Paraphilosophy

Paraphilosophy

Paraphilosophy is an emergent branch of philosophy that maps any/all forms of truth claim within a self-consistent framework. It does so by using a truth table called the Dialectical Matrix, and plots a truth claim along the axes of mutability/immutability and determinateness/indeterminateness, which give rise to the four categories of truth statement: objective, subjective, abjective and superjective. It plots this relationship between truths as a recursive, self-referential framework that integrates traditionally contradictory philosophical truth systems, such as paradox, self-reference, contradiction, and the interplay between subjective and objective.

Overview

Paraphilosophy distinguishes itself from both classical and contemporary traditions by asserting that all philosophical theories arise from a finite structure of possible archetypal perspectives. These perspectives are shaped by two fundamental dualities—determinateness and indeterminateness & mutability and immutability. The axis of im/mutability refers to a truth claim's XYZ. The axis of in/determinitness refers to XYZ.

The Dialectical Matrix

At the heart of Paraphilosophy is the Dialectical Matrix, a conceptual model that maps all philosophical positions into four fundamental cognitive orientations. Each is derived from the intersection of two binary axes:

Determinateness vs. Indeterminateness: Is truth or reality fixed and knowable, or open and evolving? Mutability vs. Immutability: Is change fundamental to knowledge and values, or are there unchanging principles?

The four resulting modes of thought are:

• Abjectivism (Indeterminateness + Mutability)
• Objectivism (Determinateness + Mutability)
• Subjectivism (Indeterminateness + Immutability)
• Superjectivism (Determinateness + Immutability)

These orientations are not only theoretical—they are expressed across multiple domains: epistemology, ontology, axiology, political theory, logic, and conceptions of selfhood.

Cognitive Orientations

Each orientation within the Dialectical Matrix reflects a complete philosophical attitude—shaped by how it relates to determinateness (fixed vs. open structure) and mutability (changing vs. unchanging conditions). These orientations are modes of cognition that influence how one perceives truth, value, identity, and governance. Each orientation integrates a particular logic, epistemology, ontology, value system, and political attitude.

Abjectivism (Indeterminateness + Mutability)

Abjectivism reflects a fragmented but exploratory mode of thought. It recognizes that knowledge is uncertain and evolving, but still seeks internal coherence through structured, intuitive principles. It is intellectually cautious, willing to entertain contradiction and ambiguity without collapsing into relativism. It values personal rationality and principled frameworks while resisting absolutism.

• Mode: Introverted Thinking
• Logic: Paraconsistent & Paracomplete (contradictions tolerated, some gaps allowed)
• Epistemology: Synthetic A Priori – knowledge that is intuitive and structured but not derived from experience
• Ontology: Abstract Particular – non-empirical, specific concepts (e.g., imaginary numbers, symbols)
• Axiology: Objective Relative – values judged logically but context-dependent
• Politics: Authoritarian Individualism – central governance with protected individual liberty (e.g., state capitalism)
• Truth Status: Non-true & Non-false – knowledge not reducible to binary logic, exploratory by nature

Objectivism (Determinateness + Mutability)

Objectivism is the most familiar mode in modern scientific and rationalist thought. It assumes that truth exists in the external world and can be discovered through systematic observation. It embraces empiricism, consistency, and progress, seeing knowledge as always improvable through inquiry and data. Reality is objective and evolving, and values are grounded in practical, interpersonal terms.

• Mode: Extraverted Thinking
• Logic: Consistent & Paracomplete – contradictions are invalid, but gaps in knowledge are tolerated
• Epistemology: Synthetic A Posteriori – knowledge derived from and confirmed by experience
• Ontology: Concrete Particular – observable, material entities
• Axiology: Subjective Relative – values arise from social or individual preference
• Politics: Libertarian Individualism – maximum personal freedom with minimal interference (e.g., anarcho-capitalism)
• Truth Status: True & Non-false – truth is provisional but objective, verifiable by observation

Subjectivism (Indeterminateness + Immutability)

Subjectivism affirms that universal truths exist, but are accessible only through inner conviction, reason, and feeling, not through the external world. It tends to prioritize ideals, ethics, and internal principles over material evidence. Though sometimes in tension with empirical reality, it offers strong, coherent visions of meaning, morality, and purpose grounded in the abstract and eternal.

• Mode: Introverted Feeling
• Logic: Paraconsistent & Complete – contradictions may hold, but the system includes all meaningful judgments
• Epistemology: Analytic A Priori – logical, necessary truths independent of experience
• Ontology: Abstract Universal – ideal forms or archetypes (e.g., Truth, Beauty)
• Axiology: Objective Absolute – universal moral principles valid regardless of opinion
• Politics: Authoritarian Collectivism – moral order imposed collectively (e.g., state socialism, moral law)
• Truth Status: Non-true & False – internally valid truths dismissed by empirical standards, but essential to meaning

Superjectivism (Determinateness + Immutability)

Superjectivism is the most paradoxical and reflexive of the four. It holds that truth and contradiction coexist, and that reality is defined by its capacity to self-reference and self-organize. This orientation views paradox not as failure but as the generative principle of consciousness and Being. It seeks to unify all opposites through recursive, experiential awareness, especially as expressed in self-consciousness.

• Mode: Extraverted Feeling
• Logic: Paradoxical – simultaneously true and false statements are valid; contradiction is structural
• Epistemology: Analytic A Posteriori – truths justified by logic but revealed through experience (e.g., “I exist”)
• Ontology: Concrete Universal – the Self as a singular instance of the universal
• Axiology: Subjective Absolute – values known within and universally true through their realization
• Politics: Libertarian Collectivism – mutual, voluntary cooperation through ideal moral maturity (e.g., anarcho-socialism)
• Truth Status: True & False – truths that reveal themselves by being simultaneously consistent and contradictory

History

The term was first used by Baktash Khamsehpour in a treatise on Academia.edu on the subject. In his essay on the topic, he says, "With paraphilosophy it is possible to make analysis either objectively or subjectively or using both perspectives. It could be said that a subjective treatise could be as correct as an objective one or vice versa."

The topic gained mainstream interest when a video by philosopher Benjamin Davies claiming to "explain the universe in four minutes" went viral, with the topic being about paraphilosophy. Davies has advanced the study significantly with his book on the subject, The Shape of Knowledge.

References

This article "Paraphilosophy" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Paraphilosophy. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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