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Seminary Studies etc and ALP NatCon
The past few days I've spent a fair amount of time completing essays for my studies at The New Seminary. A complete update of my work to date, which includes Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, plus reviews of the four common dialogues of the last days of Socrates, plus reviews of the first three chapters of Felder's procedural reconstruction of the Ten Commandments, are all available on my website. Yes, that is quite a word count. Edit Neglected to mention that I've been upgraded to the accelerated program, and will complete within a year.
On related matters, caught up with a fellow seminary student who occasionally lives in Melbourne. A former liberal Baptist she is now part of a Uniting Church eco-feminist congregation that meets at CERES. It made good sense to have dinner that night at the home of the organiser of a local witches coven
I have arrived in Sydney to attend the ALP's National Conference and Fringe Conference. Staying in a rather neat and surprisingly charming backpackers dorm in Bondi. Chatted to a reporter on the 'plane over, who reckons the numbers are about 170 to the left and about 220 to the right, with a handful of independents, and with wavering factions in the larger groupings (e.g., the Ferguson Left, the NUW). Briefly attended the National Left meeting. Major issues that will come up will be marriage equality, onshoring processing of asylum seekers, uranium sales to India, and Party reform. Will be making ample use of Twitter during the conference (lev_lafayette).
On related matters, caught up with a fellow seminary student who occasionally lives in Melbourne. A former liberal Baptist she is now part of a Uniting Church eco-feminist congregation that meets at CERES. It made good sense to have dinner that night at the home of the organiser of a local witches coven
I have arrived in Sydney to attend the ALP's National Conference and Fringe Conference. Staying in a rather neat and surprisingly charming backpackers dorm in Bondi. Chatted to a reporter on the 'plane over, who reckons the numbers are about 170 to the left and about 220 to the right, with a handful of independents, and with wavering factions in the larger groupings (e.g., the Ferguson Left, the NUW). Briefly attended the National Left meeting. Major issues that will come up will be marriage equality, onshoring processing of asylum seekers, uranium sales to India, and Party reform. Will be making ample use of Twitter during the conference (lev_lafayette).
no subject
For what reason?
But again what is this principle?
It's written in the portion of my reply you quoted above. What other kind of answer are you looking for? I can't show you a picture of Rta or give an exhaustive account of it. Just as I can give you only an abstract definition of the Brahman but not display it to you. You can have instances of Rta in manifested form - such as: "being unwaveringly truthful leads one to develop clarity of thought, helps the mind overcome attachments to the world, helps one gain credibility in society, and eventually leads to spiritual illumination". Just as you can have instances of the Brahman in the form of a chair, the ocean, or yourself. Any greater understanding of either Rta or Brahman is a matter of realization, for which devotees of various categories engage in years and lifetimes of rigorous Sadhana. That is what you have to engage in if you want a more direct answer then is written in the books.
Because it is the operating principle of the universe.
So? That is a strange expectation to have of the operating principle. I hope you are not taking "principle" in the sense of a formula or definition that can be written in a book. You can't even write all the laws of physics known till now in a single book - and it's not as if all the work in Physics is now done. Not to mention the human sciences, all the other sciences, ethics and what not. Rta governs all of these, but leaving aside all the questions posed by these you want it to be something that answers your one question, and then it will be satisfactory?
I don't think that matter. The universe is shared space.
It matters in this case because you are using the assumptions of Western philosophy to evaluate an Eastern concept, such as in your expectation that the very concept of Rta should should be useful for a chosen purpose of yours like a transcending the pragmatic differences between something and something else, even though it nowhere purports to do that. Perhaps you are erroneously assuming Rta to be the counterpart of some concept that exists in Western Philosophy, and declaring it to be invalid because it doesn't do the same things as your Western concept does.
I'm sorry, I found it unconvincing and provided reasons why the demonstration was lacking
The demonstration I provided was of Rta not standing in the way of maintaining difference between "is" statements and "ought" statements, through examples. You have not touched those at all. So what reasons have you provided ? The transcending pragmatic differences...? As I said above, that is a fancy expectation of yours from the concept of Rta which has nothing to do with the treatment of the concept in Indian philosophy. What I understand by naturalism in ethics is the idea that people should look to how things are in order to decide how they should act. I demonstrated that Rta suggests nothing of the sort, rather it asserts that moral laws are grounded as firmly in the fabric of existence as natural laws are. So, there. If you aren't contesting that Rta suggests an is-ought equivalence, then I'm not interested in discussing what other expectations you might have of Rta.
I guess rta is an interesting attempt to propose a universal order
Well, it is posited (or rather declared by the scriptures, realized as true by spiritual aspirants at the end of their search, and posited/believed by the rest) that there is a universal order - that order being called Rta. This is what I have been saying repeatedly, and wondering why you have strange theoretical expectations from the concept. I don't know much about Logos.
Because norms represent expectations of behaviour, and universal moral norms...
You seemed to be overusing that term, and my point was that normative ethics isn't only one kind of ethics. That is all.
no subject
no subject
Panentheism, whilst relying on a speculation, does not make additional claims of what the universe consists of. Rta however is making a claim that I do not understand.
I hope you are not taking "principle" in the sense of a formula or definition that can be written in a book.
That is indeed what I would be looking for. I suppose if it is something that cannot be acquired in such a manner, I shall have to pass.
no subject
What Panentheism?? I don't know what that is. What an amazing way of engaging in conversation you have!
I shall have to pass
I thought you were studying a subject. I don't know what you are passing because nobody offered anything to you.
Panentheism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panentheism
Re: Panentheism
Re: Panentheism
Brahman is interpreted by every interfaith study as a form of panetheism. Indeed, it is considered to be one of the best examples.
Re: Panentheism
Mysticism
Dr. Raimundo Pannikar, ‘Foreword’, Jeanine Miller, The Vision of Cosmic Order in the Vedas (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985), p. xix.
So because Rta proposes a harmonic order that is beyond thought it is inexplicable.
Re: Mysticism
Re: Mysticism
Re: Mysticism