The 6×6×6×6×6 Structure of Knowledge: From Reality to Mind to Cognition (edited)

I. The Six Levels of Reality: The Ontological Foundation

All knowledge begins in reality, which, according to Instancology, is structured in six ontological levels derived from the 2×2 relational core:

1. Simple Relative – Naïve being, unexamined existence (pure AR or RR without reflexivity).

2. Simple Absolute – Direct projection of Absoluteness (primitive AA).

3. Relative–Relative (RR) – Relational chains between relative instances.

4. Relative–Absolute (RA) – Relative cognition reaching toward universal laws.

5. Absolute–Relative (AR) – Absoluteness expressed into relative forms (e.g., life, logic).

6. Absolute–Absolute (AA) – The unconditioned, originless, ultimate source.

Reality is not flat but layered. Each level demands a corresponding mode of mind and cognition. Knowledge cannot be fully explained without anchoring back to this ontological scaffold.

II. The Six Levels in Biology: The Cognitive Subject

Biologically mind is not a singular organ but a multi-level being. Each layer of reality interacts with a corresponding layer of the mind, forming six structured layers of cognition:

1. Mind – The faculty of holding awareness (pure potential).

2. Consciousness – The field where awareness is directed.

3. Thinking – Active conceptual structuring.

4. Soul – The emotional-intentional drive behind cognition.

5. Desire – Motivational force drawing cognition toward goals or objects.

6. Action – Embodied realization of knowledge; manifestation.

Each mind level cognizes differently. Some receive (e.g., Consciousness), some structure (Thinking), and others project (Desire, Action). This gives rise to different types of knowledge.

III. The Six Types of Knowledge: The Cognitive Product

Knowledge itself appears in six modalities, depending on which part of reality it engages and which layer of the mind is active:

1. Relative Knowledge – Facts, appearances, sensory phenomena.

2. Absolute Knowledge – First principles, logic, life, existence.

3. Relative–Absolute Knowledge – Laws, ethics, mathematics.

4. Relative–Relative Knowledge – Memory, opinion, empirical science.

5. Absolute–Relative Knowledge – Language, cultural forms, symbols.

6. Absolute–Absolute Knowledge – Intuition of AA; pure metaphysical truth.

These are not equal in depth. Some (like RR knowledge) are changeable; others (like AA knowledge) are foundational. All six are necessary for full comprehension.

IV. The Six Sides of Cognition: Epistemology

The mind does not encounter knowledge in a vacuum. Cognition occurs along six relational sides, which define how the subject meets the object:

1. Simple Subjective – Inward feeling, private intuition.

2. Simple Objective – Outward observation, raw sense-data.

3. Subjectively Objective – Interpretation of facts.

4. Subjectively Subjective – Introspection, self-reflection.

5. Objectively Subjective – Scientific observation of inner life.

6. Objectively Objective – Logic, metaphysics, universal truths.

These sides anchor cognition in different domains. They represent the angle from which the mind engages reality.

V. The Six Tools of Knowing: Cognitive Methods

To operate across these sides, levels, and knowledge types, the mind uses six tools, each suited to specific domains:

1. Intuition – Direct, structureless grasp (toward AA).

2. Experience – Sensory input (toward AR/RR).

3. Understanding – Pattern assimilation and framing.

4. Reason – Abstract inference, system-building.

5. Primitive WuXing – Cultural, metaphorical, emotional cognition.

6. Absolute WuXing – Structured metaphysical thinking aligned with AA and RA.

These are not merely tools; they are portals. Without them, certain types of knowledge are inaccessible.

Summary Table

Layer | Description | Instances

------|-------------|----------

Reality (6) | Ontological Levels | SR, SA, RR, RA, AR, AA

Mind (6) | Cognitive Faculties | Mind, Consciousness, Thinking, Soul, Desire, Action

Knowledge (6) | Modes of Knowing | Rel, Abs, RA-K, RR-K, AR-K, AA-K

Cognition (6) | Relational Sides | Subj., Obj., S-O, S-S, O-S, O-O

Tool (6) | Methods | Intuition, Experience, Understanding, Reason, PWX, AWX

Total structure:

6 (Reality levels) × 6 (Mind levels) × 6 (Knowledge types) × 6 (Cognitive sides) × 6 (Tools) = 6⁵ = 7,776 epistemological configurations.

This is not over-complexity. It is epistemological completeness, mapping the entire terrain of knowing from the Absolute to the empirical.

Conclusion: Toward the End of Fragmented Philosophy

Traditional philosophies isolate one level or one tool—Plato's intuition, Hume’s experience, Kant’s understanding, Descartes’ reason—but never integrated the full relational map. Instancology alone provides the 6×6×6×6×6 framework, linking:

- The source of being (Reality),

- The agent of knowing (Mind),

- The product of knowing (Knowledge),

- The angle of knowing (Cognition),

- The method of knowing (Tool).

This structure is both hierarchical and circular, metaphysical and operational, and stands as a final architecture for human epistemology.

Philosophy ends where structure begins. The map of knowing is now complete.