Has Outsider David Birnbaum Trumped the Entire Academic Establishment?
The Quest for Potential Theory challenges for the throne.
By Candice McMillan - November 9, 2014
David Birnbaum (see David1000.com) of Manhattan is a yeshiva-educated and Harvard educated independent scholar. His multi-decade ‘night job’ focus has been metaphysics – the origins and purpose of the cosmic order. To this end, over the years he has crafted a three-part treatise Summa Metaphysica; the extraordinary treatise delineates Birnbaum’s original and elegant Potentialism Theory.
Birnbaum first focuses on cosmic origins: What ignited the Cosmic Order? As is known, the world’s greatest thinkers and scientists have been stymied here. The list of luminaries, who have tried and failed on this score, is a long one; Socrates, Plato and Aristotle lead-off the list (see ExaminerPurpose.com). Intellectual maverick David Birnbaum was undeterred. His Theory of Potential now challenges for the pinnacle in the pantheon of ideas on this subject.
Birnbaum’s Quest for Potential Theory proposes that there is indeed a protagonist to the cosmic order, but that the protagonist is a ‘quest,’ and not an entity. According to the theory, the universe quests for its maximal potential. Birnbaum’s proposed core dynamic, Quest for Potential∞ strives with purpose towards ever-greater and richer potential (see TheoryCore.com). As individuals, man and woman seek his or her individual potential, so too do the cosmic order as a whole. Birnbaum delineates a pure and powerful scientific theory of design and purpose pivoting off of this one theme of potential. (See also www.summametaphysica.com/the-q4p/).
At the ‘beginning of time’, according to Birnbaum’s hypothesis, eternal Quest for Potential∞ harnessed the eternal equations of Physics-Mathematics to ignite our universe via the Big Bang (see ParadigmChallenge). This same symbiotic dynamic – Quest for Potential∞ in league with Physics-Math, then acted as a catalyst for life, evolution, language, emotion, consciousness, and, indeed, for all the dynamics which have evolved in the universe.
The theory (see PotentialismTheory.com) is stunning in its relative simplicity and conciseness. It almost seems too good to be true. However since first proposed by David Birnbaum in 1988, no flaw has been found in it – and high-level academics and clergy globally have praised it. In the meanwhile, over a dozen colleges –including UCLA, Brandeis and Hebrew University (Jerusalem) have assigned it as a Course Text. Bard College (Upstate NY) whose motto is ‘a place to think’ hosted a major 3 ½ day international academic conference (see Conference1000.com) focused on the work’s unification of Science and Religion. Over two dozen journals have featured Birnbaum’s Summa Metaphysica and its Theory of Potential (see SummaCoverage.com).
Birnbaum’s Quest for Potential theory seeks to dethrone the reigning academic theory of choice – Randomness/atheism. According to this entrenched academic theory, there is no order or design whatsoever to the universe; it is all random happenstance: The Big Bang, the billions of galaxies and their trillions of stars, life, humans, evolution, consciousness are all random occurrences which just so happened to dovetail in our little universe. There is no design or direction to the universe. Contemporary British philosophers swear by it. Birnbaum frontally challenges it.
Birnbaum’s Quest for Potential theory provides a ‘big tent’ embracing all who might see some design or spirituality or direction to the universe, hence the three typologies in his three volume titles: Religious, Spiritual and Secular Man. These typologies embrace around 99 percent of the planet. But even Birnbaum’s three typologies do not embrace the one percent of the planet which is hard-line atheistic, which rejects any possibility whatsoever of design or direction or purpose to the universe. As fate would have it, this one percent somehow gained hegemony in Britain’s elite universities which disproportionately control the top academic journals, hence the stand-off. See HuffPost2Scemas.com.
The ‘insider’ professorial atheist group is not happy with ‘outsider’ Birnbaum trying to beat them at their own game – and apparently prevailing. Rumor has it that the insider professorial atheist group wants to cut off some of his vital body parts. To-date, Birnbaum has adroitly parried all attacks; his own global academic counterattack has been formidable.
A global battle for the soul of metaphysics has ensued: Birnbaum’s Potentialism v. Atheism’s Randomnness. One guy against 1000. David v. Goliath? Stay tuned.
Potentialism Theory: The Summa series
Summa Metaphysica I: Religious Man: God and Evil (Ktav, November 1988);
Summa Metaphysica II: Spiritual Man: God and Good (New Paradigm Matrix, March 2005);
Summa Metaphysica III: Secular Man: The Transcendent Dynamic (New Paradigm Matrix, January 2014). See SummaMetaphysica.com.
Potentialism Theory: Dovetailing: MIT & NYU
Recent hi-level academic works dovetailing with Birnbaum’s Theory of Potential – and essentially vindicating his core thrust – include the following:
Programming the Universe (Knopf, 2006) by Professor of Quantum Mechanics Seth Lloyd of MIT;
Mind & Cosmos (Oxford Press, 2012) by Professor of Philosophy & Law Thomas Nagel of NYU;
Our Mathematical Universe (Knopf, 2014) by Professor of Physics Max Tegmark of MIT.