In light of our discussion about Buddhism and medical ethics, and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai lama, and the other examples of Socially Engaged Buddhism in the book, how do you feel about Socially Engaged Buddhism? Is it a philosophical contradiction? Why? Far from being a novel offshoot of Buddhist practice, Socially…
Category: Philosophy
The Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path of Buddhism: An exposition
The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are fundamental to Buddhist philosophy. The Four Noble Truths concern themselves with the issue of suffering. It was recognized by Gautam Buddha that suffering is integral to the experience of quotidian life. Human feelings and emotions such as anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, longing, etc are various manifestations of…
How do the themes, elements and issues found in Candide resonate with contemporary audiences?
There are many themes in Candide which resonate with a contemporary audience. One of the recurrent attacks in the book has been against religious institutions and the politico-cultural power wielded by them. Although Voltaire was a deist, he did not espouse the view of the Optimists who believed that we inhabit a perfect world in…
Richard Dawkins’ Blind Watchmaker
What is the thesis (the central idea or main point)? Richard Dawkins’ main argument is that the forces of evolution give an illusion of deliberate design, whereas in truth, they were shaped by gradual and random mutations sifted by the filters of natural selection. What are the main arguments made in supporting the thesis? Drawing…
William Paley’s Natural Theology
What is the thesis (the central idea or main point?) William Paley’s concept of Natural Theology argues for a synthesis between laws of nature and God. Natural Theology claims that the laws of the natural world are designed and made operant by the Divinity. It is this divine hand at work which accounts for the…
The Bagavad Gita: Q & A
In refusing to fight, what is Arjuna calling into question? Arjuna is troubled by various facets of his war mission. The first and foremost is the killing of his kin and kith. Across the battle line in Kurukshetra stand his cousins, uncles and former gurus. How heartless one needs to be to be able to…
The conflict between religious fundamentalism and methods of science
Ever since the ushering of the Enlightenment in the early 18th century, religious dogma has increasingly been questioned. In the contemporary era scientists offer clear and logical explanations for the evolution of life, the formation of the solar system, etc. In the face of such indisputable scientific evidence, it is no longer possible to accommodate…
Argumentative Essay: Is Utilitarianism a ‘universalist’ and ‘impartialist’ theory?
While Utilitarianism as a practical philosophy can find application in affairs of democratic policy making and economics, its stature are a satisfactory system of morality is contested. The scholarly consensus as of date is that Utilitarianism is a partial system of morality and is somewhat inadequate on account of its authors’ reluctance to front up…
Limits of Human Knowledge and Experience
The philosophical sub stream of epistemology concerns itself with questions surrounding the modes, methods and capacities of human knowledge acquisition. It is a very complicated subject with a lot of debate and disagreement among scholars. There are those like John Horgan, who envision the decline of scientific scrutiny into these questions. They contend that the…
The Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin’s
Garrett Hardin offers an in-depth analysis of issues surrounding humanity’s common resources. There are various common resources alluded to by the author, prominent among them are the geographic commons (the wilderness areas), air waves for telecommunication, public spaces that carry hoardings, the air that we breathe, rivers and oceans, etc. As citizens of a nation,…