The Triadic Principle: Philosophy and Cosmology that Expand the Framework of Perception

The Reality Created by Philosophy and Cosmology: The World Unfolds as We Perceive It

Author: Sang-Kyu Lee

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” — Anaïs Nin

 

1. We All View the World Through ‘Glasses’

 

What exactly is this thing we call “reality”? We tend to believe that we see the world objectively, exactly as it is. But the truth is, we all view the world through invisible glasses—our own unique ‘Framework of Perception.’ These glasses are constructed from the unconscious premises and structures of thought formed by our experiences, education, culture, and the spirit of the times. If the tint of the glasses is blue, the world appears blue; if the lens is distorted, the world appears twisted. Ultimately, the world we inhabit is a painting drawn by this framework of perception, and within that painting, we speak, choose, love, and live.

2. The History of Tragedy Created by ‘Distorted Glasses’

History is often stained with tragedies born of distorted glasses—that is, flawed frameworks of perception. The perception that “the Earth is the center of the universe and the sun revolves around it” suppressed human intellectual imagination for nearly a millennium. The arrogant perception that “certain races or classes are genetically superior” justified countless wars, genocides, and discrimination. Meanwhile, the closed theological view that “only the god of one religion is the true God, and all others are demons” led to extreme violence like witch hunts and religious wars in the Middle Ages. And the modern perception that “humans are the masters of nature and may exploit it infinitely” has invited the ecosystem collapse and climate catastrophe that threaten our very survival today.

Thus, errors in perception inevitably lead to errors in action, and errors in action lead to crises of civilization. What is more terrifying is that most people, unaware that their glasses are distorted, believe the warped world they see through them is the “only truth.” It is like mistaking a dream for reality because one has not yet awakened from sleep.

3. A Harmonious World Opened by ‘New Glasses’

Conversely, correcting the framework of perception is the most powerful force leading individuals and civilizations to a higher dimension. The ecological perception that “all life is connected within a single vast web” births an ethics of cooperation and solidarity, transcending separation and selfishness. The perception that “humans are not dust in the universe, but a Microcosm containing the entire universe” grants us deep dignity and responsibility, awakening our inner potential.

The glasses an individual wears determine the composition of their life, and the glasses shared by countless individuals—collective perception—determine the behavioral patterns of an era and, further, the course of civilization. Therefore, if we desire a better world, we first need ‘new glasses’—an expanded framework of perception—that allow us to see a better world.

4. Philosophy and Cosmology: Disciplines That Craft New Glasses

How, then, do we obtain these new glasses? This is precisely the role of Philosophy and Cosmology.

• Philosophy helps us take off the ‘old glasses’: Philosophy asks fundamental questions about everything we take for granted, such as “What is happiness?” and “What is justice?” Through these questions, we wipe the dust from the old glasses we wore unknowingly, check the distortion of the lenses, and sometimes gain the courage to cast them off entirely.
• Cosmology provides ‘new lenses’: Cosmology expands our field of view from individual life to the entire universe by asking, “What kind of being am I in this vast spacetime, and what is the relationship between me and the universe?” For example, through the lens of a ‘linear view of time’ where everything heads toward a fixed end, the world becomes an arena of competition and conquest racing toward doomsday. However, through the lens of a ‘cyclical view of time’ (or spiral time), where creation and extinction repeat eternally and evolve, the world becomes a dynamic stage for struggle and cooperation toward evolution.

In particular, the Triadic Principle (Samgeukron) proposed in this book offers the simplest yet most profound and perfect framework of perception. Grounded in the principle of ‘Symmetry’ and its central regulator, ‘Jung (The Balancing Center),’ this Triadic Framework makes us realize that the visible material world and the invisible spiritual world are not two separate kingdoms. Instead, they are mirrors reflecting each other in perfect symmetry, like two sides of a coin held together by the center. Through this new lens, we finally discover the possibility of an integrated life that ends the long war between science and spirituality and pursues both material abundance and spiritual maturity simultaneously.

What we need today is not fragmentary information or technology, but new eyes to survey the whole world—a great transformation of perception based on an integrated, triadic cosmology.

5. Conclusion: If You Want to Change the World, Change the Way You ‘See’ It First

We do not live in the ‘world as it is,’ but in the ‘world as we see it.’ And that ‘way of seeing’—the framework of perception—is the fundamental power that defines the world and, in turn, creates it.

The reason the world is chaotic is not merely due to external conditions, but because our collective perception viewing it is twisted ‘asymmetrically.’ The unbalanced perspective that places matter above spirit, science above spirituality, and humans above nature is the root of all the problems we face today. Therefore, the only hope for the world to improve becomes possible when we have the philosophical courage to correct these distorted glasses and restore the ‘harmonious symmetry’ between spirit and matter, humans and nature, and self and the world.

Of course, this path of philosophical contemplation is always lonely and slow. It is surrounded by cynicism asking, “Does thinking like that put food on the table?” and resistance complaining, “It’s too difficult.” However, we must remember that while technology changes the appearance of the world, it is philosophy that changes the foundation of the world. Behind every great turning point in human civilization, there has always been a massive revolution in the ‘framework of perception.’

Today, we stand on the threshold of an unprecedented civilizational transformation. Now that existing worldviews, views of humanity, and views of nature have hit a limit, we cannot open the bright future humanity has dreamed of without a new cosmology and philosophical framework that penetrates the interaction between spirit and matter. So, even if it seems inconspicuous and slow right now, our philosophical effort to change the way we ‘see’ the world is the most revolutionary act of this moment. Because that is the only way to change the flow of the world from its very roots.

So, what do these ‘new glasses’ we must wear look like? This book seeks to unfold the blueprint of those glasses before you.

This book is composed of two main parts. First, Part 1 presents the fundamental theory of the Triadic Principle and its academic framework. It may seem somewhat specialized and deep, but think of it as the ‘map’ containing the essence of all the wisdom we will explore. Use this vast map to survey the entire picture of the path we will take.

If Part 1 is the solid ‘skeleton’ that clarifies the principles of the universe, Part 2 is like the rich ‘flesh’ where those principles live and breathe within life and history. If the theoretical discussion in Part 1 feels unfamiliar, reading the column-style essays on specific topics in Part 2 first to get a taste of this Triadic Principle before returning to Part 1 would also be an excellent way to walk through this forest of wisdom.

May you, the readers, see the harmonious reality of the universe through the lens of the Triadic Principle.