If the primary level of learning gives name and number to sensations, and the secondary level develops the distinction between sensations and ideas, and the tertiary level compares various forms of ideas, then the quaternary articulates the natural logic of sensations and ideas for a mythic level of expression.

    The Quaternary Institute has entry criteria in keeping with its role of providing a post-tertiary level of learning. Just as it is necessary for a person to graduate from the previous levels, preparedness to advance beyond Tertiary is required.

    To participate in the Quaternary, candidates should be able to read the following list of prerequisites without demur. Candidates who object to the prerequisites or are unsure of the implications of the prerequisites should first graduate successfully from the Tertiary level of learning.

    The principal source for the prerequisites are the Sonnets of Shakespeare as presented in the 1609 edition. In the Sonnets Shakespeare articulates the complete conditions for a Quaternary level of understanding and is the only writer who produces a body of work based on Quaternary standards.

    Because the philosophy of Shakespeare has not previously been articulated, the prerequisites are based on the evidence and arguments presented in the four volume work, William Shakespeare's Sonnet Philosophy, aspects of which are available on the website.

• William Shakespeare intentionally articulates his philosophy in his Sonnets
• In 1609 he publishes the set as Shake-speares Sonnets
• He organises the set of 154 sonnets to present the philosophy behind all his plays and poems
• Shakespeare works out the rudiments of his philosophy in the 1580s before writing the plays and poems
• In the period from the early 1590s through to the mid 1600s he wrote the sonnets and gradually arranges them into a coherent set by 1609
• He structures and numbers the set of 154 sonnets precisely to convey the logic of the philosophy
• Shakespeare is responsible for all aspects of the publication of the Sonnets in 1609
• As Shakespeare's philosophy is consistent with the edition of 1609, it requires none of the traditional reordering or emendation
• The complete philosophy cannot be appreciated apart from the organisation of the set as it appears in the 1609 edition

• Shakespeare bases his philosophy in nature
• His Sonnets articulate the natural logic of life
• The dynamic of sexual division in nature forms the foundation for his presentation of natural logic
• As the human male derives from the female, the Sonnet logic prioritises the female over the male
• For the perpetuation of humankind or bodily increase the male needs to return to the female to reproduce
• The sexual persistence of the body is the logical precondition for the possibility of the mind
• The sexual dynamic within nature is the basis for the logical function of the mind
• The sexual dynamic between the female and male in nature determines the logical structure of the Sonnets
• The Sonnet logic prioritises the possibility of the body over the possibility of the mind
• The mind is capable of understanding the world because it is based in natural logic
• By acknowledging the logical relation between body and mind Shakespeare is able to express himself at all levels of understanding
• Shakespeare demonstrates in his plays and poems that the natural logic articulated in the Sonnets produces a consistent understanding at all levels of expression, including the mythic

• The mythic level of expression acknowledges the logical distinction between the sexual and the erotic
• The priority of the body over the mind is the basis for the logical distinction between the sexual and the erotic
• The logic of the sexual dynamic, as a function of the body, is prior to the erotic, as the logical disposition of the mind
• The logical disposition of the mind, or the dynamic of sensations and ideas, is an erotic condition derived from the sexual dynamic of the body
• The sexual dynamic between female and male provides the logical basis for the process of understanding through sensations and ideas
• The process of understanding or the dynamic of sensations and ideas in the mind is logically erotic
• The erotic nature of the mind is recognised by the mythic level of expression
• Myth is the highest form of expression because it gives form to the logic of the erotic

• By articulating the conditions of natural logic for the mythic level of expression the Sonnets present a complete and consistent philosophy
• The Sonnets present the natural logic of the world and show it to be the basis for the logic of the human mind
• They show the correct logical multiplicity between the world and the mind

• The logical status of the mind as erotic is acknowledged in the mythic expression of a culture
• In pre-Shakespearean culture the logic of eroticism at the core of mythology forms a proscribed given accepted without question in the everyday act of understanding
• Shakespeare's Sonnets forgo proscription on the erotic to provide the logical conditions for any mythology
• Shakespeare is the first person to articulate a consistent philosophy at the level of myth
• His plays and other poems are based on a logically consistent understanding at the level of myth
• The philosophy of the Sonnets presents the conditions for the mythic achievement of the plays
• The mythic achievement of plays cannot be understood without an appreciation of the Sonnet philosophy
• Because of their logical consistency his Sonnets, plays and poems critique all previous philosophy at the level of myth
• They particularly critique the inconsistencies and contradictions in the Platonic and biblical attitude toward the logical status of mythology
• Theology or religious psychology illogically considers the erotic as prior to the sexual

• Nature is the primary entity of the Sonnet philosophy
• The whole set of 154 sonnets represents nature
• The 154 sonnets present nature similtaneously as a unity and a complexity
• Nature is characterised as the 'sovereign mistress' to indicate the logical priority of the female over the male in nature
• The 'sovereign mistress' is not a goddess but represents the logical condition of nature for the possibility of sexual beings

• The Mistress or human female is the secondary entity of the Sonnet philosophy
• The Mistress is the human level of the perceived unity and complexity of nature
• She derives directly from nature or the sovereign mistress
• She is the representative of the human female in the logic of the whole set
• She is represented by 28 sonnets, in part to recognise the significance of the lunar cycle
• The Mistress is logically prior to the male or Master Mistress of the Sonnets
• The logic of human understanding is based in the priority of the female over the male
• The logic of the dynamic of sensations and ideas in the process of understanding (or the dynamic of beauty and truth as they are called in the Sonnets) is presented systematically in the Mistress sonnets
• Beauty, or all forms of sensation, is logically prior to truth, or the process of saying.

• The Master Mistress or human male is the tertiary entity of the Sonnet philosophy
• The Master Mistress is derived from the Mistress
• The name Master Mistress captures the derivation of the male from the female
• It expresses the logical condition that all males have residual female characteristics
• As the male is derived from the female the Master Mistress lacks the unity and complexity of the female
• The Master Mistress must logically return to the Mistress to recover the unity he lost when separated from her
• He is represented by 126 sonnets that indicate his logical dependence on the Mistress
• He is presented with a logical argument (sonnets 1 to 14) that increase (the sexual) is prior to truth and beauty (the erotic)
• The Master Mistress sonnets consider the implications for a consistent understanding of the dynamic of ideas and sensations in the mind
• They critique the inconsistencies and contradictions that arise when the natural logic of truth and beauty is not recognised
• Psychological over-dependence on the ideal (any form of anthropomorphised god) is critiqued in the sequence to the Master Mistress

• The Poet is the quaternary entity of the Sonnet philosophy
• The Poet appreciates the natural logic of the female/male relationship
• He appreciates the priority of increase over truth and beauty
• He derives his appreciation of the logic of truth and beauty from the Mistress and applies it to the Master Mistress or adolescent male
• The Poet is represented by the number 145, which is configured into the set in a variety of ways
• The Poet's logical status is specifically recognised in the 5 poetry and increase sonnets (15 to 19)
• The Poet appreciates the natural logic of the sexual dynamic out of nature and is capable of expressing the logic of the understanding mythically
• Shakespeare's Poet is his mythic representative

• The alien poet is the inadequate tertiary form of the quaternary Poet of the Sonnets
• The alien poet is any clever rhymer who does not appreciate the Sonnet philosophy
• The alien poet occurs only in the sonnets to the Master Mistress
• The alien poet is represented by 9 sonnets (78 to 86) to indicate the logical kinship with the inadequacies of the Master Mistress

• The persons or entities of the Sonnets (sovereign mistress, Mistress, Master Mistress, Poet) represent logical places in the world
• They correspond to personas or equivalent logical places (feminine and masculine) in the mind
• The logical relationship between persons and personas in the Sonnets provides the basis for the unerring characterisation in the plays

• Music is structured into the Sonnets in a way that acknowledges the presence of the octave as a pattern in nature
• The octave, as a natural interval, is used to create a regular pattern throughout the set coinciding with the beginning and end of the whole set
• In sonnet 145 the pattern of octosyllables tacitly identifies Anne Hathaway (as the inspiration for the Mistress) with the logical possibility of music

• In the Sonnets nature has priority over the conventions of time
• Time is structured into the Sonnets in a way that indicates its subservience to nature
• The conventional nature of time is recognised by the duodecimal pattern structured into the arrangement of the Sonnets from sonnet 10 to 153

• The logical relationship in nature between the female and the male, and its consequences for increase, truth and beauty, the Poet and the alien poet are given precise representation in the numerological organisation of the set
• All the significant numerological features are expressions of the natural logic of the set
• Shakespeare's use of numbers demonstrates the logical inter-relationship between numeracy and literacy
• The logical system of number relationships has no direct relationship to traditional arcane or mystic practices

• The Dedication was organised to encrypt the principle numerological features of the set
• The arrangement of the poem A Lover's Complaint is based on elements of the Sonnet numerology

• William Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon is the author of the Sonnets and of the plays and poems
• The Sonnets are not an autobiography or a biography of the events in Shakespeare's life
• They were intentionally prepared by Shakespeare to present his philosophy
• Oblique references to actual events are isolated to a few sonnets and are residual elements from earlier versions of the sonnets
• The principal influence on the Sonnet logic was Shakespeare's relationship with Anne Hathaway and the unwedded pregnancy of their first child
• Anne Hathaway was the inspiration for the Mistress and was responsible for maturing the excessive idealism of the younger Shakespeare
• References to Anne Hathaway as 'hate away' and Shakespeare as 'Will' are purposefully structured into the Mistress sonnets
• Shakespeare used the philosophy detailed in the Sonnets to critique the variety of sources that form the basis for his sonnets, poems and plays
• He adjusted their logically inferior plots and ideas so that they conformed to his natural philosophy

• Love in the Sonnets is inherent in the logical dynamic between nature, the sexual division in nature, the possibility of increase, and truth and beauty
• The unprejudiced nature of the Poet's love is based in the priority of the female over the male in nature
• The love of the Poet for the Mistress and the Master Mistress is logical and so unprejudiced
• Love in the Sonnets is conditional upon the acceptance of the sexual as the logical condition for human persistence
• The argument of the Sonnets for human persistence is a logical one because not everyone is capable or desirous of increase
• No form of love is proscribed by the logical requirement for humankind to increase
• As the logical source of human love the Mistress embodies all forms of love from the sexual to the erotic
• The Master Mistress is instructed in the priority of increase as the basic condition for love
• The logical condition for love is given in sonnet 9 where the word love first appears
• After the increase sonnets the Master Mistress sonnets consider the effect of an illogical appreciation of truth and beauty on the expression of love
• The tendency to over-idealise love or confuse the sexual and the erotic is addressed in the Master Mistress sonnets
• The logic of the Poet's natural love informs all the sonnets, plays and other poems

• The female is a natural unity in the Sonnets
• The female is prior to the male in the natural logic of the Sonnets
• The male is logically deficient in relation to the unity of the female
• The male must logically return to the female to recover his unity
• The sexual division into female and male provides the logical conditions that enable or prevent the male from appreciating the priority of the female
• The Poet of the Sonnets is a male, as is the rival poet, because they represent both persons and personas in the Sonnet logic
• Because the philosophic entities of the Sonnets are both persons and personas a female Poet who reconciles her masculine side to her feminine side can achieve the logical insight of the Poet and write at the mythic level
• Shakespeare is a male Poet who acknowledges the inconsistency of prioritising the male over the female and accepts responsibility for the consequences of 3000 years of inconsistency

• Shakespeare's philosophy has exceptional explanatory power when applied to the illogicalities of other philosophies and the accumulated problems in other disciplines consequential upon those inadequate philosophies
• In his plays Shakespeare gives 38 examples of how to benefit from a consistent philosophy based in natural logic
• His philosophy embraces and advances the achievement of Darwin by detailing the implications of natural logic for the human mind
• His philosophy corrects and completes the philosophical work of Ludwig Wittgenstein on the status of language
• His philosophy embraces and complements the mythic achievement of Duchamp's aesthetics as expressed in his Large Glass and evident in all his subsequent works
• His poetry anticipates the erotic insights of Mallarmé's deep symbolism and takes it to the mythic level
• Shakespeare's philosophy is in advance of any other philosophy

• Shakespeare is the first philosopher to systematically articulate the logical conditions of existence for humans as Quaternary beings
• Because only Shakespeare articulates the logical conditions for natural logic his work establishes the basic pre-requisites for the Quaternary
• Shakespeare's appreciation of the logic of the sexual/erotic dynamic gives his work a consistent mythic expression of the Quaternary level of understanding
• Shakespeare's Sonnets, plays and poems are the first complete expression of the Quaternary sensibility

• The Quaternary is the post-Tertiary level of systematic education
• The Quaternary is based on a consistent understanding of Shakespeare's work
• The Quaternary offers a level of understanding consistent with the language capability of humans as Quaternary beings