The Unitary Consciousness: Toward A Solution For The Ontological Crisis In Modern Theories Of The Self

Jul 6, 2026

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The research project investigates, in phenomenology and ontogenetic epistemology, the possibility of using illuminative elements to address the ontological crisis in Western epistemology of the self. It traces how modern thought prioritized cogito over sum, detaching epistemology from ontology and thereby dismissing the being of the self. By reconstructing the Illuminative Method and applying it through the Ontetic Field, the study presents the self’s being as an epiphany of Being, defining unitary consciousness as a performative existential experience.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages209

Reading Time8 h 47 min

Abstract

Research aim and historical background

Illuminative method and the Ontetic Field

Unitry consciousness and critique of subjectivism

Conclusions: refutation and interpretive suggestions

Durham University The unitary consciousness :toward a solution for theontological crisis in modern theories of the seif. Khatami,Mahmoud How to cite: Khatami,Mahmoud(1996)The unitary consciousness:toward a solution for the ontological crisis in modern theories of the self,Durham theses,Durham University.Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1128/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced,and given to third parties in any format or medium,without prior permission or charge,for personal research or study,educational,or not-for-profit purposes provided that: ● a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source ·a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses ● the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Office,Durham University,University Office,Old Elvet,Durham DH13HPe-mail:e-theses.admin@dur.ac.uk Tel:+4401913346107http://etheses.dur.ac.uk A BSTRA CT # THE UNITARY CONSCIOUSNESS:TOWARD A SOLUTION FOR THE ONTOLOGICALCRISIS IN MODERN THEORIES OF THE SELF By:Mahmoud Khatami The overall aim of this research project that is done in the field ofPhenomenology and Ontogenetic Epistemology,is to investigate the possibility ofemploying the llluminative elements for solving the Ontological Crisis in Westernepistemology of the self. Descartes,the father of modern western thought,gave through his Meditationsa priority to Cogito over Sum,and this historically became a turning point for themovement that crystallised in Kant's Copernican Revolution by which metaphysicswas identified with epistemology indicating that epistemology can thereafter beconsidered without any need for ontology.One of the immediate consequences ofdetaching epistemology from ontology in this history has in the main been thedismissal of the 'being'of the self in modern theories. In parallel to the existential phenomenology's purport to supply this lack inmodern epistemology of the self,this research attempts in its own way to achieve asolution by delving into the Persian llluminative school and by seeking even to assigna new role to its philosophical system to gain a new vision of the self andconsciousness. To remedy,first a reconstruction of the Illuminative Method is introduced.Thisembodies the claim that although legitimate in itself,epistemology that is based uponthe theory of essence cannot be detached from ontology.This method ultimatelyappeals to a very subtle and special field,the Ontetic Field,under which everything isreduced to Being and is grounded by it. Applying of this method provides an entry to considering the problematic of theself in the ontetic field in which the being of the self is encountered as an epiphany ofBeing that is immersed in and,at the same time,present to Being.The keen relationof 'Being’and the 'being’of the self is exposed as a performative,existentialexperience called the unitary consciousness.This moment implies that there is nosubject (mind,etc.)in modern subjectivistic sense;the subject is only a self as unitaryconsciousness. In this context,the llluminative philosophy is also directed to answering somemajor problems that arise from modern subjectivism,including our consciousness ofprivate states(esp.senses and body),reflective (ISubject-Objectlive)knowledge andour grasping of the reality of objects. On this basis,some immediate conclusions are set forth,including(i)arefutation of a triple trap which follows from the ontological crisis:skepticism,solipsismand idealism;(ii)the agreement of the liluminative theory with common sense;and(iii)a suggestion as to how one could read the authors of modern theories of the self inan Illuminative context. UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM Faculty Of Art DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY # The Unitary Consciousness:

FAQs

What is the main goal of this research project?

To investigate whether illuminative elements can be used to resolve the ontological crisis in Western epistemology of the self.

How does the research explain the historical dismissal of the self’s “being”?

It argues that detaching epistemology from ontology—starting from modern priorities like cogito over sum—led modern theories to dismiss the being of the self.

What role does the Illuminative Method play in the proposed solution?

The method reconstructs the idea that epistemology based on essence cannot be separated from ontology, ultimately grounding everything in Being through the Ontetic Field.

Jul 6, 2026

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