Welcome Guide
Pausing for a moment, you open the short pamphlet and begin to read...
WELCOME TO THE ELEATIC TEMPLE
The Eleatic Temple nurtures a philosophy of unrivaled breadth. Adherents consider the broadest metaphysical principles and ensure that they are honoured as the scope of enquiry narrows. Our beliefs are secured by necessary inferences; philosophy is rooted in necessity.
To prepare for your initiation into the Eleatic Mysteries, you should familiarise yourself with two metaphysical principles: Being and Distinction.
Being refers to the omnipresent "is" that subsumes all meaning or significance. It is the Whole; ontological presence writ large. Whatever particular thing we may reference, it "is", for it necessarily has some ontological presence or significance. To assist newcomers with recognising this omnipresent use of the term, we may call it “Eleatic Being”. Depending on the speaker and their immediate emphasis, it might also be termed the Whole, the One, the Mystery, the Flood, or even Nothing. At any rate, Being in its broadest sense is omnipresent and constitutes the greatest context we might consider.
Distinction is the second broadest metaphysical principle. This principle is necessary for one to plead with particularity. It is difference, that which is referenced when we say one thing is "other than" another, and it provides the only coherent understanding of negation. Absent distinctions, the philosophical project would be impossible. Note that all distinctions interrelate, for they are all unified within the broader context of Being.
The omnipresence of Being results in significant consequences. Almost all popular accounts of reality are overthrown. Being subsumes Distinction, yet Distinction is still so broad that it encompasses any particular thing we may perceive. This temple and the people who maintain it are wholly subsumed by Being and Distinction, and so are you.
The exhibits in our temple focus on the metaphysical context and its ramifications. During your visit, it will become evident that the term “is” does not admit of gradation, that Being is whole and inviolate, and that talk of "ontological creation and destruction" is incomprehensible gibberish. Being is an omnipresent permanence that, per our experiences within its breadth, admits of relative Distinction.
This knowledge is a great gift. When you know that you are anchored in place, you will exalt in your existence. An ode reads, "In fear and trembling, As if approaching a deep abyss, As if walking on thin ice." We both respect and go beyond such concerns. It is also said, "If there were many, they ought to be of just the same sort as the One is." To know the One is to know the context that binds all things.
After reading the pamphlet carefully, you fold it up and place it in your pocket. Perhaps it will come in handy during the visit.