Post 13 – Understanding the Self-Evident Truth of Being

I first hinted at this idea in the Intro and About post. At the time, I intentionally avoided being overly technical, but in doing so, I may have obscured the clarity and beauty of this foundational truth. This post aims to focus entirely on that truth.

While this is not a new concept—it has been referenced in previous posts—a dear friend recently pointed out that it wasn’t entirely clear how the truth of Being is self-evident. Parmenides was likely the first to articulate this insight. However, the real challenge lies not in recognizing this self-evident truth, but in grappling with its logical implications. Parmenides, along with Plato, Aristotle, and many other philosophers, struggled not with the truth of Being itself, but with reconciling it with the world as we experience it.

As far as I know, Emanuele Severino was the first philosopher to truly resolve these logical contradictions. Many thinkers have since adopted his “structure of truth,” and the reflections that follow are largely based on his work.

The Self-Evident Truth of Being: A Timeless Foundation

The truth of Being is immediate and self-evident, rooted in the principle of non-contradiction—the foundation of all rational thought and reality. As Parmenides stated: “Being is, and Not-Being is not.” This statement is not an abstract idea, but the most fundamental and incontrovertible truth—one that cannot be doubted without affirming it. It underpins every act of thought, reasoning, and experience.

Why the Truth of Being is Self-Evident

1. The Principle of Non-Contradiction
   The principle of non-contradiction asserts that something cannot both be and not be at the same time and in the same respect. This principle is not derived from other truths; it is immediate because it underpins the very structure of reason itself. To deny it is impossible because even the act of denial requires the principle’s validity. Being is, therefore, an undeniable and self-evident axiom.
2. The Impossibility of Not-Being
   Being is eternal and cannot pass into Not-Being because Not-Being is absolute negation—it “is not” and can never exist. For Being to transition into Not-Being would require affirming the existence of Not-Being, which is a direct contradiction. Thus, the eternal nature of Being is the only coherent way to think about existence.
3. The Self-Evident Experience of Being
   The truth of Being is also tied to our immediate experience. The awareness of “I am” or “something is” does not require proof—it is directly perceived and undeniable. Regardless of thought, perception, or existence itself, we cannot escape the fact of Being.
4. The Eternality of Being
   Everything that exists does so eternally in some sense. While things may appear to change or come into being, this is a misinterpretation caused by our finite perception. The truth of Being transcends these appearances, revealing its eternal, unchangeable nature upon reflection. All beings are moments within the totality of Being—a totality that cannot lack or contradict itself.

The Nature of Being and Our Misconceptions

Western thought, shaped by a nihilistic framework, has long assumed that beings “come to be” from nothing and “return to” nothing. This belief in becoming distorts reality, suggesting a contradiction that cannot hold true. In reality, all beings are eternally situated within the structure of Being. Their apparent emergence and disappearance are a misinterpretation, arising from our limited understanding, not from the nature of reality itself.

The notion of nothingness as a possible state is equally incoherent. Nothingness cannot be thought, experienced, or affirmed without presupposing the presence of Being. The very act of contemplating “nothing” affirms the presence of Being as the ground of all thought and reality.

In Summary

The truth of Being is self-evident because it is the necessary foundation for all existence, thought, and logic. Without the presupposition that “Being is,” no coherent thought, discourse, or knowledge could occur. Even doubting or denying this truth relies on its validity, making it an inescapable reality.

Being is eternal and necessary—always present and always true. It is not something we “discover” but something that is always already there, though often obscured by the misinterpretation of becoming and the contradiction of nothingness. By recognizing the immediacy and self-evidence of Being, we can move beyond these misconceptions and see the timeless foundation upon which all truths rest.

What About the Rest of the House?

These foundational cornerstones were not uncovered through intellectual achievement alone, but through the simple act of noticing them. This is where Emanuele Severino distinguishes himself. Perhaps he was influenced by Martin Heidegger, who came close to resolving these contradictions but ultimately fell short. Modern science, particularly with contributions such as Einstein’s theory of relativity, may also have played a role in creating an environment conducive to this rediscovery.

With the foundation rediscovered as self-evident and immediate, the next step is to undo the contradictory assumptions of becoming and rebuild on the true foundation of Being. Many are working on this now, but it will likely take a long time before the complete structure is visible to most.

That said, it is not necessary to fully understand or visualize the entire structure. This is not about placing faith in a complex web of reasoning. What matters is recognizing the immediacy of Being, as described above. Once the true sense of Being is recovered, it leads the way. By holding onto this insight and applying logic to maintain clarity, the rest unfolds in time.

Learning from History

Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, and much of Western philosophy recognized the immediacy of Being but struggled to preserve it. They accepted the paradox of nothingness and, despite their efforts, ultimately deemed it unsolvable. Indeed, from a nihilistic perspective, no resolution was possible. As a result, nihilism persisted, its effects growing more severe as it culminated in the postmodern era. Any attempt to escape it was consequently invalidated by the growing assumption that there was no undeniable, universal truth.

We now stand at a crucial junction—perhaps the right one—where an undeniable, self-evident, and irrefutable truth has become visible again. Perhaps we can begin to untangle over two thousand years of mistaken assumptions and start building again, this time on a more solid foundation.