The TRINITY doctrine is a conceptual classification. It is not a thing itself. We don't bump into a Trinity in everyday life. We don't eat the Trinity or sniff it or touch it or hear it or see it.
The TRINITY is an abstraction from other ideas into a way of thinking about something we can't perceive except through awkward argument.
To apply philosophy to the argument of the TRINITY we follow a logical process as follows....
1. Things which are said to exist can be said to have similarity and differences to other things which exist. Otherwise, we could not actually distinguish one of anything from another such thing.
(The "bird" is not the "dog" because of characteristics which differ essentially). We don't have to examine each and every specific bird in the world and every specific dog to "know" they are unalike ESSENTIALLY.
2. When we successfully find differences, those differences themselves are what distinguish and identify one thing from another. But, the differences must be ESSENTIAL. (Example: the height and weight of a bird or dog is not the ESSENTIAL identifying element. You'd never say, for example, "This can't be a bird, it weighs three pounds!")
Clear so far?
Take a jar full of pennies. They all look alike don't they? How would you distinguish one penny from another penny? Not by color or shape, surely. It would not be by similarity. It would be by difference! The date on the penny, for example. How would you further distinguish one 1947 penny from another 1947 penny? Look for further differences in wear, lightness or darkness of tarnish, location, etc.
You get it. Let's not be tedious about this.
Here is our first RULE OF THUMB philosophically about CONCEPTS:
1.When determining CONCEPTUAL classifications you cannot ignore essential similarities nor essential differences. You cannot omit them. You cannot arbitrarily sub-divide them. (Tall birds and short dogs)
Why?
The method to obliterate VALID CONCEPTS is to identify them by NON-ESSENTIALS and thus create ANTI-CONCEPTS.
Stop and think about that for a moment. We destroy our ability to use concepts when we destroy them by using NON-essentials instead of essentials as identifying elements!
What is a CONCEPT?
A concept is an accurate way of identifying things which are alike in ESSENTIAL ways without having to worry about particualr measurments.
A "chair" is a concept. All chairs have identifying characteristics. Color is a NON-ESSENTIAL. Material is a NON-ESSENTIAL.
(You'd never say, "That can't be a chair because it is black.")
We think about the CHAIR-ness without having to take the time to think about every single variation of chair SPECIFICALLY in the whole world!
A CONCEPT is a very useful short-hand method of encompassing an infinite range of knowledge.
We can destroy the usefulness of a CONCEPT by exerting a NON-ESSENTIAL as standard of identifying it.
At this point it is necessary to establish something for your consideration.
Why do we use concepts for thinking?
Take the word CROWD. We can talk about a large group of people without having to name them individually! We don't have to try and count the large group specifically! We don't have to interview them as to what they are thinking!
We can go on with our business without bogging down in non-essential details!
An ALGEBRAIC symbol functions similarly.
An ALGEBRAIC symbol may exist in ANY quantity as s long as it exists in SOME quantity which is equal to the other side of the =
Perceptual awareness is a KIND OF ARITHMETIC.
Conceptual awareness is a kind of algebra of cognition.
Concepts are not objective (neither revealed nor invented). (You cannot point to CHAIR. You are forced to point to A SPECIFIC CHAIR).
Concepts are produced by man's consciousness in accordance with facts of reality as a short-cut means of INTEGRATING data without bogging down in inconsequential details.
Got that?
Concepts enable us to to THINK!
Concepts are not for COMMUNICATION,primarily. They are for THINKING primarily.
The pre-condition of communication is that you have something ABOUT WHICH you are communicating!
A CONCEPT enables humans to classify and organize knowledge on an UNlimited scale so that man may actually THINK productively.
All of man's actual knowledge about reality rests on this fact: the open-ended nature of concepts allows the yet-to-be-discovered characteristics of a group to be added as definitions.
Without concepts, man may only deal with what is in front of him at the immediate moment!
So....having established the above...we move on to the CONCEPT of the TRINITY.
1.Concepts aren't formed in a vacuum. Concepts are formed in a CONTEXT.
2.To conceptualize anything you must first observe similarities and differences and distinguish the ESSENTIAL similarity which all members of the CONCEPT share.
3.Concepts are fact-driven and not subjective and personal concoctions.
4.The essential nature of a thing is what gives evidence that IT exists as unique rather than indistinguishable from OTHER things.
WHAT PART OF THE CONCEPT OF THE TRINITY IS THE ESSENTIAL?
The 3-ness of God?
The 1-ness of God?
How does being a "member" of the Trinity not invalidate the 1-ness?
How does the Supreme-ness of the Being not invalidate the 3-ness?
You may begin your questions at this point.