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The Twelve Ways of Seeing the World

Throughout history, people have tried to explain life and the universe in different ways. Each perspective offers a unique lens—some see only matter, others only spirit, while some try to hold both together.

These 12 concepts represent different ways of perceiving reality. None is “right” or “wrong”—each is part of the greater picture. Understanding them can help us see where we are, what shapes our thinking, and how we might grow beyond limits.

The Twelve Concepts About the World

  • Materialism: cannot find the path to spirit.

  • Mathematism: sees the world as a machine that can be fully calculated.

  • Rationalism: accepts only ideas with tangible reality.

  • Idealism: life’s purpose is something higher to strive for.

  • Psychism: ideas are always connected to a being.

  • Pneumatism: beings carry ideas, but can also act.

  • Spiritism: sees only the revelation of spirit, ignoring the material.

  • Monadism: inner representations arise from within; abstract spiritism.

  • Dynamism: existence is ruled by forces (gravity, magnetism, etc.).

  • Realism: we cannot be certain whether existence is matter, spirit, or both.

  • Phenomenalism: beyond what we perceive, there is a world of phenomena (colors, sounds, tones).

  • Sensationalism: accepts only what the senses reveal.

Each concept is like a star in the constellation of human thought—together, they form the sky of how we understand life.

The Seven Dispositions of the Soul

Just as there are different ways of seeing the world, there are also different inner dispositions—ways the soul expresses itself. These seven are symbolically linked to the planets:

  • Gnostic (Saturn): knowledge pushes out from within.

  • Logician (Jupiter): the organizer of concepts.

  • Voluntarist (Mars): the force of will.

  • Empiricist (Sun): learns through direct experience.

  • Mystic (Venus): seeks the inner path.

  • Transcendentalist (Mercury): sees essence beyond appearances.

  • Occultist (Moon): perceives the world as maya (illusion), searching for deeper truths.

Examples from history:

  • Logician in Idealism – Hegel

  • Logician in Psychism – Fichte

  • Voluntarist in Psychism – Schopenhauer

  • Mystic in Idealism – young Nietzsche

  • Empiricist in Rationalism – later Nietzsche

  • Logician in Sensationalism – early Wundt

  • Empiricist in Materialism – later Wundt

  • Mystic of Idealism – Meister Eckhart

  • Mystic of Materialism – my father