Toward a Common Foundation for Philosophy, Ethics, and Religion: A Meta-Theoretical Framework Grounded in the Concept of “All”

Contemporary philosophical, ethical, and religious discourses often remain fragmented, lacking a shared conceptual ground for dialogue. This paper proposes a common foundation for philosophy, ethics, and religion without relying on any particular doctrinal standpoint. Drawing on comparative philosophy and world philosophy, it introduces the concept of “All” as a foundational notion capable of encompassing diverse philosophical, ethical, and religious frameworks. The concept of “All” is positioned as a meta-level category that includes and transcends fundamental distinctions such as knowing/not-knowing, being/non-being, and good/evil. The paper first reexamines these basic distinctions and defines “All” as the inclusive ground that contains them. It then reconstructs the foundations of philosophy, ethics, and religion respectively: philosophy as the intellectual awareness of All, ethics as the volitional affirmation of All, and religion as the experiential unity with All. Finally, it demonstrates how these three foundations are interconnected through All and form a dynamic cycle of differentiation and return. The contribution of this study lies in presenting a meta-theoretical foundation that enables dialogue and mutual understanding across philosophical, ethical, and religious traditions.