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Ontic consciousness: People with this type of awareness tend to see the world as separate from themselves. They believe that things possess reality “in themselves,” independent of every other reality.Phenomenal consciousness: People with this type of awareness see the world as interconnected and relative to human experience. They believe that reality is a relationship between things, including the relationship between things and the people who experience them.
Ontic view of reality:Focuses on things the reality of which is stable and unchanging, seeing reality as more real than things that we experience because we experience those things as temporary and changing.Sees reality as something that exists “out there,” separate from human experience.Often leads to the belief in a higher, absolute reality beyond our senses. Plato’s Cave allegory is an excellent example of apodictic consciousness.Phenomenal view of reality:Sees all things as equally real, regardless of whether they are permanent or temporary.Emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things, including humans and the world around them.Does not believe in a separate, higher reality that exists behind the reality of our experience.
Ontic view of causality:Believes that cause and effect relationships are absolute and necessary.Sees the world as a deterministic system, where everything is predetermined.Often leads to the belief in fate or destiny.Phenomenal view of causality:Sees cause and effect relationships as factual and based on the characteristics of things.Believes that the world is open-ended and allows for novelty and change.Does not believe in fate or destiny.
Ontic view of finality:Believes that things have inherent purposes or values, independent of human desires.Sees morality as obedience to objective moral rules, imposed from outside.Often leads to the belief in a higher power that dictates right and wrong.Phenomenal view of finality:Believes that humans create values through their choices and actions.Sees morality as a matter of personal responsibility and self-regulation.Does not believe in objective moral rules.
Cultural neurosis: A state of collective anxiety and dysfunction, where societies are unable to solve their problems despite their best efforts.The worship of power: A belief that power is the ultimate solution to all problems, leading to the pursuit of power at all costs.Moral irresponsibility: A tendency to abdicate personal responsibility and follow external moral authorities, even when they conflict with one’s own conscience.
Chapter VIII: The Consequences of Self-Defining Consciousness
Dewart explores the divergent cultural orientations that arose from the two forms of self-defining consciousness: ontic and phenomenal. It examines how these forms of consciousness, shaped by the presuppositions embedded in their respective languages (apodictic and depositional), lead to contrasting interpretations of reality, efficient causality, and final causality. The chapter argues that these differences have profound implications for understanding human cultural evolution and the contemporary cultural configuration of the species.
Ontic vs. Phenomenal Consciousness
How Ontic and Phenomenal Consciousness Affect Our Understanding of Reality
The ontic concept of reality, stemming from absent-mindedness and a difficulty in simultaneously focusing on both the act and object of consciousness, views reality as an absolute, objectified into something that things possess “in themselves”. This leads to substantiality being the paradigm of reality, with transient events merely accruing to more solid and enduring entities. Consequently, the ontic mind perceives itself as having a secondary, dependent reality, leading to the paradoxical self-derealization of consciousness and the yearning for an ultimate, transcendent reality beyond experience.
In contrast, the phenomenal consciousness, not projecting its assertiveness onto reality, perceives reality as a relationship of “otherness-to” that binds and delimits entities. It recognizes the uniform reality of all things within the world, including the so-called “gods” who are seen as fellow inhabitants rather than transcendent beings. This understanding is reflected in the etymology of terms for reality in depositional languages, emphasizing “presence to,” “availability,” or “that which one may come across”.
How Ontic and Phenomenal Consciousness Affect Our Understanding of Cause and Effect
The ontic consciousness, projecting its own experience of necessary and total determination onto the world, interprets efficient causality as absolute and universal necessitation. It assumes that effects follow necessarily from their causes and are reducible to them, leading to the belief in fate and the rule of power. This is reflected in the ontic concept of magic, where words are believed to possess inherent efficacy independent of the speaker.
The phenomenal consciousness, on the other hand, views efficient causality as a factual relationship, recognizing the possibility of novelty in effects and the absence of compulsion. It understands causality as a way of thinking about the world, applicable when warranted by experience but not universal or absolute. This is evident in the phenomenal understanding of magic, where words are seen as a means for the speaker to exert their will upon reality, based on the perceived consubstantiality of all things.
How Ontic and Phenomenal Consciousness Affect Our Understanding of Purpose and Values
The ontic consciousness, projecting its final causality onto objects, assumes that values inhere in objects and that things have inherent purposes. This leads to the belief that the world and human existence have a preordained purpose, often interpreted as a “divine Plan” or a “natural law”. It also shapes the ontic understanding of morality, where moral values are seen as objective and pre-existing, with moral responsibility consisting in choosing or rejecting these values. This results in a morality of obedience, where right conduct is defined by conformity to external norms, whether divine commands, natural law, or social conventions.
The phenomenal consciousness, recognizing that values are created by the valuer, understands final causality as the conscious and intentional creation of values. It sees human existence as meaningful and rewarding even without a preordained purpose, with values being created by consciousness for itself. This understanding extends to morality, where right conduct is defined by autonomy, with the morally mature person being one who does “what his heart desires” after conscientious deliberation. This leads to a contextual ethic, where moral decisions are made based on the specific circumstances and the individual’s understanding of their moral responsibility.
The Consequences of Ontic Consciousness
Dewart argues that the ontic way of thinking, while leading to great achievements, is also harmful. It leads to:
The phenomenal way of thinking offers a more balanced and healthy approach to life, emphasizing interconnectedness, personal responsibility, and the human creation of values.
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