Re: Ham; Re: MD Is Morality Relative?

From: Ron Winchester (phaedruswolff@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Dec 06 2004 - 15:02:31 GMT

  • Next message: Platt Holden: "Re: MD Is Morality Relative?"

    I appreciate your many inputs and insights relative to my thesis, Chin. And
    I apologize for falling behind in my responses.

    Hi Ham,

    No need to apologize, as if we spend all our time studying a Quality Life,
    we have no time to enjoy our life.

    My offering was only meant as something of interest on Buddhism, as the
    author was in your field.

    It didn't require analysis or comment, and I should have said that from the
    get-go.

    Chin

    >From: <hampday@earthlink.net>
    >Reply-To: moq_discuss@moq.org
    >To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
    >Subject: Re: Ham; Re: MD Is Morality Relative?
    >Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 14:43:44 -0500
    >
    >Hi Chin --
    >
    > > I thought you might find this interesting;
    >
    > > http://www.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/thisthing.html
    >
    >Thanks for the article (which I guess was actually a speech). Like most
    >lectures based on Eastern insight, Professor Suler's message quotes Zen
    >riddles (koans) which I'm told are designed to "shock the intellect" into
    >seeing Truth. Unfortunately, it never works for me. And it is one of the
    >reasons I've not invested much time studying Buddhism and its teachings.
    >Aside from the conclusion that "self" is an undefinable entity, what do we
    >learn from Suler's exercise?
    >
    >I'm a "literalist" -- some see this as naivetee. I believe in stating
    >things as I see them, to the best of my ability. To me, philosophical
    >dialectic is a process involving reason (i.e., logical methods) to work
    >toward rational conclusions. One constructs a hypothesis, sometimes with
    >the help of an analogy, to arrive at some level of understanding. For the
    >Western intellect, this works on a rational rather than a psychic level.
    >Word puzzles, koans, and allegories may sharpen the intellect in a general
    >way, but they are oblique or "elliptical" -- that is, they don't
    >communicate
    >the concept directly. I think one must formulate a rational understanding
    >of a concept before any "riddle" about it can be intellectualized and
    >appreciated.
    >
    >Discourses on Morality may be an exception, since they focus on matters
    >that
    >involve human sensibility. That's undoubtedly why Jesus taught in
    >parables.
    >But you can't build a cosmology on allegorical stories and hope to advance
    >understanding. The circular debates posted here about statements culled
    >from a novel demonstrate my point. It all boils down to the importance of
    >stating the premise rationally and with clarity. Call a spade a spade. It
    >makes no sense to argue endlessly over words and phrases without a firm
    >rational grasp of precisely what is being argued. This should not have to
    >be
    >a matter of speculation, presumption, or personal bias on the reader's
    >part.
    >Goodness knows, we should all strive for simplicity -- I'm certainly guilty
    >of verbose writing -- but let's at least try to be direct in what we are
    >positing. Philosophy is not an art form or a word game. Although some
    >ideas don't lend themselves well to literal interpretation, the philosopher
    >is obligated to try. (The word pictures and allegories can come later.)
    >
    >I just wanted to get this off my chest. Hopefully, it will help make my
    >own
    >viewpoints somewhat more understandable in this environment.
    >
    >I appreciate your many inputs and insights relative to my thesis, Chin.
    >And
    >I apologize for falling behind in my responses.
    >
    >Best regards,
    >Ham
    >
    >
    >
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