Note: This essay is the introduction to Mr. Stolyarov's new comprehensive filosofical treatise, A Rational Cosmology, explicating such terms as the universe, matter, space, time, sound, light, life, consciousness, and volition, which can be ordered in electronic format for only $2.50 at http://www.lulu.com/content/140855. Free previews, descriptions, and information on A Rational Cosmology can be found at http://www.oocities.org/rational_argumentator/rc.html.

This is a text that an educated layman, no matter what his profession or background, should be able to comprehend. It requires no special symbolic knowledge, and whatever uncommon terms, be they mathematical, scientific, or filosofical, are introduced, will be clarified by the author. My specific aim here is to convince any man willing to think that the most fundamental and omnipresent elements of existence can indeed be understood by him in their essence, without the requirement of spending millions of dollars on highly elaborate experimental machinery, or on consulting the world´s foremost "experts" on what is today called cosmology. It is also my aim to show that the "experts" themselves are  quite mistaken, often far more so than a typical layman with his commonsense inklings of what the universe, matter, space, time, sound, and light might be like.

That said, filosofical reasoning is as much a systematic approach as any other branch of knowledge, and is not effortless to grasp. Rather, this treatise gives the reader the tools to become a thinker in the school of rational cosmology, but the use of these tools becomes his own burden to assume. There is much to be contemplated, especially in its nuances and subtleties, if one wishes to avoid the cosmological fallacies that it is easy for even the brightest minds to fall into.

There is much more to be said about the nature of existence using the axiomatic-deductive methodology, and this work claims nothing more than to explicate some of the fundamentals in a reasonably concise fashion. It should be taken as the starting point, not as the entire scope, of rational cosmology. Filosofy, like the empirical sciences, ought to be a continually evolving and self-correcting discipline, with the ability to recognize and correct past errors, and build upon past accomplishments to expand itself into newer realms. I therefore invite other rational thinkers to employ the approach herein in developing the field that this treatise initiates. Contemporary mainstream filosofy, unfortunately, has abandoned its historic link to the Western intellectual legacy, and it becomes my burden, therefore, to pick up a torch that few others are willing to carry, yet that, if extinguished, will lead to the ruin of civilization itself.

I must mention that this work, like others of mine, employs an orthografic adjustment whereby all spellings of "ph" which are pronounced as "f" are written as such. This is a deliberate, systematic attempt to alter what I consider to be an absurd convention in English spelling, and a historically unwarranted one. For those interested in a more thorough justification, I invite them to read "An Objective Filosofy of Linguistics," available for free online at http://www.oocities.org/rationalargumentator/filosofyoflinguistics.html 

I am

G. Stolyarov II

Dortmund, Germany, July 2005

G. Stolyarov II is a science fiction novelist, independent filosofical essayist, poet, amateur mathematician and composer, contributor to organizations such as Le Quebecois Libre, Enter Stage Right, the Autonomist, and The Liberal Institute. Mr. Stolyarov is the Editor-in-Chief of The Rational Argumentator. He can be contacted at gennadystolyarovii@yahoo.com.

Order Mr. Stolyarov's new comprehensive treatise, A Rational Cosmology, explicating such terms as the universe, matter, space, time, sound, light, life, consciousness, and volition, at http://www.lulu.com/content/140855. You only pay $2.50 for 81 electronic pages of in-depth reasoning. Free previews, descriptions, and information on A Rational Cosmology can be found at http://www.oocities.org/rational_argumentator/rc.html.