In the previous lectures, we have seen that our international society has three ongoing crises: China undergoing the process of democratization, which historically caused Germany, Italy and Japan to become expansionist, leading to World Wars I and II; the Islamic world facing the rise of military authorities, which, in Western civilization, led to the Thirty Years' War－the most devastating war up to that point of history; and the industrialized democracies of the West undergoing the process of democratic decay, which caused ancient Athens to collapse. We have also seen that the root cause of this historical cycle lies in the coexistence of idealism and realism in the world. Then, are there any ways for us to synthesize idealism and realism in order to free ourselves from the devastation of global war? Metaphysical engineering is the field in which such an exploration is to be conducted. Here in the final lecture, let's look at the field of metaphysical engineering.

(1) Field Survey of Physical Engineering

In order to understand the field of metaphysical engineering, first, we will start with looking at the field of physical engineering. This field is made up of a pyramid which mainly consists of three subdivisions: mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and chemical engineering. The pyramid also consists of four layers: theory, engineering, mechanics, and operations. It is shown in the diagram below.  Please click.

Physical Engineering Pyramid

Any engineering works we witness—airplanes, buildings, bridges, automobiles and so on—are possible because of the integration of these subdivisions. To highlight this point, let's look at the design and production of the airplane. In order to design and manufacture a modern airplane, all three subdivisions must be fully integrated. The modern commercial airplane consists of several prioritized factors. The first is flight. The airplane must go up in the air. For this, wings and engines must be designed, which is to be conducted in the field of mechanical engineering. Also, light-weight materials necessary for these parts are to be developed in the field of chemical engineering. The second is stability and control. Once it goes up, it must stay in the air stably. For this, tail wings, control cables and other parts need to be designed, which is to be conducted in the field of mechanical engineering.  The development of necessary materials is to be conducted in the field of chemical engineering. Recently, control devices using a computer were introduced.  This belongs to the field of electrical engineering. The third is navigation and communication. The pilot must know where s/he is and must be able to navigate the plane to a destination. Communication with the ground crew is also a necessity. For this, the field of electrical engineering offers technology necessary to develop radars and communication devices. Finally, a commercial airplane must provide passenger comfort. Mechanical engineering is necessary to control the air pressure of the cabin. Electrical engineering is necessary to control the cabin temperature and lighting, and to offer entertainment.

Further, in order to design and manufacture the modern airplane, all four layers must be fully integrated. No one layer alone can produce and operate the airplane as we now know it. First, the fundamental theoretical foundation of aerodynamics mainly consists of Bernoulli’s Principle.  Daniel Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician in the 18th century. He didn't know the existence of airplane. So, without the interaction between theory and engineering, his theory would have remained theoretical and have never been applied to flight.  It was Englishman George Cayley who applied the theory to design an airplane. He conducted experiments systematically, and examined the issues of lift and drag with mathematical formulae, opening the door to modern engineering. Entering the 20th century, such companies as Boeing and Douglas, using the same principles of lift and drag and thousands of engineers, would build bigger and faster modern aircrafts. Here, sometimes theories are developed independently, only to be used later for unintended purposes in engineering, but other times, engineers first encounter problems and then reach out to theorists for solutions.  Later, when the jet engine made it possible for the airplane to fly at close to the speed of the sound, approaching the sound barrier caused a problem called compressibility. The U.S. began its research in the 1940s. Scientist Max Munk studied the airflow around a hull of airships and came up with a mathematical formula to analyze it. Robert Jones later applied the Munk formula and discovered that the delta wing seemed to produce very low drag. These studies eventually led to the introduction of swept wings on high-speed airplanes. Once the design is completed, manufacturing begins. Here, the communication is not one-way, either. Once the production begins, mechanics sometimes find that the parts don’t fit. Then, they are sent back to the engineers for redesign. And finally when the prototype is made, a test pilot flies it to see if everything works. Any problems will be reported back to the engineering team for redesign.

(2) Field Survey of Metaphysical Engineering

Metaphysical engineering follows this example of physical engineering. Physical engineering is a field to explore ways to make the physical environment safe and convenient for people, while metaphysical engineering is a filed to explore ways to make non-physical environment safe and comfortable for people. The fundamentals are the same between the two.  The difference is that the former deals with visible physical objects such as buildings and bridges, while the latter deals with invisible objects such as political systems and ideologies. With common bases, there have to be many things we can learn.  Therefore, as establishing the new field, first, let's start with referring to the divisions and layers in physical engineering.

Same as in the physical engineering, metaphysical engineering has four layers: theory, engineering, mechanics and operation. There are two subdivisions: intelligence and emotion.  We can see it in the diagram below. Please click

Metaphysical Engineering Pyramid

(1) Theory: In Western Civilization, theories for intelligence have been traditionally studied in the field of philosophy, and those for emotion or soul have been dealt with in the field of religion.  

(2) Engineering: At this level, using the integrated theory of intelligence and emotion,  an actual metaphysical system to control Vico’s cycle should be designed. Currently, such an attempt has not been made regarding political systems. However, art has been carrying the active metaphysical engineering projects, even though it has declined over the past few centuries. This suggests that at this level, we need to look into the field of art, and then extract the essence to be used to establish a political metaphysical institution.  

(3) Mechanics: At this level, general engineering principles are adjusted to fit into specific historical and geopolitical situations. Currently, policy research institutions and government bureaucracies are taking this responsibility.

(4) Operation: At this level, specific policies for specific occasions are produced. The legislative and administrative branches of the government is taking this responsibility.

As in the field of physical engineering, there must be close communication and constant feedback between these subdivisions and layers. So, it is necessary to integrate all the currently separated fields. Philosophers must work with theologians and develop theories to integrate human intelligence and emotion.  Based on these theories, scholars in the fields divided in sociology, anthropology, political science, economics and others must cooperate to design realistic social systems. Once these systems are developed, politicians are to apply them to each situation adequately. Then, just as the results of physical experiments must be accurately recorded, these historical events must be recorded by historians with the least possible prejudice. If results are not what was intended, these events should be closely analyzed to find out what went wrong, and then common elements among individual events must be found in the field of political science and other academic branches.  Taking these common elements, philosophers will derive and explain fundamental principles. Once fundamental principles are revealed, they will be sent back up, where actual political systems are designed based on these principles. In these systems, politicians will execute actual policies.  This circular process in the metaphysical engineering pyramid will repeat.

(3) Metaphysical Engineering in Practice

When we find problems, it is important to deal with them at the suitable layer. The same thing applies to metaphysical engineering. Here, let's compare the two fields, using the examples of an airplane crush and World War II. Let's look at the table below.

When an airplane crushed, suppose the cause was the pilot error. Then, it should be handled at the layer of operation, such as retaining pilots. Suppose, then, it is found out that there was also metal fatigue in some parts of the body. This is a problem at the layer of mechanics.  If there is a problem at this layer, even if the pilot does not commit an error, an accident must happen eventually. Then again, suppose there was a design flaw in this particular model in which excessive load is applied to a certain part of the body, making it susceptible to metal fatigue. This goes beyond the mechanical problem. The model has to be redesigned. Further, if there is a problem in lift-to-drag ratio, no matter how wholesome the body may be, an accident will be unavoidable. Here, problems at the layer of theory are applicable to the entire aircraft industry; those at the layer of design, to a particular model of airplane; those at the layer of mechanics, to a specific airplane; and the layer of operation, to a specific flight. Each layer, therefore, has its own role to play. The theoretical layer has a wide range of applicability and can offer solutions to fundamental problems, but, at the same time, it is utterly useless to deal with such problems as how to fly in bad weather on a particular day. This kind of problem must be handled at the operational layer. For the daily operation, the two surface layers play important roles, while the bottom layers play major roles in the long run to invent safer aircrafts. 

In the case of World War II, the causes extend to all the layers. One is at the surface level of politics that it was because of the appeasement for Hitler. Another is at the level of political science that it was due to the breakdown of power balance in the international system due to the rise of newly industrializing powers (Germany, Italy and Japan). Yet another is at the level of philosophy that it was due to Vico's cycle. Finally, the deepest layer will interpret it as the failure of humanity to synthesize realism and idealism. The appeasement, interpretation at the surface layer, is applicable only to the specific circumstances right before World War II, while the failure in the balance of power can be applied to the periods extending decades before the war. Once we go down to the layer that deals with Vico's cycle, the applicability greatly increased to several civilizations.  At the same time, however, it will be useless to deal with situations at specific time and place. Solutions presented at the surface layers cannot offer any fundamental solutions, but it will take hundreds or thousands or years for the bottom layers to synthesize realism and idealism, and then to design a stable political system that would overcome Vico's cycle. Meanwhile, we have wars to deal with now. In this way, in metaphysical engineering, efforts at the surface layers to deal with problems of the current world will be necessary, while the bottom layers are to work hard for humanity to achieve safe and stable society.   

In this way, two fields have much in common.  At the same time, however, there must be differences. We must identify these differences and must make adjustments in adapting physical engineering to metaphysical engineering. One is size. Metaphysical engineering projects are much bigger than physical engineering. For example, just in terms of time, it usually takes several years for physical engineering projects to go through their planning, research and development, testing and production processes. In metaphysical engineering, it takes from generations to centuries to complete projects. We have just witnessed the failure of the Communist experiment. This has taken a quarter of a century to show the test results. So, trying to complete any metaphysical engineering project would be like trying to complete a physical engineering project when human life expectancy is a few months or years. How difficult would that be for a physical engineering project to be completed under such a condition? A serious adjustment must be made here. Because of this sheer size, metaphysical engineering can be conducted only within the idealist paradigm. Any individual contribution is too small to add up to something significant, so a pursuit for self-glory will never be satisfied.  

(4) The Final Synthesis

Now, in order for metaphysical engineering to be complete, it cannot be independent of physical engineering.   Therefore, these two must be incorporated. In order to conduct projects in physical engineering, first we must set the goal.  Do we want to develop a weapon for mass destruction, using quantum physics, or to develop a global communication system? This decision should be made in the field of metaphysical engineering. Therefore, the pyramid of physical engineering is to be incorporated into metaphysical engineering in the manner shown in the diagram below.  Please click.

Physical and Metaphysical Pyramid

Finally, the field cannot be isolated from society. The whole field should fit in where idealist pyramid presented in Lecture 5 are located. This pyramid is to be incorporated into the unconditional idealist realm, which is shown in the diagram below. Please click. When this pyramid is finally completed, humanity will have conquered the historical cycle to live in stable society without the fear of tragic armed conflicts.

Pyramid of Ideal Society

To conclude, we must say that Vico's cycle exists, but it is possible for us to control it, using metaphysical engineering, to establish a stable ideal society. Is it true? Do you see a flaw of logic somewhere?  Suppose it is possible, then, where do we start? We should continue our discussion on these and other related issues.  So, please go to the discussion forum and let us keep talking.