The Whole Part

The Whole Part describes a basic model of cognition that uses mereology and reference to analyze our material and mental experience. The framework of continuous epistemological space, rather than discrete symbolic logic, is used to provide a formal foundation for thinking about reality. Mereological analysis of that space examines things in terms of their whole/part relationships, and referential analysis of that space examines things in terms of their reference/referent relationships. These analyses are used to illustrate the structure of our minds. Since our mental structures determine how reality is sensed and conceptualized, understanding those structures clarifies which aspects of our experience are due to the world, and which are due to various facets of our cognition. The intended audience of this book is one with an interest in the organizational and operational principles of our material and mental lives. The aim is to provide an understanding of the relationship of wholes to parts, references to referents, and how those relationships influence (and are influenced by) cognition. The basic model is simple by design: although it is predominantly independent of the latest complexities in neuroscience and physics, care is taken to ensure that it is compatible with those sciences.