“We do not encounter the world; we co-individuate it in every act of attention.”
Most readers navigate a world governed by everyday realism. In this framework:
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The world exists independently of perception or construal.
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Objects, events, and entities have properties that are “there” regardless of observation.
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Meaning is projected onto reality, not emergent from it.
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Truth is absolute or at least discoverable by sufficient diligence.
This is the worldview most people operate under without thinking: the sun rises independently of your attention, a chair exists whether or not you sit in it, and a fact remains factual irrespective of context.
1. Relational Ontology’s Reframing
Relational ontology, as developed across this blog, shifts the terms:
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Reality is relational, not intrinsic.There is no “unconstrued” phenomenon. Every phenomenon exists as construed by some perspective or interaction.
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Instances are perspectival actualisations of structured potential.Systems are theories of possible instances, not aggregates of fixed objects. What appears as an individual entity is always an instantiation of broader systemic potential.
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Meaning is emergent, not projected.Semiotic processes do not merely label a pre-existing world. They constitute the world as meaningful. Constraints enable articulation; surplus preserves inexhaustible potential.
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Truth is perspectival, not absolute.What is “true” in one construal may not exhaust the possibilities of other construals. Truth is not a static property; it is a product of the ongoing relational unfolding of instances.
2. Everyday Realism vs. Relational Ontology
| Feature | Everyday Realism | Relational Ontology |
|---|---|---|
| Ontological stance | Objects exist independently | Phenomena exist as construed |
| Meaning | Projected onto world | Emergent through construal |
| Truth | Absolute / discoverable | Perspectival, provisional |
| System | Composed of fixed entities | Structured potential for instances |
| Surplus / excess | N/A / anomaly | Central to generativity and exploration |
3. Why the Distinction Matters
Failing to appreciate this difference risks misreading earlier posts:
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Nonsense is not meaningless because the world is “fixed” — it operates on the relational generation of surplus.
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Myth and luminous experience are not deviations from reality — they are explorations of its relational structure.
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Surplus is not statistical noise — it is a persistent feature of potential actualisations.
Everyday realism assumes the world exists first and meaning attaches afterward. Relational ontology insists that world, meaning, and instance co-emerge in a perpetual, structured interplay.
4. A Gentle Reminder
This is a lens, not a denial of ordinary experience. Walking on the street, drinking tea, or reading a newspaper still feels “real.” Relational ontology does not make the world vanish — it makes its meaning visible as always mediated, never absolute, always perspectival, and always open to surplus.
Aphorism:“Reality is not discovered; it is construed. And each construal leaves room for more.”
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