Relativism and reason (II) from Love of All Wisdom by Amod Lele
I
consider myself a Hegelian because I believe, with Hegel,
that one can go a step further than MacIntyre: one best develops a philosophy
by trying as best one can to consider all competing accounts
from within, and arrive at a position that supersedes – transcends and includes
– them all. Unlike Hegel I would probably add “tentatively” and “one hopes” in
here. As finite and non-omniscient human beings we always have the possibility of being wrong, of having missed something. But
if we want to have a chance of discovering the truth, we need to try. I came at
this position from another angle in discussing blind men and elephants two weeks ago. It is this sort
of position, I think – whether Hegel’s more confident view, or my more cautious
one – that combines a universalist theory of truth with an internalist theory
of error…
Recall
that Momin’s argument for relativism rested on
understanding other cultures, making sense of them internally. It seems to me
that this making sense itself requires the ability to argue and judge
rationally – and, above all, to do so across traditions and
perspectives. If we are really making sense of a radically different
perspective, we are not just seeing it in its own terms. We
cannot, because we are always still ourselves; its own terms must be filtered
through ours. If it remains radically other, we have not understood it. This is
why Gadamer famously
argues that understanding requires a “fusion of horizons”: to understand what
another’s horizon means in its own terms requires that we
translate it into ours. And that means that the reasoning in each alternative
tradition must be made commensurable: they can no longer stand as separate
worlds that will not meet, but are now placed open to argument and even
refutation by the other. If we really understand the alternative position, we
are allowing the possibility that it is right and we are wrong.
Now
this understanding could be one-sided: it is not necessarily the case that
anyone who holds the position will understand ours. This is why, as Momin has
noted, no position is ever going to be accepted by everyone. But this – to be
accepted by everyone – does not seem a legitimate criterion for universality.
Auronet - Savitri
Bhavan, Auroville Sri Aurobindo and
The Mother say on OM. ... of
this opportunity to increase their knowledge and understanding of the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and ... Coming Events Monday 16 Jul - Exhibition Savitri Bhavan Mon 16 09:00 AM Exhibition - Meditations on
Savitri at Savitri Bhavan Class Savitri Bhavan Mon 16 09:00 AM Exhibition - 'The Birth of the
Sun' at Savitri Bhavan EXHIBITIONS
Meditations on Savitri Books 2 and 3
108 paintings prepared by Huta under the Mother’s Guidance
In the Picture Gallery from July 1 onwards
The Birth of the Sun and other paintings inspired by Savitri
by Shri Shivkumar-ji Paliya
Upstairs, July 6-31
SARASWATI
A new painting on stone by Emanuele
will be on display at Savitri Bhavan from July 1st.
It is the first of a planned series of 7 on the wives of the Rishis
Class Savitri Bhavan Mon 16 10:00 AM Digital Library - multimedia
facilities at Savitri Bhavan Digital
Library - multimedia facilities for individual study Opening hours: 10-5 Monday to Saturday
Savitri
Bhavan offers individual computer access to a large range of audio-visual
materials. All the recordings of courses, guest lectures and special events
held at Savitri Bhavan are available, as well as much more. Aurovilians,
visitors and volunteers are invited tomake use of this opportunity to increase
their knowledge and understanding of the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother
and the aims and ideals underlying the experiment of Auroville.
Class Savitri Bhavan Mon 16 10:13 AM 'On The Mother' at Savitri
Bhavan Class
/ Savitri Bhavan Mon 16 03:00 PM Cultivating Concentration at
Savitri Bhavan Cinema
/ Savitri Bhavan Mon 16 06:30 PM Film - OM The Divine Name at
Savitri Bhavan
Tuesday
17 Jul
Class Savitri Bhavan Tue 17 (All day) Cultivating Concentration at
Savitri Bhavan Class Savitri Bhavan Tue 17 (All day) L’ Agenda de Mère at Savitri
Bhavan Class Savitri Bhavan Tue 17 (All day) OM Choir at Savitri Bhavan Exhibition Savitri Bhavan Tue 17 09:00 AM Exhibition - Meditations on
Savitri at Savitri Bhavan Class Savitri Bhavan Tue 17 09:00 AM Exhibition - 'The Birth of the
Sun' at Savitri Bhavan Class Savitri Bhavan Tue 17 10:00 AM Digital Library - multimedia
facilities at Savitri Bhavan Course Joy Guest House, Centre Field Tue 17 05:00 PM NVC:
Advanced Deepening Practice Group Class Savitri Bhavan Tue 17 05:00 PM Savitri Study in Tamil at
Savitri Bhavan
Wednesday
18 Jul
Class Savitri Bhavan Wed 18 (All day) Reading The Life Divine at
Savitri Bhavan Class Savitri Bhavan Wed 18 (All day) 'Mudra-chi' at Savitri Bhavan Workshop Savitri Bhavan Wed 18 06:45 AM Well Being (Pranayama) Workshop
of 5 Sessions Exhibition Savitri Bhavan Wed 18 09:00 AM Exhibition - Meditations on
Savitri at Savitri Bhavan Class Savitri Bhavan Wed 18 09:00 AM Exhibition - 'The Birth of the
Sun' at Savitri Bhavan Class Savitri Bhavan Wed 18 10:00 AM Digital Library - multimedia
facilities at Savitri Bhavan Class Verite Hall Wed 18 05:00 PM Somatic Explorations - ongoing
weekly class with Maggie Dance Kalabhumi Wed 18 08:00 PM Kahata/Kabir folk songs woven
into rhythms and dance
The new issue of our journal Invocation
– Study Notes on Savitri (No. 36)… Office and Reading Room,
Monday to Saturday 9–5. Everyone is welcome. REGULAR
ACTIVITIES
Sundays 10.30–12 noon: Savitri Study
Circle
Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, 3-4pm: ‘Cultivating
Concentration’, led by Dr. Jai Singh
Mondays 5-6pm: On ‘The Mother’, led by
Dr. Ananda Reddy
Tuesdays 4–5 pm: L’Agenda de Mère – listening
to recordingswith Gangalakshmi
Tuesdays 5-6 pm: Savitri study in
Tamil, led by Sudarshan. 5.45–7.15 pm: OM Choir
Wednesdays 5.30-6.30 pm: Reading The
Life Divine, led by Shraddhavan
Thursdays 4.30-5.30pm: The English of Savitri,
led by Shraddhavan. ‘Mudra-Chi’ sessions led by Anandi resume
Wednesday June 11 5pm
Chaotic
Systems Viswa Ghosh Jul 14, 2012 12:49 am Dear Marla,
I do believe that Chris is right about evolution
being chaotic process (as opposed to a designed creation). The chaos comes from
one simple... Re:
Fundamental Questions Viswa Jul 11, 2012 2:00 am
Dear Raman,
You are extremely correct about the points below,
including that regarding the Carvakas. As you say, “the grand mystery of
existence” is unfathomable. In fact, the Carvakas have been misunderstood &
distorted in our scriptures and even by the later commentators.
Varadaraja Raman Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2012
11:39 PM To: TheBecoming@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [TheBecoming] Fundamental Questions
Why is it so difficult for committed God-seekers, God-defenders, and Scriptures-interpreters of every religious tradition - including the Hindu - to grant that different people find spiritual fulfillment in their contemplation of the Grand Mystery of Existence in different ways following different paths, and that they should all be respected as long as they don't practice or preach hate and hurt towards other human beings?
Why is it so difficult for committed God-seekers, God-defenders, and Scriptures-interpreters of every religious tradition - including the Hindu - to grant that different people find spiritual fulfillment in their contemplation of the Grand Mystery of Existence in different ways following different paths, and that they should all be respected as long as they don't practice or preach hate and hurt towards other human beings?
It seems to me the Vedic wisdom outshines any other
precisely in trying to wake us up to this great Truth. Charvaka was not abusing
the Vedas, he was exemplifying it. Though I don't subscribe to his philosophy,
in my view he was as much a great Hindu as any Acharya. V. V. Raman July 10,
2012
Yesterday’s discussions were centred on materialist
attempts to discredit the principle of free choice. However, religion is, in no
sense of the term, material. Religion must be seen in the same way as liberty –
inviolable and an intrinsic good. It is held that a person’s liberty is of
paramount importance that cannot be bartered away. Therefore, it is illegal to
sell oneself into slavery, even at the risk of starvation; liberty is a good
unto itself, the exercise of which allows one to lead a content life.
Similarly, it can be argued that a man lives not by bread alone but also by
hope; religion is that hope, of justice in this life or the next, of salvation,
and the reassurance that the world will not descend into anarchy. Society
is neither a business enterprise to maximise wealth nor an association to
promote liberty and equality. Instead, as Aristotle argues, “the good life is
the end of the city-state,” ie, a life consisting of noble actions
(1280b39–1281a4). From this perspective, conversion without faith is an
impediment to the good life.
Yet people who are induced to convert may not be
religious, and therefore, the question of hope does not arise. This is only
partly true – an atheist, if categorised as a Muslim or a Christian, will
militate against the label. Atheism gives that person a certain sense of
liberty, of humanism. By even ascribing a religious label, that sense is
reduced. Those open to inducement may not have such strong convictions, for or
against religion. Their sole belief might be in two square meals a day.
Swami Vivekananda is often credited for arguing that a hungry man has no
religion but bread. There is merit in that idea, but as discussed above,
society feels that liberty trumps bread. A hungry man is not capable of
thinking properly about liberty (or religion) and should, therefore, not be
allowed to make a rash decision. This is a principle upheld by law courts
everywhere, that all deals must be entered into by person of sound mental
faculties; in fact, reduced capability is even a mitigating factor in crime.
Can one truly argue that poverty does not reduce capability? If not, should
conversion by inducement be allowed?
Ibn al-Dunya has left a new comment on your post
"Propagandists are afraid of Sri Aurobindo": Posted to Savitri
Era at 1:23 PM, July 15, 2012
Sorry, the article was not a hagiography of
Aurobindo. Had that been clear, someone would have seen to it that every
sentence began with "Aurobindo says..."
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