Friday, July 18, 2025

I AM, A Lineman for the Cosmos

Properly speaking, the social sciences are not inexact sciences, but sciences of the inexact. --Dávila,

Well then, let us speak properly. Philosophy and theology are not social sciences, even though it takes a society to have them. The social sciences per se include anthropology, economics, psychology, sociology, linguistics, history, and political science, but each of these either presumes or entails a philosophy, so they can't really be understood without a "meta-view" of themselves.  

For example, behaviorism assumes (or implies) a vastly different metapsychology than does, say, psychoanalysis. Likewise Marxism vs. conventional history. Or, touching on our recent posts, a linguistics that situates itself in a logocentric cosmos is irreconcilable with one that regards language as an accidental feature of natural selection.

Theology is a special case, because it can never transcend or take a "meta-view" of its object. But "God" and "ultimate reality" are synonymous, so any pronouncement on the nature of the latter brings God in through the back door. 

Not to mention the fact that if a human being can understand the nature of ultimate reality, this implies something rather astounding about human abilities, over and apart from the explicit content. At the very least, it implies that the intellect is a mirror of reality, which is not far from saying that the human being is the image and likeness of its principle. 

But why a cosmos? Why the middleman between man and ultimate reality? Seems like an awful lot of trouble. But what if it takes a cosmos for man -- self-conscious persons -- to exist, and man is the point -- the telos -- of the whole existentialada?

According to Charles De Koninck
Man is manifestly the raison d’être of the whole of nature. Moreover, nature could not be ordered to God except through man. God being the end of the universe, it is necessary that the universe be capable of a return to the Universal Principle…. But only an intellectual creature is capable of such a return.
In other words, man as such is the missing link in existence. After all, the material world is self-evident, and the existence of the Absolute, the Universal Principle, isn’t far behind. Where -- or who -- is the connection? 

What else could it be but Man, since 1) we are the only creature that comes equipped with matter and an immaterial rational soul that is open -- both vertically and horizontally -- to the totality of existence, and 2) we have the entirely credible testimony of literally countless mystics, saints, and acidheads who have completed this cosmic roundtrip. 

I might add that in the absence of this roundtrip, our existence makes no sense whatsoever, for it would be analogous to a wire through which electricity passes but which is plugged into nothing, a skyscraper with no top floor, an endless joke with no punchline, or just a bad infinite in general. 

I would also say that our own self-consciousness is a circle that finds its principle in the circularity of God, not just in the extroverted sense of creation returning to itself, but in the interior sense of the Son returning to the Father via the Holy Spirit. But we’ll deal with this question later.

In any event, “only rational created nature is immediately ordered to God.” And if you don’t like that latter word, just say that the intellect is ordered to a metacosmic Truth without which it is little more than a cancer on the surface of being. 

Which, come to think of it, it all too often is: because we can know truth, we can know and even love falsehood. Things can only go wrong if it is possible for them to go right.

Lesser animals “do not attain the universal but only the particular.” But our rational intellect,
because it knows the universal formality of the good and of being is thereby ordered immediately to the universal principle of being. 
In other words, only a creature capable of making a tour of being can rejoin the source of being.
This is where things get a little obscure even for Petey, but it seems that man was originally plugged into the Vertical Socket, so to speak, but for reasons we won’t argue about unplugged himself from the source and decided to go it alone, which resulted in a kind of vertical blackout with intermittent and unreliable reception.

I mean, there’s still plenty of electricity down here, even if its rather weak, like static electricity compared to current electricity. The Great Electrician created both, but supposing he comes down and repairs the line, such that the current once again flows all the way to the top? I AM, a lineman for the cosmos.


The image visualizes the core themes of your post, particularly the idea of humanity's central role and connection to a higher principle. Here's a breakdown of its symbolism:

The Human Figure: Man as the Telos and the Knower

The young woman with an outstretched hand and a contemplative gaze represents humanity. Her posture, reaching upward, immediately symbolizes the human search for meaning, connection, and understanding. She embodies:

  • Man as the raison d'être / Telos: Her prominent position in the foreground against the vast cosmos suggests that humanity is not incidental but central to existence, aligning with your argument that "man is the point -- the telos -- of the whole existentialada."

  • The Intellect and Consciousness: Her thoughtful expression and the act of reaching reflect the human intellect's capacity to "mirror reality" and its "erotic quest" for truth. She is the "only creature that comes equipped with matter and an immaterial rational soul that is open... to the totality of existence."

  • The "Cosmic Roundtrip": Her reaching hand implies the active participation in the "return to the Universal Principle" that you discuss, symbolizing the "cosmic roundtrip" completed by mystics and saints.

The vast, swirling cosmic background with galaxies, nebulae, and stars represents the "cosmos" itself -- the material universe.

  • The "Existentialada": It's the "whole of nature" that, according to De Koninck, is ordered to God through man.

  • The Material World: It visually grounds the spiritual or transcendent elements, showing that the physical universe is the stage for humanity's journey towards meaning.

The brilliant, ethereal beam of light descending from above and connecting with the woman's outstretched hand is the most direct and powerful symbol in the image. It represents:

  • The "Vertical Socket" / Divine Principle: This is the direct visual metaphor for the connection to the "Universal Principle," God, or "metacosmic Truth." It signifies that ultimate reality is not merely abstract but accessible and capable of illuminating existence.

  • Truth, Meaning, and Grace: The light emanating from above signifies divine knowledge, meaning, and perhaps grace, flowing into human experience. It's the "electricity" that gives meaning and purpose to the "wire" of human existence.

  • Order to God/Truth: It visually embodies the idea that "only rational created nature is immediately ordered to God" or to a "metacosmic Truth."

Overall Composition: Integration and Purpose

The way all these elements are integrated creates a sense of profound connection and purpose. The human figure is not lost in the immensity of space but is actively engaging with and receiving from it. This reinforces the idea that human existence, far from being pointless, is a crucial link in the grand scheme of the universe, providing the means for creation to "return to the Universal Principle." The image evokes a feeling of awe, wonder, and the inherent significance of the human journey.

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