Glossary of Terms

Clear definitions are an important part of any especially helpful discussion, and in that spirit we've provided this glossary of some words important to Beingism. We've tried our best to define these words in a manner consistent with common usage, often as reflected by a dictionary. Sometimes, in order to discuss specific Beingist concepts which lack applicable words, we give specific meanings to words which may under other circumstances be used to indicate several different concepts, or to words which are normally defined only vaguely. We recognize that such words may legitimately be understood in a number of ways and that you may not automatically realize what we mean when we use them -- hence this glossary. Of course, as we come to better define and understand Beingism, our definitions may change and improve.

Bad
Experienced negatively (unpleasantly), or more negatively than positively, by a being or group of beings.

Being
Anything that has some degree of sentience.

Belief
an idea one trusts accurately reflects reality.

Believe
to trust an idea accurately reflects reality.

Causality
The process of cause and effect.

Cause
An event (A) that inevitably precedes another event (B) as a result of some underlying structure.

Compassion
Consideration for the welfare (and therefore happiness) of beings.

Compassionate
Behaving with consideration for the welfare (and therefore happiness) of beings.

Desire
A potentially intense emotion inextricably experienced with an intuitive, often unconscious belief that some positive emotions will result from attaining something.

Determinism
The idea that given the initial state of the universe and the principles at work within it, it is possible, in principle, to predict the state of the universe at any point in time.

Effect
An event (B) that inevitably follows each instance of another kind of event (A) as a result of some underlying structure.

Fair
The distribution of disadvantages and advantages (such as resources) based on impartial criteria (that is, criteria that do not give preference to the happiness of some individuals over others).

Faith
belief in an idea regardless of the presence of supporting evidence.

Free Will
The idea that the choices beings make are in principle indeterminable before they are made (regardless of the quantity of relevant knowledge or processing power available to the would-be determiner), and that the being choosing is a nonrandom “first cause.”

Good
Experienced positively (pleasantly), or more positively than negatively, by a being or group of beings.

Happiness
The complex experience of an overall positive mental state made up of many, largely positive, constantly evolving different sensations and emotions.

Happy
Experiencing a complex, overall positive mental state made up of many, largely positive, constantly evolving different sensations and emotions..

Motivate
To instill a being with the desire to do something and/or the intention to act on that desire.

Motivation
Having the desire to do something and the intention to act on that desire.

Necessary Bad
Something experienced negatively by a being or group of beings, but that ultimately leads to results experienced as more positive than negative.

Objective
Existing independently of the perspective of a being or group of beings.

Ought
[Used to signify that in order to bring about a desired result, one must take a particular action.]

Random
Without cause.

Rational
Consistent with the relationship between elements and between elements and the whole in a given system.

Reason
1) [verb] Thinking in a manner consistent with the relationship between elements and between elements and the whole in a given system.
2) [noun] The ability to think in a manner consistent with the relationship between elements and between elements and the whole in a given system

Reasoning
using reason.

Religion
1. world view including the belief in the supernatural (especially including a sentient god or gods).
2. the institutionalization of a world view including the belief in the supernatural (especially including a sentient god or gods).

Religious
believe in and/or participate in religion.

Resource
Everything potentially used by the being or group of beings under consideration, possibly including (but not limited to) genetic, emotional, intellectual, social, and material things.

Sapience
Capacity to experience complex thought.

Sentience
Capacity to experience emotion.

Soul
The purported immortal part of some kinds of beings, of indeterminate composition and so far undetectable by any scientific means, which makes up some portion of the psyche and plays a role of some kind in directing behavior.

Subjective
From the perspective of a being or group of beings.

Supernatural
phenomena which aren't governed by natural forces, and therefore lack an underlying logical structure (possibly including: magic, ghosts, souls, sentient gods, Santa Claus). Natural forces are being defined as all the forces in the universe.

Sustainable
Able to continue indefinitely if no outside factors intervene.

Value
That which a being desires.

Welfare
The physical, social, mental, and financial conditions necessary to create happiness for a being or a group of beings.

Yo-yo
A toy consising of a string attached to and wrapped around a deep groove in a spool, which can be spun down and up repeatedly using the laws of gravity and momentum.