The Third Way
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Background A human being is born with a variable response to the environment. We will refer to the environment as the universe. In order to survive and to successfully manipulate elements of the universe, a human being must learn how to behave. The behavior of a human being must be consistent with the constraints imposed by genetics, societal laws, and universal laws. When this is not the case, there will be conflict and disorganization resulting in the decline of functionality. In order to maximize degrees of freedom in behavior, a human being must find a way to minimize the effects of constraints. Ideally, the actions of a human being should have maximal variation while maintaining maximal consistentcy with the universe. The principle is simple. We can't eradicate the constraints, but if we reduce the size of the constraints, there will be more space to move around them. From the perspective of a human being, the universe is a network of concepts. If we compress the concepts, they occupy less mental space. As a result, there is more mental freedom. It is important that our compressed concepts remain valid and true. If that is not the case, then we become subject to destructive interference effects between our actions and the actions of the universe. When our thoughts and subsequently our actions are consistent with the universe, we maintain a high grade of energy. High-grade energy is highly organized while low-grade energy is highly disorganized. An example of high-grade energy is electricity and an example of low-grade energy is heat. We can show that all of the major systems of thought have as their goal the acquisition of high-grade energy. These systems range from religion to science to philosophy and to spirituality. They all have the same goal although that goal is expressed in different ways. Religions promote the elimination of conflict. That requires organized behavior. Science seeks to understand the universe. That requires knowledge that is highly organized. Philosophy seeks the truth. The truth is pure and untainted. Spirituality wants to connect to the essence of the universe. That requires the greatest subtlety.
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About the Book
In this day and age, people are challenged by an information-rich environment that is filled with erratic and inconsistent concepts. Added to the pre-existing struggle to adhere to societal and physical laws, we must struggle to control our own physical, emotional, and intellectual systems. By projecting the basic structure of physics into a psychological framework, we model disorganized behavior as a product of entropy or disorder. As heat energy is highly entropic, we propose that the exclusion of heat energy from our intellectual system reduces the intrinsic entropy in our thinking and promotes mental harmony. We refer to this method as the third way. Along with the exclusion of heat, it includes a balance between positive and negative mental energy that is fundamentally related to meaning and abstraction. This produces a still point and from the equilibrium of this still point emerges a positive overtone that we refer to as meta-positivity. The third way is so named in reference to the first way and the the second way. Essentially, the first way produces control of the physical system. The second way produces control of the emotional system, and the third way produces control of the intellectual system.
About the Author
The author Louis Houston is currently a research scientist at the Louisiana Accelerator Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and has been in academia for nineteen years. Prior to academia, the author was a research geophysicist for Exxon. He has three degrees, including a PhD in physics from Rice University in Houston, Texas. His work has been focused on imaging problems in seismic theory, but currently involves applied mathematics. The author has a diverse range of interests which include painting and music. In both of these areas, the author has worked professionally. He has a strong interest in quantum mechanics and information theory, but also has interests in philosophy, including Eastern philosophy. The author has always treasured the pursuit of knowledge and the support of family members and close friends. Communication is considered to be very important and is a primary motivation for writing. The author lives in Youngsville, Louisiana and commutes regularly to Lafayette, Louisiana to work and to visit his mother. He has two sisters and maintains a close relationship with both. Music is an important factor. When he is not listening to music, the author entertains himself on guitar. He has personally produced several CDs of original music.