Definitions

dis·ci·ple (dî-sì¹pel) noun

1.   a. One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another.

                  b. An active adherent, as of a movement or philosophy.

2. Disciple. One of the 12 original followers of Jesus.

3. Disciple. A member of the Disciples of Christ.

[Middle English, from Old English discipul and from Old French desciple, both from Latin discipulus, pupil, from discere, to learn.]

— dis·ci¹ple·ship´ noun

en·vi·ron·ment (èn-vì¹ren-ment, -vì¹ern-) noun

1.         The circumstances or conditions that surround one; surroundings.

2.         The totality of circumstances surrounding an organism or a group of organisms, especially: a. The combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth, development, and survival of organisms: "We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism" (Paul Brooks). b. The complex of social and cultural conditions affecting the nature of an individual or a community.

An artistic or theatrical work that surrounds or involves the audience. 

par·a·digm (pàr¹e-dìm´, -dîm´) noun

1.         An example that serves as pattern or model.

2.         A list of all the inflectional forms of a word taken as an illustrative example of the conjugation or declension to which it belongs.

[Middle English, example, from Late Latin paradìgma, from Greek paradeigma, from paradeiknunai, to compare : para-, alongside. See PARA-1 + deiknunai, to show.]

• par´a·dig·mat¹ic (-dîg-màt¹îk) adjective

In Transcendent Reality, we use a broader definition of the word 'paradigm' to be the set of all the rules and models employed to represent our understanding of reality and guide our behavior in reference to the reality we perceive. We adopt this expanded meaning because paradigm is a little used word in English, without much emotional baggage, and easily re-defined. Other publications have used this expanded meaning.

phi·los·o·phy (fî-lòs¹e-fê) noun (Middle English philosophie, from Old French, from Latin philosophia, from Greek, from philosophos, lover of wisdom, philosopher. See PHILOSOPHER.)

plural phi·los·o·phies; Abbr. phil., philos.

1. a. Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline.

b. The investigation of causes and laws underlying reality.

c. A system of philosophical inquiry or demonstration.

2. Inquiry into the nature of things based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.
3. The critique and analysis of fundamental beliefs as they come to be conceptualized and formulated.
4. The synthesis of all learning.
5. All learning except technical precepts and practical arts.
6. All the disciplines presented in university curriculums of science and the liberal arts, except medicine, law, and theology.
7. The science comprising logic, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology.
8. A system of motivating concepts or principles: the philosophy of a culture.
9. A basic theory; a viewpoint: an original philosophy of advertising.
10. The system of values by which one lives: has an unusual philosophy of life.

philosophy, [Gk., = love of wisdom], study of the ultimate reality, causes, and principles underlying being and thinking. Western philosophy, dating from c.600 B.C., when the Greeks established inquiry independent of theological creeds, is traditionally divided into five major branches.

METAPHYSICS inquires into the nature and ultimate significance of the universe, holding reality to subsist in thought (IDEALISM), in matter (MATERIALISM), or in both (DUALISM).

LOGIC is concerned with the laws of valid reasoning.

EPISTEMOLOGY investigates the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing.

ETHICS deals with the problems of right conduct.

AESTHETICS attempts to determine the nature of beauty and the criteria of artistic judgment.

Historically, philosophy falls into three major periods.

Classical (Greek and Roman) philosophy emphasized a concern with the ultimate nature of reality and the problem of virtue in a political context; in fact, virtually all of the problems of philosophy were defined by the Greeks. SOCRATES, PLATO, and ARISTOTLE were the towering figures of classical philosophy.

Medieval philosophy in the West was virtually inseparable from Christian thought. SCHOLASTICISM, the high achievement of medieval philosophy, was based on Aristotelian principles as preserved by Arab philosophers, notably AVICENNA and AVERROËS. St. THOMAS AQUINAS was the most prominent of the scholastics.

The main concern of modern philosophy, beginning with the Renaissance, has been epistemology. DESCARTES, SPINOZA, LEIBNIZ, and other great rationalists of the 17th cent. attempted to give the new science a philosophical basis and thus paved the way for EMPIRICISM. (See articles on HOBBES; HUME; LOCKE.) KANT, representing a bridge between empirical and rationalist views, influenced the idealism of FICHTE, SCHELLING, and HEGEL. MARX, drawing from Hegel's system, developed DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM. Late in the 19th cent. philosophy and religious thinking diverged. In Europe PHENOMENOLOGY and EXISTENTIALISM, and later STRUCTURALISM and DECONSTRUCTION, developed, while Britain and the U.S. focused on the philosophy of science, epistemology, and logic, and more recently on ethics and political philosophy, as in John RAWLS' theory of justice.

The many rigorous systems of Eastern philosophy are founded in religion (see BUDDHISM; CONFUCIANISM; HINDUISM; ISLAM; JAINISM; SHINTO; TAOISM; VEDANTA). See also names of individual philosophers, e.g., NIETZSCHE, FRIEDRICH; SCHOPENHAUER, ARTHUR; TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, PIERRE.

In the paradigm of Transcendent Reality, we use the word "religion" to connote that special philosophical construct that defines and promotes what is the "greater social good."  Thus religion becomes the sole arbitrator and final authority on what is moral and just, and what is not.

re·al·i·ty (rê-àl¹î-tê) noun

plural re·al·i·ties

1.         The quality or state of being actual or true.

2.         One, such as a person, an entity, or an event, that is actual: "the weight of history and political realities" (Benno C. Schmidt, Jr.).

3.         The totality of all things possessing actuality, existence, or essence.

4.         That which exists objectively and in fact: Your observations do not seem to be about reality.

5.         Philosophy. That which has necessary existence and not contingent existence.

— idiom.

in reality

In fact; actually.

religion (Middle English religioun, from Old French religion, from Latin religio, religion-, perhaps from religâre, to tie fast. See RELY.)

1. a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.

b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
4. A cause, a principle, or an activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

religion (rî-lîj¹en), a system of thought, feeling, and action shared by a group that gives members an object of devotion; a code of ethics governing personal and social conduct; and a frame of reference relating individuals to their group and the universe. Usually, religion concerns itself with what transcends the known, the natural, or the expected; it is an acknowledgment of the extraordinary, the mysterious, and the supernatural. The evolution of religion cannot be precisely determined. In addition to the more elementary forms of belief and practice, such as ANIMISM, ANCESTOR WORSHIP, totemism, and SPIRITISM, there are the commonly termed higher religions, which embody a principle of transcendence. These include POLYTHEISM, in which there are many gods; DUALISM, which posits equally powerful deities of good and evil; MONOTHEISM, in which there is a single god; supratheism, in which the devotee participates in the religion through a mystical union with the godhead; and PANTHEISM, in which the universe is identified with God. Religions are also classifed as revealed (i.e., by divine agency) or nonrevealed (i.e., the result of human inquiry). JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, and ISLAM are revealed religions, and BUDDHISM, HINDUISM, and TAOISM are largely nonrevealed religions. [The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, licensed from Columbia University Press. Copyright © 1995 by Columbia University Press.]

 sci·ence (sì¹ens) noun (Middle English, knowledge, learning, from Old French, from Latin scientia, from sciêns, scient-, present participle of scìre, to know.)

Abbr. sc., sci.

1.         a. The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. b. Such activities restricted to a class of natural phenomena. c. Such activities applied to an object of inquiry or study.

2.         Methodological activity, discipline, or study: I've got packing a suitcase down to a science.

3.         An activity that appears to require study and method: the science of purchasing.

5.                  Knowledge, especially that gained through experience.

scientific method noun

The principles and empirical processes of discovery and demonstration considered characteristic of or necessary for scientific investigation, generally involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis, and a conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis.