The Metaphysics of Narcissistic Autism

Autism as a metaphysical disorder in relation to economics, anxiety, and narcissism

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton, who is now speculated to be neurologically autistic, re-introduced atomism into physics in the 17th century. Atomism was originally an ancient Greek theory which asserts that the material world is made up of mechanical individual units called “atoms”. These atoms arbitrarily move inside of a void to construct things. This view purposely abolished the Aristotelian view of archetypes (essences) and intentionality (teleology) in biology, ecology, ethics, social life, and all other domains.

The etymology of the word autism is traced to the concept of “autonomous”. The prefix of the word “autism” comes from the Greek “autos” which means “self”. Autism is the doctrine of the individual unit. This is commonly phrased as “looking inside one’s self to find one’s self” without reference to anything external.

In this post we will look at Metaphysical Autism as a disorder relating to social life, economics, and narcissism. This is not to use the word “autism” in a derogatory way toward neurologically diagnosed individuals as is common on the internet, but to look at it in it’s root etymological context and ascribe it to mass-society.

The Teleological Bee

Prior to Newton reviving Autism in physics, Aristotle’s natural teleology (hylomorphism) was used to explain the purpose of movement in the world. Under this view, the entire planet exists as a rational eco-system, where each thing has an archetypal essence with a first cause and final ends. A world of interdependence where all things rationally strive toward their ideal Form. Bees pollinate flowers, flowers grow from pollination, animals eat the flowers, humans use the eco-system to survive and live in community together etc.. In this view, it is not possible for a single individual thing to exist as ontologically independent. Each thing is dependent on, and pre-supposed by another thing to exist, and all things participate in universal forms, but only man can understand the Forms by his mind (nous).

Pine trees, which have numerous ecological purposes, grow together in acidic soil where invasive species cannot grow around them. The pine tree’s essence is already in place as a seed (which is spread by squirrels and birds), where it grows in a process of Becoming toward it’s Form (ideal archetype). Some may say Love is the rational force that moves things toward their natural ends, Love for the creator who’s mind holds the ideal archetypes of all things. This view is often called “Platonic Realism”.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20

William of Ockham, Medieval Theologian

Before Newton re-introduced Autism to physics, William of Ockham introduced nominalism to late-medieval theology in the 14th century. Nominalism is the active metaphysics of Autism. Nominalist logic and theology denies universals (also known as essences or archetypes) in Nature, and instead asserts universal attributes (ontological categories) are artificial constructs of the mind. This means that people or things are isolated particulars that exist without predicates, pre-suppositions, or relations. Every individual person or thing self-exists independently.

In other words, Metaphysical Autism views the world as being made of unrelated particular things without archetypes. Descriptions are only artificial or convenient, not something that objectively exists beyond sense-perception. A “mother” is simply a person who gave birth. Any relation to her child is only out of social necessity or convenience. “Mother” or “Motherhood” is not an ideal form or archetype that objectively exists (in the mind of God), and that mothers universally participate in. It is instead a mechanical process made of particular variables that can be re-arranged if needed (convenient for the transhumanist crowd). Metaphysical Autism can only focus on particulars, not the universal whole which the particulars are apart of. The ideal form is more real than the particulars participating in the ideal form because the particulars could not exist without the ideal form.

The Metaphysically Autistic Mind

For example, each particular person’s birth is dependent on a chain of ontological dependencies. The child is dependent on the parents, the parents are dependent on the family, the family is dependent on the community, the community is dependent on the tribe/nation, all of these are contingent on the natural (cosmic) order. All of the particulars (people) in this chain participate in universal archetypes for stability.

When we meet someone new, we first inquire what nation they are from. Then what area of the nation. Then what sub-culture of the area. Then we inquire about their particular interests to know their personal distinctions from the whole. If a scientist is studying a horse and it dies, the scientist has not lost his observations about horses because the scientist is collecting information that applies to the universal horse. Aristotle argues that humans intuitively (noetically) deal in ideal universals before they move onto particulars, showing the mother is more real than the woman:

Aristotle’s Physics Book 2:

 Therefore it is necessary to proceed from universals to particulars: for the whole is more knowable in sense perception, and the universal is a certain whole, while the universal embraces many things as parts…

And small children at first call all men fathers and all women mothers, and later they distinguish each one of these

This is the failure of parenthood in the 20th century. The separation of particulars from universals. Parents see no essential relation between themselves and their offspring, or that they have a concrete and ontological role as a parent within the teleological natural order. To most parents in the 20th century, parenthood is a biological event of necessity and nothing else. Them being a parent is simply a label or word that carries no innate characteristics derived from the larger natural order within it. Only a few sentimental or social obligations are required. Hence, so many parents acting more immature than their children.

mfw particulars without universals

Hyper-fixation in Metaphysical Autism is common due to neurotic anxiety. In a reality of unrelated variables in flux, there is nothing but atoms violently clashing against each other, only stopping if mutual benefit is possible. Metaphysical Autism may hyper-fixate on something like money or sex as a substance that gives the world stability and form. “Money makes the world go round” is the 20th century Autistic axiom (phrase coined by Fred Ebb, lyricist from Manhattan). With ontological relation not existing in Autism, money or sex can be the artificial teleology that unifies people together by necessary force.

Metaphysical Autism is the basis of the world-wide Baal economy by keeping people in a mindset of aimless fluidity, moving from fixation to fixation. When universal-archetypes don’t exist, neither does place, family, natural order, or anything else that would provide ontological stability as a necessary pre-supposition to a person’s identity. Individuals can be arbitrarily moved around from place to place as portable labor for boom-bust cycles. Economic activities are disconnected from first causes or end goals in a pointlessly Autistic production/consumption relationship.

Metaphysical Autism also allows the ruling “elite” to re-construct the world to how they see fit. There are no natural laws to be abided by, the world is made of irrational and hostile particulars that must be constructed into something “efficient”. “The economy” becomes it’s own artificial teleology. People will tell themselves “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” or some other Nietzschean axiom to justify the flux.

Christ and the Teleological Lilly

Metaphysical Autism does not allow one to live in the moment as a whole. Part of the modern condition is being constantly lost in far-away abstractions like politics and media, or hyper-fixated on an object of sense-perception. Autistic technological development requires this disordered social/mental chaos, because it needs to create problems to solve. Faith in one sense, is the belief that all variables are rationally ordered with universals, so there is no need to hyper-fixate on particulars looking for stability. Jesus touches on this by pointing out the ontological supremacy of the teleological flower over the neurotically mechanical Solomon’s Temple:

28 And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. - Matthew 6:28-29

Myth of Narcissus

Narcissus autistically fixates on a distorted image of himself in the water’s reflection. Metaphysical Autism quickly becomes solipsistic narcissism. Both traits see a distorted image of themselves in relation to a distorted world. Because of the borderline solipsistic condition and lack of ontological relation, they see people and objects around them as formless matter that exists for them to re-arrange for their own self-empowerment.

Narcissus’ despair is that he could not have the distorted image that he saw of himself in the water (formless matter is also commonly represented by water in ancient literature). The narcissist cannot see themselves in relation to the whole or the universal. The family, community, nation, God etc.., these are just platitudes. For those (mass-society) inoculated with neurotic narcissism, it is not difficult to deliver an unending stream of fixations.

Similar to Narcissus drowning from staring at himself in the water’s reflection, Augustine of Hypo said “every disordered soul is it’s own punishment”.