Rationalist-Irrationalist Dialectic in Buddhism:
|
|
- Katherine Dalton
- 5 years ago
- Views:
Transcription
1 Rationalist-Irrationalist Dialectic in Buddhism: The Failure of Buddhist Epistemology By W. J. Whitman The problem of the one and the many is the core issue at the heart of all real philosophical and theological debates. It does not matter whether you are looking at Greek thinkers like Parmenides, Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus or if you are looking at Asian philosophers like Krishna and the Buddha. The central concern in all of philosophy is this one question: how does unity (the one) relate to diversity (the many)? We look at an individual human and identify him as a person. Nevertheless, we know that he is a composite creature. His body is composed of many different particles, cells, and organisms. What is the unifying principle? Why do we recognize the individual man as a unified person? Why is he not just a clump of matter? We perceive that both similarity (the one) and difference (the many) are necessary in order for us to think logically about the world around us. Even in common speech we differentiate between general/universal categories and particular/concrete instances of the general thing e.g. we distinguish between treeness in general and the particular tree that we are dealing with. We must maintain both principles the principle of the one and the principle of the many together if we are to continue to speak in any rational way. If we throw out the general categories, then we cannot say anything. What use would it be to talk about a tree if we had no agreement as to the essence of treeness in general? If this particular tree does not have something in common with all other trees, then it is quite irrational to refer to it as a tree. Yet if we throw out the particulars and only affirm the general category, we are led into an equally absurd position; for then we cannot distinguish this tree from that tree. It would then be impossible for me to say this tree has good fruit but that tree does not. So it appears that we must affirm the equal ultimacy of the one and the many. We cannot neglect or reject either principle without becoming totally irrational lunatics. This problem of the one and the many is quite important epistemologically because human knowledge comes from compare-and-contrast analyses. When we learn about something new, we compare it to other things that are similar (the one) and contrast it against things that are different (the many); and through this compare-and-contrast analysis we can come to understand something about the nature of the new object. If a system of thought is capable of affirming the equal ultimacy of the one and the many without confusing the two principles, then that system of thought is compatible with human logic. If that system of
2 though confuses the two principles by identifying them or by rejecting one of them, then that system of thought is incompatible with human logic. In essence, all systems of thought that do not affirm the equal ultimacy of the one and the many are manifestly irrational. It is my personal opinion that the Eastern Orthodox worldview is the only position in the world that does consistently maintain the equal ultimacy of the one and the many. The Orthodox worldview may be briefly summed up thus. There is an Absolute Rationality behind the universe. This Absolute Rationality is called God. God is simultaneously one and many: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in essence and undivided. 1 God is one in essence but three (many) persons. The Absolute Rationality is not first one and then three, but always one and three simultaneously. Neither principle is to be exalted above the other. The unity and the multiplicity are equally basic to His being. God eternally knows Himself through an eternal compare-andcontrast analysis by virtue of analyzing the similarities and differences within His own being. He does not, however, come to know Himself in time, as if He had to examine Himself and acquire knowledge; rather, being beyond time (i.e. eternal), He eternally knows Himself through an eternal analysis, so that the knowledge is eternal rather than temporal. His knowledge of Himself was not acquired temporally, but has always existed. God planned out and designed all of creation in His mind before He created the world. Within God s own mind He created categories within which particulars are classified. He dreamt up the general and the particular. He invented the category of treeness. This Triune God called this world into being in an act of will: He willed the world into existence. He created the world and all of the particular things in it. He created the individual trees, which are classified according to the categories that previously existed within the Divine Mind. The one and the many are equally ultimate because they are equally basic within the most absolute and ultimate entity, God. The epistemological categories of the one and the many in the lower world rest upon their foundation in the higher world, within the mind of God. When we think rationally about things in this world, we are not thinking about them for the first time we are merely thinking God s thoughts after Him. In other words, we are not looking at all the particular trees and then abstractly creating the category of trees by generalization; rather, we categorize trees within their genus according to a preconceived concept we place the particular tree within the category of treeness which already exists because God has created it within His own mind. We think analogically. The temporal one and 1 The Prayer of the Proskomide in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
3 many in this world relates analogically to the eternal one and many in the mind of God; and the eternal conceptual one and many within the mind of God is contingent upon the eternal ontological One and Many within the Trinity itself. Thus we conclude that all human cognition and predication rests solely on the Ontological Trinity as its sure foundation. And, as I said before, Orthodoxy is the only worldview that maintains the equal ultimacy of the one and the many, thereby affirming the validity of human rationality. The failure of Buddhist epistemology can easily be perceived when one contrasts it to the success of Christian epistemology. This is the reason that I have started a tract on Buddhist epistemology by first elaborating upon Christian epistemology. Buddhists, like all non-christians, do not affirm the equal ultimacy of the one and the many. Instead, they exalt the principle of the one and neglect the principle of the many. What s worse is that Buddhism goes so far as to assert that there is absolutely no difference between the one and the many. Buddhism makes the two principles identical. It affirms the principle of the one to such an extent that it unites the many to the one in a relationship of identity. This, as I noted above, leads to utter irrationalism. Human logic rests firmly upon the distinction between the one and the many. If the two principles are confused in any way, then communication, predication, and rational thought become impossible. The Zen Buddhist thinker Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki makes it clear that this one-and-many problem is a central concern of Buddhism. In fact, he asserts that passing from thinking in terms of the many (vijñāna) to thinking in terms of the one (prajñā) is quite essential for enlightenment. He writes: For INTUITION, Buddhists generally use prajñā and for reason, or discursive understanding, vijñāna. Vijñāna and prajñā are always contrasted. To divide is characteristic of vijñāna, while with prajñā it is just the opposite. Prajñā is an integrating principle The ātman is a unifying principle, and the idea is that, as long as all dharmas are conceived without any reference to that which unifies them, they are just disconnected parts, that is, they are non-existent. Prajñā is needed to make them coherent, articulate, and significant. Vijñāna without prajñā kills; it works for individualization, and, by making each individual disconnected with others, vijñāna
4 makes them all impermanent. It is by prajñā that all dharmas are observable from a unitive point of view and acquire a new life and significance. That prajñā underlies vijñāna, that it is what enables vijñāna to function as the principle of differentiation, is not difficult to realize when we see that differentiation is impossible without something that works for integration or unification. The dichotomy of subject and object cannot obtain unless there is something that lies behind them, something that is neither subject nor object; this is a kind of field where they can operate, where subject can be separated from object, object from subject. If the two are not related in any way, we cannot even speak of their separation or antithesis. There must be something of subject in object and something of object in subject which make their separation as well as their relationship possible. 2 So far Suzuki-sama, our expert in Buddhist epistemology, has not said anything controversial. All philosophers are agreed with him up to this point. We all agree that both unity and diversity similarity and difference are necessary in order for us to speak about things in any meaningful way. But Buddhist epistemology goes astray when it turns around and asserts: Prajñā is the ultimate reality itself 3 It fails to present a coherent epistemology precisely because it exalts the principle of the one (prajñā) over the principle of the many. In fact, it exalts the one to such an extent that it negates the many as a distinct principle. But as our minds always demand an interpretation, we may say this: not unity in multiplicity, nor multiplicity in unity; but unity is multiplicity and multiplicity is unity. In other words, prajñā is vijñāna, and vijñāna is prajñā; only this is to be immediately 2 Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, Reason and Intuition in Buddhist Philosophy, I-II (in The Japanese Mind: Essentials of 3 Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, Reason and Intuition in Buddhist Philosophy, IV (in The Japanese Mind: Essentials of
5 apprehended and not after a tedious and elaborate and complicated process of dialectic. 4 Buddhism fails to present a coherent epistemology because it ultimately denies the distinction between the epistemological categories of the one and the many. Therefore it can only ever lead to an agnostic position, with the adherent proclaiming I do not know. The monk wants to find out what the master will say concerning the relationship between the one and the many, between prajñā and vijñāna. To apprehend this no amount of philosophical argument helps, leading only to further confusion. Instead of indulging in epistemological procedures, I do not know sums up the essence of prajñā-intuition. The point is to understand what is not understandable, to know what is unknowable, wherein prajñā-intuition really consists. 5 The Buddhist cannot comprehend the relationship between the one and the many. Consequently, upon his own presuppositions he cannot know anything about anything. Again, Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki cites Seisho of Reiinzan monastery as saying, you erroneously see differences and unities where there are no differences and no unities. Just at this very moment your immediate apprehension of the mind is imperative, and then you will realize that it is vast emptiness and that there is nothing to see, nothing to hear. 6 Here we have stumbled upon the rationalist-irrationalist dialectic of which Cornelius van Til has warned us. We may understand this rationalist-irrationalist dialectic like this: there is a thesis, against which is asserted an antithesis. The thesis can be any particular proposition and the antithesis is a contradictory proposal. Within the Christian worldview, we would see these two things as contradictory and conclude that one of them is false. This is not necessarily the case in the non-christian worldview. The non-christian worldview may take the thesis (true 4 Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, Reason and Intuition in Buddhist Philosophy, II (in The Japanese Mind: Essentials of 5 Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, Reason and Intuition in Buddhist Philosophy, V (in The Japanese Mind: Essentials of 6 Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, Reason and Intuition in Buddhist Philosophy, V (in The Japanese Mind: Essentials of
6 statement) and the antithesis (false statement) and combine them together into a synthesis (a totally irrational statement). This process of asserting a thesis, setting up an antithesis, and finally arriving at a synthesis is called dialectic. All non-christian worldviews involve this sort of dialectical way of thinking. Truth is not a coherent concept within most non-christian worldviews because the non-christian holds to a relativistic view and believes that two contradictory statements can be equally true. Because Buddhism boils down to this sort of rationalist-irrationalist dialectic, it is self-contradictory and self-refuting. The self-contradictory nature of Buddhist epistemology comes out clearly in the statement of Suzuki that follows: To understand the staff in the vijñāna way of thinking will allow only one of the two, negation or affirmation, and not both at the same time. It is different with prajñā-intuition. It will declare the staff to be a staff and at the same time not to be one. Vijñāna wants everything to be clear-cut and well defined, with no mixing of contradictory statements, which, however, prajñā nonchalantly overrides. Prajñā-intuition precludes [an antithesis of subject and object in the world of plurality]. No distinction is allowed here between the one and the many, the whole and the parts. When a blade of grass is lifted the whole universe is revealed there. Paradoxical statements are therefore characteristic of prajñā-intuition. As it transcends vijñāna, or logic, it does not mind contradicting itself; it knows that a contradiction is the outcome of differentiation, which is the work of vijñāna. Prajñā negates what it asserted before, and conversely; it has its own way of dealing with the world of dualities. The flower is red and notred; the bridge flows and not the river; the wooden horse neighs; the stone maiden dances. 7 7 Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, Reason and Intuition in Buddhist Philosophy, I-II (in The Japanese Mind: Essentials of
7 The Buddhist rejects Christian logic. Christian logic says that A is A and that A is not non-a. This is commonly called the law of non-contradiction, but Francis Schaeffer calls this the logic of antithesis. The thesis (assertion) and the antithesis (contradiction) are incompatible and irreconcilable. Truth and falsehood are at odds with one another. Suzuki makes it quite clear that Buddhism rejects this type of logic. He writes: But prajñā, being the law of identity itself, demands no transferring from subject to object. Therefore, it swings the staff; sometimes it asserts; sometimes it negates and declares that A is not-a and therefore A is A. This is the logic of prajñāintuition. 8 According to the anti-christian logic of the Buddhist system, it is entirely possible for totally contradictory statements to be equally true. It is not just asserted that there are paradoxes it is not just stated that seemingly contradictory things can both be true but that two assertions that are actually contradictory can both be true. This is an absolute absurdity. There is a reason that modern science began in Christian lands. Science is based upon the presupposition that there is a difference between the true and the false. Historically, most non-christian civilizations have rejected that presupposition. Science as we know it is not even possible upon the religious presuppositions of the Far East. All the scientific achievements in the Far East are founded upon borrowed capital from the Christian worldview. 8 Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, Reason and Intuition in Buddhist Philosophy, VI (in The Japanese Mind: Essentials of
The Greatest Mistake: A Case for the Failure of Hegel s Idealism
The Greatest Mistake: A Case for the Failure of Hegel s Idealism What is a great mistake? Nietzsche once said that a great error is worth more than a multitude of trivial truths. A truly great mistake
More informationThe Middle Path: A Case for the Philosophical Theologian. Leo Strauss roots the vitality of Western civilization in the ongoing conflict between
Lee Anne Detzel PHI 8338 Revised: November 1, 2004 The Middle Path: A Case for the Philosophical Theologian Leo Strauss roots the vitality of Western civilization in the ongoing conflict between philosophy
More informationMan and the Presence of Evil in Christian and Platonic Doctrine by Philip Sherrard
Man and the Presence of Evil in Christian and Platonic Doctrine by Philip Sherrard Source: Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 2, No.1. World Wisdom, Inc. www.studiesincomparativereligion.com OF the
More informationVol 2 Bk 7 Outline p 486 BOOK VII. Substance, Essence and Definition CONTENTS. Book VII
Vol 2 Bk 7 Outline p 486 BOOK VII Substance, Essence and Definition CONTENTS Book VII Lesson 1. The Primacy of Substance. Its Priority to Accidents Lesson 2. Substance as Form, as Matter, and as Body.
More informationAspects of Western Philosophy Dr. Sreekumar Nellickappilly Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Aspects of Western Philosophy Dr. Sreekumar Nellickappilly Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Module - 22 Lecture - 22 Kant The idea of Reason Soul, God
More informationTopics and Posterior Analytics. Philosophy 21 Fall, 2004 G. J. Mattey
Topics and Posterior Analytics Philosophy 21 Fall, 2004 G. J. Mattey Logic Aristotle is the first philosopher to study systematically what we call logic Specifically, Aristotle investigated what we now
More informationMODELS CLARIFIED: RESPONDING TO LANGDON GILKEY. by David E. Klemm and William H. Klink
MODELS CLARIFIED: RESPONDING TO LANGDON GILKEY by David E. Klemm and William H. Klink Abstract. We respond to concerns raised by Langdon Gilkey. The discussion addresses the nature of theological thinking
More informationPart I: The Structure of Philosophy
Revised, 8/30/08 Part I: The Structure of Philosophy Philosophy as the love of wisdom The basic questions and branches of philosophy The branches of the branches and the many philosophical questions that
More informationBook Review: From Plato to Jesus By C. Marvin Pate. Submitted by: Brian A. Schulz. A paper. submitted in partial fulfillment
Book Review: From Plato to Jesus By C. Marvin Pate Submitted by: Brian A. Schulz A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course: BTH 620: Basic Theology Professor: Dr. Peter
More informationAn Analysis of the Proofs for the Principality of the Creation of Existence in the Transcendent Philosophy of Mulla Sadra
UDC: 14 Мула Садра Ширази 111 Мула Садра Ширази 28-1 Мула Садра Ширази doi: 10.5937/kom1602001A Original scientific paper An Analysis of the Proofs for the Principality of the Creation of Existence in
More informationDivine Eternity and the Reduplicative Qua. are present to God or does God experience a succession of moments? Most philosophers agree
Divine Eternity and the Reduplicative Qua Introduction One of the great polemics of Christian theism is how we ought to understand God s relationship to time. Is God timeless or temporal? Does God transcend
More informationAnthony P. Andres. The Place of Conversion in Aristotelian Logic. Anthony P. Andres
[ Loyola Book Comp., run.tex: 0 AQR Vol. W rev. 0, 17 Jun 2009 ] [The Aquinas Review Vol. W rev. 0: 1 The Place of Conversion in Aristotelian Logic From at least the time of John of St. Thomas, scholastic
More informationINVESTIGATING THE PRESUPPOSITIONAL REALM OF BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY, PART II: CANALE ON REASON
Andrews University Seminary Studies, Vol. 47, No. 2, 217-240. Copyright 2009 Andrews University Press. INVESTIGATING THE PRESUPPOSITIONAL REALM OF BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL METHODOLOGY, PART II: CANALE ON REASON
More informationWilliam Ockham on Universals
MP_C07.qxd 11/17/06 5:28 PM Page 71 7 William Ockham on Universals Ockham s First Theory: A Universal is a Fictum One can plausibly say that a universal is not a real thing inherent in a subject [habens
More informationIntroduction to Philosophy Practice Exam One. True or False A = True, B= False
Introduction to Philosophy Practice Exam One True or False A = True, B= False 1. Epistemology mainly asks us to consider the question, how do we know anything. 2. The objective and subjective aspects of
More informationPeter L.P. Simpson January, 2015
1 This translation of the Prologue of the Ordinatio of the Venerable Inceptor, William of Ockham, is partial and in progress. The prologue and the first distinction of book one of the Ordinatio fill volume
More informationMoral Objectivism. RUSSELL CORNETT University of Calgary
Moral Objectivism RUSSELL CORNETT University of Calgary The possibility, let alone the actuality, of an objective morality has intrigued philosophers for well over two millennia. Though much discussed,
More information5: Preliminaries to the Argument
5: Preliminaries to the Argument In this chapter, we set forth the logical structure of the argument we will use in chapter six in our attempt to show that Nfc is self-refuting. Thus, our main topics in
More informationThe Early Church worked tirelessly to establish a clear firm structure supported by
Galdiz 1 Carolina Galdiz Professor Kirkpatrick RELG 223 Major Religious Thinkers of the West April 6, 2012 Paper 2: Aquinas and Eckhart, Heretical or Orthodox? The Early Church worked tirelessly to establish
More informationSelections from Aristotle s Prior Analytics 41a21 41b5
Lesson Seventeen The Conditional Syllogism Selections from Aristotle s Prior Analytics 41a21 41b5 It is clear then that the ostensive syllogisms are effected by means of the aforesaid figures; these considerations
More informationFirst Principles. Principles of Reality. Undeniability.
First Principles. First principles are the foundation of knowledge. Without them nothing could be known (see FOUNDATIONALISM). Even coherentism uses the first principle of noncontradiction to test the
More informationChapter Summaries: Introduction to Christian Philosophy by Clark, Chapter 1
Chapter Summaries: Introduction to Christian Philosophy by Clark, Chapter 1 In chapter 1, Clark reviews the purpose of Christian apologetics, and then proceeds to briefly review the failures of secular
More informationBaha i Proofs for the Existence of God
Page 1 Baha i Proofs for the Existence of God Ian Kluge to show that belief in God can be rational and logically coherent and is not necessarily a product of uncritical religious dogmatism or ignorance.
More information24.01 Classics of Western Philosophy
1 Plan: Kant Lecture #2: How are pure mathematics and pure natural science possible? 1. Review: Problem of Metaphysics 2. Kantian Commitments 3. Pure Mathematics 4. Transcendental Idealism 5. Pure Natural
More informationRichard L. W. Clarke, Notes REASONING
1 REASONING Reasoning is, broadly speaking, the cognitive process of establishing reasons to justify beliefs, conclusions, actions or feelings. It also refers, more specifically, to the act or process
More informationMcCLOSKEY ON RATIONAL ENDS: The Dilemma of Intuitionism
48 McCLOSKEY ON RATIONAL ENDS: The Dilemma of Intuitionism T om R egan In his book, Meta-Ethics and Normative Ethics,* Professor H. J. McCloskey sets forth an argument which he thinks shows that we know,
More informationJohn Haugeland. Dasein Disclosed: John Haugeland s Heidegger. Edited by Joseph Rouse. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2013.
book review John Haugeland s Dasein Disclosed: John Haugeland s Heidegger Hans Pedersen John Haugeland. Dasein Disclosed: John Haugeland s Heidegger. Edited by Joseph Rouse. Cambridge: Harvard University
More informationOn The Logical Status of Dialectic (*) -Historical Development of the Argument in Japan- Shigeo Nagai Naoki Takato
On The Logical Status of Dialectic (*) -Historical Development of the Argument in Japan- Shigeo Nagai Naoki Takato 1 The term "logic" seems to be used in two different ways. One is in its narrow sense;
More informationEUTHYPHRO, GOD S NATURE, AND THE QUESTION OF DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. An Analysis of the Very Complicated Doctrine of Divine Simplicity.
IIIM Magazine Online, Volume 4, Number 20, May 20 to May 26, 2002 EUTHYPHRO, GOD S NATURE, AND THE QUESTION OF DIVINE ATTRIBUTES An Analysis of the Very Complicated Doctrine of Divine Simplicity by Jules
More informationUC Berkeley UC Berkeley Previously Published Works
UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Previously Published Works Title Disaggregating Structures as an Agenda for Critical Realism: A Reply to McAnulla Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4k27s891 Journal British
More informationIn Search of the Ontological Argument. Richard Oxenberg
1 In Search of the Ontological Argument Richard Oxenberg Abstract We can attend to the logic of Anselm's ontological argument, and amuse ourselves for a few hours unraveling its convoluted word-play, or
More informationIdeas Have Consequences
Introduction Our interest in this series is whether God can be known or not and, if he does exist and is knowable, then how may we truly know him and to what degree. We summarized the debate over God s
More informationPropositional Revelation and the Deist Controversy: A Note
Roomet Jakapi University of Tartu, Estonia e-mail: roomet.jakapi@ut.ee Propositional Revelation and the Deist Controversy: A Note DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/rf.2015.007 One of the most passionate
More informationCraig on the Experience of Tense
Craig on the Experience of Tense In his recent book, The Tensed Theory of Time: A Critical Examination, 1 William Lane Craig offers several criticisms of my views on our experience of time. The purpose
More informationHas Logical Positivism Eliminated Metaphysics?
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 7714 Volume 3 Issue 11 ǁ November. 2014 ǁ PP.38-42 Has Logical Positivism Eliminated Metaphysics?
More informationTHE STUDY OF UNKNOWN AND UNKNOWABILITY IN KANT S PHILOSOPHY
THE STUDY OF UNKNOWN AND UNKNOWABILITY IN KANT S PHILOSOPHY Subhankari Pati Research Scholar Pondicherry University, Pondicherry The present aim of this paper is to highlights the shortcomings in Kant
More informationHenry of Ghent on Divine Illumination
MP_C12.qxd 11/23/06 2:29 AM Page 103 12 Henry of Ghent on Divine Illumination [II.] Reply [A. Knowledge in a broad sense] Consider all the objects of cognition, standing in an ordered relation to each
More informationCHAPTER 2 The Unfolding of Wisdom as Compassion
CHAPTER 2 The Unfolding of Wisdom as Compassion Reality and wisdom, being essentially one and nondifferent, share a common structure. The complex relationship between form and emptiness or samsara and
More informationChapter Six. Aristotle s Theory of Causation and the Ideas of Potentiality and Actuality
Chapter Six Aristotle s Theory of Causation and the Ideas of Potentiality and Actuality Key Words: Form and matter, potentiality and actuality, teleological, change, evolution. Formal cause, material cause,
More informationTruth At a World for Modal Propositions
Truth At a World for Modal Propositions 1 Introduction Existentialism is a thesis that concerns the ontological status of individual essences and singular propositions. Let us define an individual essence
More informationthe aim is to specify the structure of the world in the form of certain basic truths from which all truths can be derived. (xviii)
PHIL 5983: Naturalness and Fundamentality Seminar Prof. Funkhouser Spring 2017 Week 8: Chalmers, Constructing the World Notes (Introduction, Chapters 1-2) Introduction * We are introduced to the ideas
More informationBENEDIKT PAUL GÖCKE. Ruhr-Universität Bochum
264 BOOK REVIEWS AND NOTICES BENEDIKT PAUL GÖCKE Ruhr-Universität Bochum István Aranyosi. God, Mind, and Logical Space: A Revisionary Approach to Divinity. Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion.
More informationThe CopernicanRevolution
Immanuel Kant: The Copernican Revolution The CopernicanRevolution Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) The Critique of Pure Reason (1781) is Kant s best known work. In this monumental work, he begins a Copernican-like
More informationChallenging the Buddhist Conception of No- Self. something which, when I started, I knew absolutely nothing about. Please understand, I am
Chad Wright Senior Junto Paper Presented Sunday, February 27, 2011 Introduction: Challenging the Buddhist Conception of No- Self Let me first start off by saying that I have used this opportunity to explore
More informationAre All Universals Instantiated?
University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Theses Graduate Works 7-17-2009 Are All Universals Instantiated? Lawrence Joseph Rosenberger University of Missouri-St. Louis Follow this and additional works
More informationAvicenna, Proof of the Necessary of Existence
Why is there something rather than nothing? Leibniz Avicenna, Proof of the Necessary of Existence Avicenna offers a proof for the existence of God based on the nature of possibility and necessity. First,
More informationHabermas and Critical Thinking
168 Ben Endres Columbia University In this paper, I propose to examine some of the implications of Jürgen Habermas s discourse ethics for critical thinking. Since the argument that Habermas presents is
More information1/5. The Critique of Theology
1/5 The Critique of Theology The argument of the Transcendental Dialectic has demonstrated that there is no science of rational psychology and that the province of any rational cosmology is strictly limited.
More informationHas Nagel uncovered a form of idealism?
Has Nagel uncovered a form of idealism? Author: Terence Rajivan Edward, University of Manchester. Abstract. In the sixth chapter of The View from Nowhere, Thomas Nagel attempts to identify a form of idealism.
More informationMust we have self-evident knowledge if we know anything?
1 Must we have self-evident knowledge if we know anything? Introduction In this essay, I will describe Aristotle's account of scientific knowledge as given in Posterior Analytics, before discussing some
More informationComments on Truth at A World for Modal Propositions
Comments on Truth at A World for Modal Propositions Christopher Menzel Texas A&M University March 16, 2008 Since Arthur Prior first made us aware of the issue, a lot of philosophical thought has gone into
More informationQUESTIONS BUDDHISM MUST ANSWER
QUESTIONS BUDDHISM MUST ANSWER QUESTIONS WHAT DID BUDDHA SAY AGAIN? If Buddhists themselves cannot agree on which scriptural writings or traditions for practice are actually true statements from Buddha,
More informationJohn Buridan on Essence and Existence
MP_C31.qxd 11/23/06 2:37 AM Page 250 31 John Buridan on Essence and Existence In the eighth question we ask whether essence and existence are the same in every thing. And in this question by essence I
More informationChoosing Rationally and Choosing Correctly *
Choosing Rationally and Choosing Correctly * Ralph Wedgwood 1 Two views of practical reason Suppose that you are faced with several different options (that is, several ways in which you might act in a
More informationChapter 25. Hegel s Absolute Idealism and the Phenomenology of Spirit
Chapter 25 Hegel s Absolute Idealism and the Phenomenology of Spirit Key Words: Absolute idealism, contradictions, antinomies, Spirit, Absolute, absolute idealism, teleological causality, objective mind,
More informationIn Epistemic Relativism, Mark Kalderon defends a view that has become
Aporia vol. 24 no. 1 2014 Incoherence in Epistemic Relativism I. Introduction In Epistemic Relativism, Mark Kalderon defends a view that has become increasingly popular across various academic disciplines.
More informationPhilosophy 125 Day 1: Overview
Branden Fitelson Philosophy 125 Lecture 1 Philosophy 125 Day 1: Overview Welcome! Are you in the right place? PHIL 125 (Metaphysics) Overview of Today s Class 1. Us: Branden (Professor), Vanessa & Josh
More informationAspects of Western Philosophy Dr. Sreekumar Nellickappilly Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Aspects of Western Philosophy Dr. Sreekumar Nellickappilly Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Module - 20 Lecture - 20 Critical Philosophy: Kant s objectives
More informationChapter 24. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: The Concepts of Being, Non-being and Becoming
Chapter 24 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: The Concepts of Being, Non-being and Becoming Key Words: Romanticism, Geist, Spirit, absolute, immediacy, teleological causality, noumena, dialectical method,
More informationThe Divine Nature. from Summa Theologiae (Part I, Questions 3-11) by Thomas Aquinas (~1265 AD) translated by Brian J.
The Divine Nature from Summa Theologiae (Part I, Questions 3-11) by Thomas Aquinas (~1265 AD) translated by Brian J. Shanley (2006) Question 3. Divine Simplicity Once it is grasped that something exists,
More informationSounds of Love Series. Mysticism and Reason
Sounds of Love Series Mysticism and Reason I am going to talk about mysticism and reason. Sometimes people talk about intuition and reason, about the irrational and the rational, but to put a juxtaposition
More informationFaults and Mathematical Disagreement
45 Faults and Mathematical Disagreement María Ponte ILCLI. University of the Basque Country mariaponteazca@gmail.com Abstract: My aim in this paper is to analyse the notion of mathematical disagreements
More informationEPISTEMOLOGY for DUMMIES
EPISTEMOLOGY for DUMMIES Cary Cook 2008 Epistemology doesn t help us know much more than we would have known if we had never heard of it. But it does force us to admit that we don t know some of the things
More informationFACULTY OF ARTS B.A. Part II Examination,
FACULTY OF ARTS B.A. Part II Examination, 2015-16 8. PHILOSOPHY SCHEME Two Papers Min. pass marks 72 Max. Marks 200 Paper - I 3 hrs duration 100 Marks Paper - II 3 hrs duration 100 Marks PAPER - I: HISTORY
More informationTHE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE, RELIGION AND ARISTOTELIAN THEOLOGY TODAY
Science and the Future of Mankind Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Scripta Varia 99, Vatican City 2001 www.pas.va/content/dam/accademia/pdf/sv99/sv99-berti.pdf THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE, RELIGION
More informationPRELIMINARY. Asian Mahayana (Great Vehicle) traditions of Buddhism, Nagarjuna. easily resorted to in our attempt to understand the world.
PRELIMINARY Importance and Statement of Problem Often referred to as the second Buddha by Tibetan and East Asian Mahayana (Great Vehicle) traditions of Buddhism, Nagarjuna offered sharp criticisms of Brahminical
More informationMorton Smith s Systematic Theology Reviewed by W. Gary Crampton. Method
THE TRINITY REVIEW For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare [are] not fleshly but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments
More informationOSSA Conference Archive OSSA 3
University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor OSSA Conference Archive OSSA 3 May 15th, 9:00 AM - May 17th, 5:00 PM Commentary on Schwed Lawrence Powers Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive
More informationLogic and the Absolute: Platonic and Christian Views
Logic and the Absolute: Platonic and Christian Views by Philip Sherrard Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 7, No. 2. (Spring 1973) World Wisdom, Inc. www.studiesincomparativereligion.com ONE of the
More informationOn the epistemological status of mathematical objects in Plato s philosophical system
On the epistemological status of mathematical objects in Plato s philosophical system Floris T. van Vugt University College Utrecht University, The Netherlands October 22, 2003 Abstract The main question
More informationSYSTEMATIC RESEARCH IN PHILOSOPHY. Contents
UNIT 1 SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH IN PHILOSOPHY Contents 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Research in Philosophy 1.3 Philosophical Method 1.4 Tools of Research 1.5 Choosing a Topic 1.1 INTRODUCTION Everyone who seeks knowledge
More informationRationalism. A. He, like others at the time, was obsessed with questions of truth and doubt
Rationalism I. Descartes (1596-1650) A. He, like others at the time, was obsessed with questions of truth and doubt 1. How could one be certain in the absence of religious guidance and trustworthy senses
More informationQué es la filosofía? What is philosophy? Philosophy
Philosophy PHILOSOPHY AS A WAY OF THINKING WHAT IS IT? WHO HAS IT? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WAY OF THINKING AND A DISCIPLINE? It is the propensity to seek out answers to the questions that we ask
More informationOn David Chalmers's The Conscious Mind
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research Vol. LIX, No.2, June 1999 On David Chalmers's The Conscious Mind SYDNEY SHOEMAKER Cornell University One does not have to agree with the main conclusions of David
More informationBEGINNINGLESS PAST AND ENDLESS FUTURE: REPLY TO CRAIG. Wes Morriston. In a recent paper, I claimed that if a familiar line of argument against
Forthcoming in Faith and Philosophy BEGINNINGLESS PAST AND ENDLESS FUTURE: REPLY TO CRAIG Wes Morriston In a recent paper, I claimed that if a familiar line of argument against the possibility of a beginningless
More informationSAVING RELATIVISM FROM ITS SAVIOUR
CRÍTICA, Revista Hispanoamericana de Filosofía Vol. XXXI, No. 91 (abril 1999): 91 103 SAVING RELATIVISM FROM ITS SAVIOUR MAX KÖLBEL Doctoral Programme in Cognitive Science Universität Hamburg In his paper
More informationON UNIVERSALS (SELECTION)
ON UNIVERSALS (SELECTION) Peter Abelard Peter Abelard (c.1079-c.1142) was born into an aristocratic military family, and while he took up the pen rather than the sword, use of the pen was just as combative
More information1/6. The Resolution of the Antinomies
1/6 The Resolution of the Antinomies Kant provides us with the resolutions of the antinomies in order, starting with the first and ending with the fourth. The first antinomy, as we recall, concerned the
More informationMETHODENSTREIT WHY CARL MENGER WAS, AND IS, RIGHT
METHODENSTREIT WHY CARL MENGER WAS, AND IS, RIGHT BY THORSTEN POLLEIT* PRESENTED AT THE SPRING CONFERENCE RESEARCH ON MONEY IN THE ECONOMY (ROME) FRANKFURT, 20 MAY 2011 *FRANKFURT SCHOOL OF FINANCE & MANAGEMENT
More informationPHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT
PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT UNDERGRADUATE HANDBOOK 2013 Contents Welcome to the Philosophy Department at Flinders University... 2 PHIL1010 Mind and World... 5 PHIL1060 Critical Reasoning... 6 PHIL2608 Freedom,
More informationSaving the Substratum: Interpreting Kant s First Analogy
Res Cogitans Volume 5 Issue 1 Article 20 6-4-2014 Saving the Substratum: Interpreting Kant s First Analogy Kevin Harriman Lewis & Clark College Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.pacificu.edu/rescogitans
More informationSome Notes Toward a Genealogy of Existential Philosophy Robert Burch
Some Notes Toward a Genealogy of Existential Philosophy Robert Burch Descartes - ostensive task: to secure by ungainsayable rational means the orthodox doctrines of faith regarding the existence of God
More informationThe Ontological Argument for the existence of God. Pedro M. Guimarães Ferreira S.J. PUC-Rio Boston College, July 13th. 2011
The Ontological Argument for the existence of God Pedro M. Guimarães Ferreira S.J. PUC-Rio Boston College, July 13th. 2011 The ontological argument (henceforth, O.A.) for the existence of God has a long
More information! Jumping ahead 2000 years:! Consider the theory of the self.! What am I? What certain knowledge do I have?! Key figure: René Descartes.
! Jumping ahead 2000 years:! Consider the theory of the self.! What am I? What certain knowledge do I have?! What is the relation between that knowledge and that given in the sciences?! Key figure: René
More informationQUESTION 58. The Mode of an Angel s Cognition
QUESTION 58 The Mode of an Angel s Cognition The next thing to consider is the mode of an angel s cognition. On this topic there are seven questions: (1) Is an angel sometimes thinking in potentiality
More informationNotes on Bertrand Russell s The Problems of Philosophy (Hackett 1990 reprint of the 1912 Oxford edition, Chapters XII, XIII, XIV, )
Notes on Bertrand Russell s The Problems of Philosophy (Hackett 1990 reprint of the 1912 Oxford edition, Chapters XII, XIII, XIV, 119-152) Chapter XII Truth and Falsehood [pp. 119-130] Russell begins here
More information2 FREE CHOICE The heretical thesis of Hobbes is the orthodox position today. So much is this the case that most of the contemporary literature
Introduction The philosophical controversy about free will and determinism is perennial. Like many perennial controversies, this one involves a tangle of distinct but closely related issues. Thus, the
More informationMeaning of the Paradox
Meaning of the Paradox Part 1 of 2 Franklin Merrell-Wolff March 22, 1971 I propose at this time to take up a subject which may prove to be of profound interest, namely, what is the significance of the
More informationAspects of Western Philosophy Dr. Sreekumar Nellickappilly Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Aspects of Western Philosophy Dr. Sreekumar Nellickappilly Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Module - 21 Lecture - 21 Kant Forms of sensibility Categories
More informationANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Christian Apologetics Journal, 11:2 (Fall 2013) 2013 Southern Evangelical Seminary Reviews Norman L. Geisler, Ph.D. Reading the articles by Drs. Jason Lisle, Scott Oliphint, and Richard Howe was like watching
More informationCornelius Van Til: An Analysis of his Thought Reviewed by W. Gary Crampton
THE TRINITY REVIEW For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare [are] not fleshly but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments
More informationLogical Mistakes, Logical Aliens, and the Laws of Kant's Pure General Logic Chicago February 21 st 2018 Tyke Nunez
Logical Mistakes, Logical Aliens, and the Laws of Kant's Pure General Logic Chicago February 21 st 2018 Tyke Nunez 1 Introduction (1) Normativists: logic's laws are unconditional norms for how we ought
More informationExcerpt from J. Garvey, The Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books (Continuum, 2007): Immanuel Kant s Critique of Pure Reason
Excerpt from J. Garvey, The Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books (Continuum, 2007): Immanuel Kant s Critique of Pure Reason In a letter to Moses Mendelssohn, Kant says this about the Critique of Pure Reason:
More informationA HOLISTIC VIEW ON KNOWLEDGE AND VALUES
A HOLISTIC VIEW ON KNOWLEDGE AND VALUES CHANHYU LEE Emory University It seems somewhat obscure that there is a concrete connection between epistemology and ethics; a study of knowledge and a study of moral
More informationEach copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission.
The Physical World Author(s): Barry Stroud Source: Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, New Series, Vol. 87 (1986-1987), pp. 263-277 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Aristotelian
More informationOn Interpretation. Section 1. Aristotle Translated by E. M. Edghill. Part 1
On Interpretation Aristotle Translated by E. M. Edghill Section 1 Part 1 First we must define the terms noun and verb, then the terms denial and affirmation, then proposition and sentence. Spoken words
More informationBased on the translation by E. M. Edghill, with minor emendations by Daniel Kolak.
On Interpretation By Aristotle Based on the translation by E. M. Edghill, with minor emendations by Daniel Kolak. First we must define the terms 'noun' and 'verb', then the terms 'denial' and 'affirmation',
More informationAyer s linguistic theory of the a priori
Ayer s linguistic theory of the a priori phil 43904 Jeff Speaks December 4, 2007 1 The problem of a priori knowledge....................... 1 2 Necessity and the a priori............................ 2
More informationTHE HISTORIC ALLIANCE OF CHRISTIANITY AND SCIENCE
THE HISTORIC ALLIANCE OF CHRISTIANITY AND SCIENCE By Kenneth Richard Samples The influential British mathematician-philosopher Bertrand Russell once remarked, "I am as firmly convinced that religions do
More informationTHE REFUTATION OF PHENOMENALISM
The Isaiah Berlin Virtual Library THE REFUTATION OF PHENOMENALISM A draft of section I of Empirical Propositions and Hypothetical Statements 1 The rights and wrongs of phenomenalism are perhaps more frequently
More information