1. Basic Postulates
The Starting Point and Direction of Thinking
Traditional systems of logic have focused primarily on the laws and forms of thought, but Unification logic begins by considering, first of all, the starting point of thinking itself. Unification logic starts from the question as to why thinking takes place at all, and then examines the forms and laws of thought.
Why does a human being think? The reason is that, prior to the creation of the universe, God engaged in thinking. That is, prior to the creation of the universe, God established the purpose of actualizing love based on Heart, and then made plans in accordance with that purpose. That constituted His thinking, or Logos (Word) Accordingly, a human being, who is created in God’s likeness, establishes the purpose of actualizing love based on heart, and then proceeds to think in order to accomplish that purpose; that is the original way of human thinking. Purpose here refers to the “purpose for being created” which consists of the “purpose for the whole” and the “purpose for the individual.”
The purpose for the whole is to serve, with love, one’s family, neighbors, nation, and all humankind, to please them, and moreover, to please God. The purpose for the individual is to satisfy one’s own desires. Ultimately, these dual purposes are the purposes for which the human being should live and for these purposes, the human being engages in thinking. Between the purpose for the whole and the purpose for the individual, the former should be given priority. Therefore, thinking is to be carried out primarily to actualize the purpose for the whole, and secondarily to actualize the purpose for the individual. Hence, the purpose for the individual is for the purpose for the whole. Thus, originally human beings are supposed to think not for the purpose of satisfying their own individual purpose, but for the purpose of loving others. This is the starting point, and the direction, of original thinking.
The Standard of Thinking
What is the standard of thinking? Just as Unification ontology and Unification epistemology find their foundation in the Original Image, so too, the system of Unification logic has its foundation in the original Image. Therefore, the standard of thinking is in the Original Image, and that is the logical structure of the Original Image; namely, the inner developmental four position foundation and the formation of Logos (plan). In other words, the standard of thinking is the harmonious give and receive action that takes place between the Inner Sungsang and Inner Hyungsang centering on the purpose based on Heart.
Related Fields
Another point that should be mentioned before proceeding to the main topic is the relationship between logic and other fields. Formal logic does not deal with the relationship with other fields. Then, in order to correct its deficiency, dialectical logic and transcendental logic appeared as its alternatives. In Unification logic, the starting point of thinking is the actualization of the purpose of creation based on God’s love, and its standard is the logical structure of the Original Image; therefore, there is a wide range of related fields. This is because the origin of thinking is God’s Word (Logos), or God’s plan, and every field of culture is established based on this plan.
In the Original Image, the inner developmental four position foundation, through which Logos is formed, is the first part of the “two-stage structure of creation.” Consequently, Logos, which is the Word, and at the same time a set of universal laws, functions in all created things.
Similarly, logic is related to all other fields, since the inner developmental four position foundation (the logical structure) is related to the outer developmental four position foundation, in the formation of the two-stage structure of creation.
The inner four position foundation in the two-stage structure of creation becomes the logical structure, and the outer four position foundation becomes the structure of cognition, and the structure of dominion. The structure of cognition, which is the four position foundation in the acquisition of knowledge from nature, is formed in scientific research, and the structure of dominion is the four position foundation formed in production and practice, such as in industry, government, education, art, and so on. Thus, logic, which is based on the logical structure, is closely related to all other cultural fields, which are based on the structures of cognition and dominion.
Structure of the Original Image
Here, I can briefly review the structure of the Original Image. As explained before, the Original Image consists of the two stages of the inner and outer four position foundations. This structure is called the “two-stage structure of the Original Image.” The similar two-stage structure in created beings is called the “two-stage structure of existence.” Further, each of the inner and outer four position foundations assumes an identity-maintaining nature and a developmental nature, thus forming the identity-maintaining and developmental four position foundations. The inner and outer developmental four position foundations are called the “two-stage structure of creation.”
Since every created being is made in the likeness of these two-stage structures, every individual truth being possesses the “two-stage structure of existence” and the “two-stage structure of creation.” Therefore, in human beings, the structure of logic, structure of cognition, structure of existence, and structure of dominion all assume the two-stage structures; thus, every four position foundation formed in our daily lives necessarily assumes the two-stage four position foundation, or two-stage structure.
This also means that any field in which the formation of the inner four position foundation is emphasized, and any area in which the formation of the outer four position foundation is emphasized are in a complementary relationship to each pedagogy, and others, which are mainly related to the activity of dominion, thus focusing on the outer structure, are in a mutually complementary relationship. In conclusion, all the two-stage structures in human society derive from the two-stage Structure of the Original Image; therefore they are all interrelated (see fig. 10.10).
