Thought Thinking Itself

The theory of Reflection being presented here is an example of 'thought thinking itself', as Aristotle put it. But for Aristotle, such pure intellectual activity is the essence of Philosophy, and the highest achievement of any rational being. In contrast, the presentation of a theory of Reflection is quite definitely not the ultimate purpose of the project here. Instead, that theory helps to illustrate the Formal Prinicple in human Individuals, which, taken in combination with a Material Principle, constitutes a theory of Conduct, that is itself crucial to the Ethical theory that will eventually be discussed. It is because Aristotle had no analogous Material Principle that his Formal Principle also qualifies as his highest Ethical principle. Perhaps the epochal achievement of the Critique of Pure Reason is to counter Aristotle's valorization of Pure Reason, by demonstrating its limits, in the course of explaining how the proper sphere of Reason is Practice. Marxism and Pragmatism are continuations of this anti-Aristotelianism, whereas Analytic Philosophy, insofar as its aim is to clear up intellectual confusion, is reactionary Aristotelianism. A currently popular hybrid of Analytic Philosophy, e. g. Russell, and Pragmatism, e. g. Dewey, with the later Wittgenstein as its paradigm, defines Philosophy as a 'therapeutic' discipline. Now, 'therapy' presupposes a concept of 'health', so lacking an explicit discussion of that concept, as seems to be the case with this hybrid, it is more Russell than Dewey. Anyway, a pure Aristotelian might argue that the Formaterial theory of Reflection here has fallen short of the highest level of pure Intellectual Reflection. To be sure, there has been no discussion of intellectual operations such as Logic, Mathematics, etc. But the position here is that they are all fundamentally combinations of Unity and Multiplicity, and, hence, are derivative Form-Matter combinations. Also, some thinkers seem to have insisted that there is a further level of Consciousness to be achieved--a Reflection on Reflection, that, for example, produces 'an idea of an idea', a sphere of incorporeality. Now, there is no denying that Reflection is a representation of its object, nor that further representation occurs. But the latter is not a more rarefied level of Reflection, but, rather, is Retention, as part of Memory processes. Confusing Reflection and Memory has not only bred much Philosophical mischief over the centuries, but is likely at the root of the 'Narcissistic' tendencies that are the focus of contemporary Psychology.