From: Scott R (jse885@spinn.net)
Date: Fri May 30 2003 - 04:02:49 BST
Erin,
> >Yes. I see contingency -- or maybe radical contingency -- as what is
meant
> >by the Buddhist phrase 'pratitya-samutpada', usually translated as
> >"dependent co-origination". This means that nothing is what it is except
in
> >terms of how it relates to everything else. It lacks "self-existence".
The
> >hard "thing" to understand in this way, of course, is "myself".
> >
>
> do you think this relates to the previous discussions about other species
and
> subjective, higher levels?
Unfortunately I didn't keep up on this discussion, so I don't know. But
since everything relates to everything, it must, no :-).
> >My "metaphsyics" also pretty much hangs on this one word, with the real
> >difference between Rorty and me, as I see it, being that I consider the
> >statement "everything is contingent" to be a metaphysical Truth, that it
can
> >be realized (mystically). {Note: that statement also uses a particular
> >meaning of "everything": as "every thing (or event, or whatever that can
be
> >observed, thought about, etc.), so the escape-that-can-be-another-trap is
> >the word "emptiness" or "nothingness": sunyata.}
> So whats the difference between "everything is contingent" and "everything
is
> relative"
Nothing that I can see. As long as one appreciates the paradox of both.
Einstein, by the way (and I know I'm leaving the context), only thought that
distance and elapsed time and mass were relative to the motion and
acceleration of the observer. He didn't get to the point of noticing that
all of reality is relative to the observer, including spacetime itself. I
don't think Pirsig goes that far either (at least in Lila). And that the
observer is relative to the observation.
You might add Derrida to the list: "There is nothing outside the text",
except he probably didn't quite mean it.
- Scott
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