In this paper, I intend to argue that a conception of philosophy as a way of life needs two elements: persuasion and love. Faced a false conception of philosophy very specialized, professional, and modem that has con...In this paper, I intend to argue that a conception of philosophy as a way of life needs two elements: persuasion and love. Faced a false conception of philosophy very specialized, professional, and modem that has condemned to oblivion philosophy itself, we propose a therapeutic conception (of philosophy) as a way of life, a philosophy that is not reduced to a conceptual content, but that is related to the way of life of the philosopher.展开更多
Classical Indian Buddhist philosopher Nfigfirjuna is known for his philosophical interpretations of the central conception of Buddha's teachings, the philosophy of Middle Path (Mfidhyamika). Notably he had introduc...Classical Indian Buddhist philosopher Nfigfirjuna is known for his philosophical interpretations of the central conception of Buddha's teachings, the philosophy of Middle Path (Mfidhyamika). Notably he had introduced the unique concept of "emptiness" (gnyata) to explain the Middle Path philosophy: the philosophical meaning of "emptiness" is dependent co-arising of various elements that support the worldly experience. This study investigates how this concept is used in explaining the subjectivity of a human person and how it is used for interpreting the unique process of human existence. The discussions on subjectivity are imprecise in modern and contemporary philosophy. But Ngrjuna's philosophy enables us to explain subjectivity conclusively, without it having to be explained using metaphysical positions. Sunyata may introduce a new definition for the concept of non-self: not for negating the self but for caring self from the problems of life by making it centered in the Middle Path (madhyama-pratipat), where one may naturally be able to use his wisdom (prajh) as the guiding principle: not mere knowledge (na). Sanyat is understood using fourfold (catus.kot.i) logical analysis, not twofold analysis employed normally by other philosophers. Here, the Buddhist notion of self as the co-dependent evolution process of five aggregates (pahcaskandhas) is reinterpreted using the unique method of tetralemma (catus.kot. i). This critique explores the Western philosophy's conceptions on "human reasoning, "logocentrism," and the objective analytical method of modern science." After careful cross examination of the rival philosophical positions, it reasons out why the "rationale of nature" is always superior to "human reasoning" and "logocentrism,"展开更多
The "Tree of Death" is a metaphor I use to unlock my Christian assumptions on how the dead attain eternal existence in the afterlife state. The tree's unconcealedness, in this life and presumably the next, along wi...The "Tree of Death" is a metaphor I use to unlock my Christian assumptions on how the dead attain eternal existence in the afterlife state. The tree's unconcealedness, in this life and presumably the next, along with the moral habits an agent develops in this life explain the obstinacy of the dead, that is, how the agent's irrevocable decision to side with the God of Abraham, or not, is possible. For that to be the case, the existential relationships that generate personal identity in this life must accompany (individuate) the subject in the next life. In Christian philosophy, the person-making process mirrors the relationships of the Blessed Trinity. While Martin Heidegger is not a Christian philosopher, his view on truth and being's unconcealedness provides a useful piece of the argument to continue the Thomistic case for personal immortality. Heidegger is not a catholic philosopher, but the focus he places on being's unconcealedness is consonant with the focus Thomas Aquinas puts on the intelligibility of being. While Heidegger's discussion of being is rooted in Dasein's finitude, the Thomistic interpretation of being situates unconcealedness within the perspective of God's creative act. His vision resets the possibility of applying Heidegger's fundamental ontology beyond temporality. The paper develops through a discussion of the Tree's "branches, trunk, and roots" to conclude that the Christian perspective transforms Heidegger's view of death into "the ultimate possibility of possibility."展开更多
文摘In this paper, I intend to argue that a conception of philosophy as a way of life needs two elements: persuasion and love. Faced a false conception of philosophy very specialized, professional, and modem that has condemned to oblivion philosophy itself, we propose a therapeutic conception (of philosophy) as a way of life, a philosophy that is not reduced to a conceptual content, but that is related to the way of life of the philosopher.
文摘Classical Indian Buddhist philosopher Nfigfirjuna is known for his philosophical interpretations of the central conception of Buddha's teachings, the philosophy of Middle Path (Mfidhyamika). Notably he had introduced the unique concept of "emptiness" (gnyata) to explain the Middle Path philosophy: the philosophical meaning of "emptiness" is dependent co-arising of various elements that support the worldly experience. This study investigates how this concept is used in explaining the subjectivity of a human person and how it is used for interpreting the unique process of human existence. The discussions on subjectivity are imprecise in modern and contemporary philosophy. But Ngrjuna's philosophy enables us to explain subjectivity conclusively, without it having to be explained using metaphysical positions. Sunyata may introduce a new definition for the concept of non-self: not for negating the self but for caring self from the problems of life by making it centered in the Middle Path (madhyama-pratipat), where one may naturally be able to use his wisdom (prajh) as the guiding principle: not mere knowledge (na). Sanyat is understood using fourfold (catus.kot.i) logical analysis, not twofold analysis employed normally by other philosophers. Here, the Buddhist notion of self as the co-dependent evolution process of five aggregates (pahcaskandhas) is reinterpreted using the unique method of tetralemma (catus.kot. i). This critique explores the Western philosophy's conceptions on "human reasoning, "logocentrism," and the objective analytical method of modern science." After careful cross examination of the rival philosophical positions, it reasons out why the "rationale of nature" is always superior to "human reasoning" and "logocentrism,"
文摘The "Tree of Death" is a metaphor I use to unlock my Christian assumptions on how the dead attain eternal existence in the afterlife state. The tree's unconcealedness, in this life and presumably the next, along with the moral habits an agent develops in this life explain the obstinacy of the dead, that is, how the agent's irrevocable decision to side with the God of Abraham, or not, is possible. For that to be the case, the existential relationships that generate personal identity in this life must accompany (individuate) the subject in the next life. In Christian philosophy, the person-making process mirrors the relationships of the Blessed Trinity. While Martin Heidegger is not a Christian philosopher, his view on truth and being's unconcealedness provides a useful piece of the argument to continue the Thomistic case for personal immortality. Heidegger is not a catholic philosopher, but the focus he places on being's unconcealedness is consonant with the focus Thomas Aquinas puts on the intelligibility of being. While Heidegger's discussion of being is rooted in Dasein's finitude, the Thomistic interpretation of being situates unconcealedness within the perspective of God's creative act. His vision resets the possibility of applying Heidegger's fundamental ontology beyond temporality. The paper develops through a discussion of the Tree's "branches, trunk, and roots" to conclude that the Christian perspective transforms Heidegger's view of death into "the ultimate possibility of possibility."