The Consolation of Ontology: On the Substantial and Nonsubstantial Models

This text examines the theistic and materialistic forms of the substantial forms of reality - the notion that there is some substance, some thing , idea, being, or principle that creates, underlies or transcends the universe in which we live - showing how both forms are logically untenable and dangerous in their consequences. Egon Bondy’s writings represent a provocative philosophical examination of belief. He challenges the idea of ontological substance and demonstrates how the subsequent teleology of a higher level of being establishes a pattern of privilege and subordination in human relationships. In contrast, the nonsubstantial alternative - prefigured by the thinking cultures which developed independently of Greece - the author argues, is simpler, more logically consistent and removes all limits to freedom and creativity. This thesis shows how the struggle for genuine freedom, equality and ontological clarity presuppose each other and are mutually independent.