By Mike Zonta, BB editor (and ChatGPT)
Me: Do you know how to Translate using the 5 steps as taught by The Prosperos?
ChatGPT: Yes. In the teachings of [The Prosperos], “Translation” is described as a five-step process of “straight thinking in the abstract.” The steps are:
- Statement of Being (Ontology)
Begin with the basic syllogism: “Truth is that which is so. That which is not truth is not so. Therefore Truth is all there is.” - Sense Testimony
State the situation, problem, or appearance as it is presented by the senses. For example: “I am lonely,” “People are divided,” or “Sometimes love hurts.” - Argument
Compare and contrast the absolute truth of Step 1 with the relative experience described in Step 2. This is the reasoning process that challenges the assumptions contained in the sense testimony. - Filter the Conclusions
Examine the conclusions reached in the argument and discard those that do not follow from the ontological premise of Truth. - Overall Conclusion (Translation)
State the final conclusion in terms of absolute truth rather than sense testimony.
A later description associated with the Prosperos summarizes the same process with slightly different labels: Statement of Being, Uncovering the Lie, Argument, Summing Up the Results, and Establishing the Absolute.
Since you’re familiar with the Prosperos, I can also walk through a complete example of a Translation if you’d like.
Me: Yes, please.
ChatGPT: Here’s a simple example using the statement “I am lonely.”
1. Statement of Being (Ontology)
The Prosperos typically begin with:
Truth is that which is so. That which is not Truth is not so. Therefore Truth is all there is.
From this perspective, Truth is considered whole, complete, and undivided.
2. Sense Testimony
State the appearance or problem:
I am lonely.
This is not yet accepted as Truth; it is simply the report of the senses or feelings.
3. Argument
Now compare the sense testimony with the Statement of Being.
For example:
- If Truth is all there is, then separation cannot be ultimate reality.
- Loneliness depends upon the idea that I am separate from love, life, or others.
- What is truly whole cannot actually be deprived of wholeness.
- Therefore loneliness may be an appearance or belief rather than the deepest truth about being.
The argument can be much longer, but the purpose is to reason from the ontological premise rather than from the problem.
4. Filter the Conclusions
Keep only conclusions consistent with the Statement of Being.
For example:
- “I am permanently cut off from love” does not follow from the premise.
- “My present feeling does not define what I truly am” does follow.
- “Wholeness is fundamental” does follow.
5. Overall Conclusion (Translation)
State the conclusion in terms of Truth rather than appearance.
Something like:
In Truth I am whole, complete, and inseparable from life. Loneliness is an appearance in consciousness, not the reality of my being.
The goal of Translation in the Prosperos system is not primarily to solve a practical problem but to move one’s thinking from identification with appearances to identification with what it regards as Absolute Truth.
If you’d like, give me any statement—”I am afraid,” “I am getting older,” “Someone rejected me,” “The world is divided,” etc.—and I’ll walk through a Prosperos-style Translation of it.
Me: Housing is too expensive.
ChatGPT: Using the Prosperos-style “Translation” method described earlier, it might look something like this:
1. Statement of Being
Truth is that which is so. That which is not Truth is not so. Therefore Truth is all there is.
2. Sense Testimony
Housing is too expensive.
This is the appearance or condition being reported.
3. Argument
- If Truth is whole, complete, and abundant, then reality itself cannot be characterized by lack.
- The statement “Housing is too expensive” expresses a relationship between available resources and desired housing.
- The feeling of scarcity arises from the perception that there is not enough.
- But if Truth is abundance and completeness, then scarcity cannot be ultimate reality.
- Therefore the appearance of unaffordable housing cannot define the nature of Being itself.
4. Filter the Conclusions
Conclusions that do not follow from the Statement of Being:
- “I am condemned to lack.”
- “There is never enough.”
- “My well-being depends entirely on economic conditions.”
Conclusions that do follow:
- “Abundance is fundamental to Being.”
- “My true nature is not determined by appearances of scarcity.”
- “The appearance of limitation does not alter Truth.”
5. Translation
In Truth, abundance and sufficiency are present. The appearance that housing is too expensive reflects a perception of limitation, not the reality of Being. My true nature remains whole and provided for, regardless of present appearances.
One thing worth noting: a Prosperos Translation is not the same as an economic analysis. From an economic or political perspective, one could still argue that housing is objectively unaffordable in many places, including parts of San Francisco. The Translation method simply shifts the discussion from material conditions to what it regards as metaphysical Truth.
