We perceive reality as a story—a hierarchical network of symbols based on their relevance to human perception. For example, an objective cup doesn't exist, as it can be broken down and defined in infinite ways. So the cup we perceive only exists symbolically. Perception of the cup presupposes an ethic to distinguish a "good" cup from a "bad" cup, based on how well it embodies its symbolic purpose as a "cup" (telos). This ethic scales up and down the pattern of reality. The Bible is a meta-story, as it is a container of sub-stories, contextualizing and orienting phenomena to create meaning. Symbolic perception is intuitive because it's how we identify phenomena by default, which is why it's difficult to articulate the pattern except through stories—the default lens through which we live our lives.
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