have follow my train of thought. In Ancient Greek Philosophy, of course, Being was associated with the concept "einai", later, in the Middle Ages, in Latin, it was theologically "downgraded" to "esse". However, that what was understood by "being" in Greek idealist philosophy, which denotes the (divine) essence of things, was not called einai, it was named ousia, later metaphysically "upgraded" to essentia. This is really the "Being" which you mentioned. Einai encompasses the arche (principle), the Cosmos, a n d Itself, hence, Cosmos a n d Einai, Being a n d Existence.
Patricia: Now, I understand. So, that is from where you got your concept "Einai".
Coseino: Not quite so. Independent of this philosophic explanation, our category, we call it a Diagory, our Einai, has to do with this connotation, but it encompasses much more. We just borrowed it, in order to distinguish our Essence a n d Existence from that what is generally understood by these terms in the so-called "History of Philosophy". Summing up: We Are Cosmos. We exist Einai.
Patricia: Our dear Professor, before I rush off to my next class, just one more question: Are You Only a n d Do You Only Exist? Will you also Transcend to Heaven or Hell one day? Or do you not believe in such things?
Coseino: I also have
to attend my next class. Next time I will answer your questions in detail.
Meanwhile, I will just briefly indicate the thorny road towards "Nothing".
As you said: We Transcend, We excel! How do We Excel? We Excel Nothing!
Here are the Answers to your Major Questions:
On a Level,
We Are Cosmos.
On a Degree, We exist Einai.
On a Mension, We Excel Nothing.
Patricia: (packing her books) Professor, I must admit that thinking is an arduous process, I never really have been taught to think, but I want to learn to act, to think, to be, to exist. Thank you very much indeed, for having sacrificed a part of your precious time to teach me something. I really appreciate it. Until next time.
Coseino: Next time, we could discuss Excellence. Do not forget to pray for me, so that one day, I would also be able to teach you something in Heaven or Hell!
Patricia: Professor, you need no prayers, you are already far beyond Salvation; you exist beyond Revelation; and you excel beyond any Redemption whatsoever! Good-Bye!
(With a sphinxlike smile, Coseino walks towards
his classroom,
wondering if anything in this world could still
be excelled, be excellent.)