DGB 'Sun-Planet Theory' and The Sixteen Mythological Idols of Philosophical Extremism

1. Introduction

This is a brand new integrative line of DGB Philosophy combining two different but interconnected sets of essays: 1. 'The DGB Sixteen Mythological Idols'; and 2. the earlier 'Gods, Myths, Philosophers, and Self-Energy Centres' collection of essays...

The rationale and logic for this line of thought runs something like this: 1. Gods are external projections of internals 'mythological-personality archetypes' (This is a Jungian influence.); and 2. Archetypes are internalized or introjected renditions of 'Gods' that can be viewed as 'Self-Energy Centres' and sometimes 'Self-Energy Fixations' when one particular type of archetype comes to dominate a particular person's peronality, lifestyle, existence... One-sided 'archetype fixations' can paradoxically be a person's greatest strength and/or greatest weakness/liability...

Now, think of the sun with the planets revolving around it; the earth needs to be just situated rightly in the distance of its revolution around the sun in order to properly support life on earth as we know it -- not too far from the sun such that we freeze to death; and not too close to the sun such that we burn to death -- which brings back to the main unifying principle of Hegel's Hotel: DGB Philosophy which is basically a post-Hegelian extension, modification, and rendition of what Hegel wrote in 'The Phenomenology of Spirit'. Hegel, in turn, believed that his dialectical formula or cycle of 1. thesis; 2. anti-thesis; and 3. synthesis was not only the central unifying principle of the history of philosophy, but also the central unifying principle of man's culture and life in general, and finally, the central unifying principle of evolving life in general, in all of its different complexities...

Hegel's 'dialectic-evolution' theory was written well before Darwin and basically encompasses Darwinian genetic theory which also relies on the principle of Hegelian Dialectic Theory on a biological and biochemcial level: specifically, 1. 'thesis': a man (or male of any species); 2. anti-thesis: a woman (or female of any species); 3. dialectical negotiation and resulting integration: copulation or sexual intercourse; and 4. synthesis; a child (or offspring of any species).

Let me add one final series of points in this regard before moving on: Hegel was not only influenced by the philosophy of Fichte (1762-1814)and Kant (1720-1804)relative to the birth of his dialectic philosophy; one can also see the much, much older birth of dialectic philosophy in the 'cosmic-power dialectic theory' of the ancient Greek philosopher, Anaxamander (the second oldest known Greek philosopher, 611-547BC) and the 'dialectic balance and differential unity theory' of Heraclitus (535-475BC) who is still much esteemed by modern science and pantheism (the latter of which aims to integrate science and religion, creation and evolution theory).

Fifthly and sixthly, the ancient Chinese philosophies of 'Daoism' or ('Taoism') and later 'The Han Philosophers -- to my present knowledge -- brought to birth the concepts of 'yin' and 'yang' in Chinese Philosophy and their need 'for dialectic (homesostatic)balance' (my addition of the words 'dialectic' and 'homeostatic', not theirs) which foreshadowed again the birth of modern scientific and medical theory and particularly the work of Cannon and his famous book 'The Wisdom of The Body', 1932, in which he created the birth of the terms 'homeostasis' and 'homeostatic balance'. Cannon's famous book came significantly after Hegel's masterpiece, 'The Phenomenology of Spirit', 1807, but in the eyes of DGB Philosophy everything I have written in this paragragph is all intimately connnected -- dialectically and homeostatically. The methodology of 'democratic-dialectic democracy' is the road to self and civil homeostatic balance.

Thus, I have mentioned at least six direct or indirect influences on Hegel that are all important in the eyes of DGB Philosophy: 1. Anaxamander, 2. Heraclitus, 3. Daoism, 4. The Han Philosphers, 5. Kant, and 6. Fichte, although Fichte's philosophy in the eyes of DGB Philosophy is mainly a pathological philosophy that rejected Kant's concept of 'the noumenal (objective)world', and very significantly either led to, and/or exasperated such things as: 1. German nationalism and a national/racial superiority complex; 2. anti-semitic thought, feeling, and behavior; and 3. Nazism.
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"Where there is impossibility, there is possibility; and where there is possibility, there is impossibility. It is because there is right, that there is wrong; it is because there is wrong, there is right...Thereupon the self is also the other; the other is also the self."
Daoism

--Zhuangzi


Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊ.ɪ.zəm/ or /ˈtaʊ.ɪ.zəm/; also spelled Daoism) refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread internationally.[1] The Chinese character Tao 道 (or Dao, depending on the romanization scheme) means "path" or "way", although in Chinese religion and philosophy it has taken on more abstract meanings. Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility. Taoist thought focuses on health, longevity, immortality, wu wei (non-action) and spontaneity.

Reverence for nature and ancestor spirits is common in popular Taoism. Organized Taoism distinguishes its ritual activity from that of the folk religion, which some professional Taoists (Daoshi) view as debased. Chinese alchemy, astrology, cuisine, several Chinese martial arts, Chinese traditional medicine, fengshui, and many styles of qigong breath training disciplines are intertwined with Taoism throughout history.



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Once you get this image in your mind -- of the sun and planets model and the principle of dialectic-homestatic balance -- you are starting to get a picture of my latest perculating model of the human psyche -- a model that borrows from philosophy, psychology, biology, chemistry, and physics, and mythology. There is some Freud in it (projecting and introjecting), some Jung in it (archetypes and Greek Gods), lots of philosophy in it (such as the different 'eras' or 'periods' of philosophy), and running right through the middle of this model are the priniciples of: 1. 'multi-dialectic exchange, interchange, negotiation, power and control maneuvers'; and 2. 'homeostatic (or multi-dialectic) balance.

I remember reading a book a long time ago -- perhaps when I was in university (1974-1979) called, 'Man The Manipulator'. I will research the book and come back to you with the author shortly. I believe the author(s) had some training in both Gestalt Therapy and Jungian Psychology.

Anyways, my present model here reminds me somewhat of what the author(s)in that book were also trying to get at which was basically that (and I will paraphrase in my own words here and now): any 'particualar style of interconnected thought, feeling, impulse, restraint and/or behavior' or what Jung would call a 'complex' or Alfred Adler would call a person's 'lifestyle' has a combination of both positive and negative attributes attached to it (strengths and weaknesses). It's like perhaps the most important statement that Hegel ever made (and again I am both paraphrasing and extending his thought): Every thought, impulse, characteristic, restraint, theory, perspective, lifestyle...carries with it the seeds of its own self-destruction...Or worded otherwise, anything taken too far, will eventually explode, implode, self-destruct, poison, and/or take you off the deep end with it...Any form of extremism will eventually lead to your self-desruction...

Which brings us back to the principle of 'homeostatic -- and/or dialectical -- balance'. Here is my post-Hegelian-extension of Hegel's famous formula: The life cycle follows the pattern of: 1. thesis; 2. anti-thesis; and 3 synthesis (which -- my DGB extension -- pulls man and all of evolutionary life back to the 'central position of homeostatic-dialectic-democratic balance'. 'Not too strong (eg. The Republicans), not too weak (eg. The Democrats) but just right...'The Republican-Democrats or the Democratic-Republicans'. This is the post-Hegelian, bi-polarity synthesizing goal of DGB Philosophy.

Here is my extension of the famous Hegelian formula:

Thesis plus anti-thesis or counter-thesis creatively negotiated together equals homeostatic and/or dialectical balance which in turn provides a compensatory form of psycho- and/or philosophical and/or bio-chemical therapy for all different forms of philosophical and psychological and bio-chemical extremism.

I don't have the technical capability within this blogsite to create the type of model I wish to create with a 'sun' or 'planet' in the centre with all of its revolving planets or moons. So you will have to imagine this.

I have already written a number of different papers that can be found below this essay on 'Gods, Myths, Archetypes, and Self-Energy Centres...' This essay only becomes the essay that starts to pull them all together into one model of the personality.

At centre stage is the 'main energy centre in the personality' -- The Central Mediating Ego' (psychological model) which can also be called the 'Hegelian Ego' (philosophical model: thesis plus counter-thesis equal synthesis and homeostatic-dialectic-democratic balance) or Zeus (mythological model) or 'The Sun' (planetary model).


Here are some of the 'revolving planets in similar and/or different human lifestyles, complexes, and/or personalities'...


2. The DGB Sixteen Idols of 'Lifestyle and Personality Extremism'


1. Idols of The Tribe or The Crowd: (Crowd Pleasers, victims of peer pressure...)Don't get caught up and lost in the ideas and behaviors of the crowd or the 'herd' as Nietcsche would put it -- like lemmings you can be taken over a cliff. Think and feel and act independently as well as co-dependently;

2. Idols of The Cave (Hermits, Loners, Thinkers, Philosophers, Introverts, Shy People, Self-Infatuated People...): Don't get caught up and lost within yourself. You will suffocate there. If or when you do, come back out of yourself, and reach out to a person and/or people. This is your therapy;

3. Idols of The Sky (The Greek God, Uranus) (Idealists, Visionaries, Entepreneurs, Architects, pilots, astronauts, skydivers...): Come back to earth young man or woman, come back to earth and re-ground yourself. Your therapy consists of 'touching earth again and feeling the soil beneath your feet, the ground and trees all around you);

4. Idols of The Earth (in Greek mythology, the godesses Gaea): (Empiricists, people who are afraid to take a risk, people who need security above all else in their lives). Take a risk young man or woman, take a risk! This is your therapy. Fly high into the sky and see how high you can soar;

5. Idols of The Theatre (The Magician, The Sophist, The Actor, The Fraud...: Don't be fooled by others using sophistry, illusion, smoke and mirrors; and similarily, don't fool others using sophistry, illusion, smoke and mirrors. Be congruent, be honest, be yourself. Your therapy consists of re-finding your self and who you really are;

6. Idols of Zeus (Authority, Power, Title): Don't be fooled by, or fool others, using a mantle of exploitive authority, power, and/or title. The best leaders can both talk with wisdom and charisma while listening to the wisdom of others. The worst leaders have a self-inflated opinion of themselves and can talk, even act with power and/or violence but they can't listen, and they don't care about others. They are strictly for themselves. Your therapy here consists of 100 hours of community work to try to help cure your self-inflated narcissism. Helping others -- altruism -- is what you are trying to learn here, and truly caring about others;

7. Idols of The Word: Don't be fooled or fool others using a web of words that don't mean what they claim to mean, or you claim them to mean. If your words don't fit your meaning, then perhaps its time to go back to Grade 1, go back to 'the pointing game', or 'the fitting game', show that your words reflect your actions, and your actions reflect your words. To the extent that they don't -- your words are fraudulent and the more you use them this way, the more of a fraud your whole person is. Your therapy consists of going back to square one and making your actions fit your words and visa versa;

8. Idols of Apollo: Don't spend your whole life following the God of Righteousness -- i.e., Apollo -- because it will create for you a one-sided life. You need to show tolerance and non-jugment at times also. This is your therapy -- to practise being 'non-righteous';

9. Idols of Dionysus: Don't get lost in the pursuit of hedonism, narcissism, pleasure, sex, alcohol, drugs, gambling, partying, the fast life (Your therapy -- maybe practise Budhism or abstinence for a while, see what it is like to live without your addiction, what you are scared of, and how you can overcome this;

10. Idols of Aphrodite: Don't get lost in -- or consumed by -- love. It will throw everything else in your life out of balance and leave you weak and vulnerable to loss, betrayal, abandonment, rejection -- if you fall in love too easily with the person who is going to create a self-fulling prophecy and your worst nightmare for you. You need to stay grounded, develop your own strengths and not 'project Gods' onto everyone you meet. Your therapy is to imagine that you yourself are the God for a while...;

11. Idols of War (The Greek God, Aries): Don't get caught up in -- and consumed by war. It will eat you up and destroy you. You think that you can destroy your enemies but for every new person who you kill, you are probably creating at least a handful of new enemies. Your therapy lies in developing 'creative ways of negotiating towards win-win solutions', not seeing everyone as your potential enemy -- and treating him or her like it, making your world a more dangerous place than it needs to be;

12. Idols of Hades (God of The Underworld): Don't get caught up and lost in illicit and/or illegal activities. It will bring on your self-destruction perhaps faster than anything else, particularly if you are nurturing hate, power, revenge, and violence. What goes around will eventually come around. You will get yours in the end...What was that Martin Luther King quote that Obama liked so much -- something like...'The cosmic arc is long but bends towards justice'.;

13. Idols of Speed (The Greek God, Hermes): Don't get caught up in, and consumed by speed. Live in the fast lane, die in the fast lane.

14. Idols of Athena (Goddess of Patriotism): Patriotism can be a dangerous thing if you get too caught up, and consumed by it. It breeds righteosness and intolerance -- 'It's my way or the highway'. You will eventually distance yourself, alienate, and/or be subsumed by more powerful groups than you that don't buy your 'patriotic lines';

15. Idols of Hera (Goddess and Protector of Marriage): Marriage can be a beautiful thing but it can also be a strifeful thing. Don't completely lose yourself -- and your identity -- in marriage. Be the person you always were. Develop your own talents and potential even as the two of you seek to evolve together in the relationship. Flexibility and tolerance is important -- and not 'couping each other up in tight boxes that you both suffocate in' (or one person suffocates in by submitting to the other's domination). Win-win negotiatins in marriage are essential;

16. Idols of Narcissus (God of Self-Idolation): Don't become so absorbed in yourself that you can't see the people around you and their own trials and tribulations. In the myth of Narcissus, Narcissus looked into a pool of water, saw his reflection, and fell in love with himself. Be sensitive to the needs, want, feelings, thoughts, and problems of others. This is your therapy.

These are the 'idols of extremism' and DGB Post-Hegelian Dialectic-Democratic Philosophy-Psychology seeks to pull every one away from their 'planet of extremism' and back intoto their 'self-mediating energy centre and life-balancing energy of the sun'. The planets always need to come back to the energy of the sun.

And so it is with 'personality' and 'lifestyle' extremes.

Come back young man or woman, come back, to the warmth and mediating energy of the sun. You need to be not too close to the sun but not too far away from the sun either.

'Health' is generally half-way between bi-polar forms of psycho, physio, and/or philosophical pathology on each opposite extreme side.

-- dgb, Sept. 11th, 2008.