Revisiting Indian Mode of Philosophizing

Indian philosophy has ancient origin, but contemporary in significance. It is wide and varied, but holistic and integral in its approach. In terms of contemporary needs and aspirations, it has to be revisited and reinterpreted. It is imperative on the part of contemporary thinkers and scholars to properly understand from the original sources and put forth its true spirit without any bias and prejudices. Then only its real message can be disseminated to the world, and an attempt is made here to provide a blueprint to undertake this exercise.

     

The Hypothesis Of Ether And Reid's Interpretation Of Newton's First Rule Of Philosophizing

My object is to question a recurrent claim made to the point that Thomas Reid (1710–1796) was hostile to ether theories and that this hostility had its source in his distinctive interpretation of the first of Newton's regulæ philosophandi. Against this view I will argue that Reid did not have any quarrel at all with unobservable or theoretical entities as such, and that his objections against actual theories concerning ether were scientific rather than philosophical, even when based on Newton's first rule. I argue further that Reid's insistence on Newton's rule concerns, not direct observation, but rather the notion of explanation itself.     

Communicating and Philosophizing About Authenticity or Inauthenticity in a Fast-Paced World

North Americans live in an increasingly fast-paced world. Not only might this be physically and relationally unhealthy, a fast pace of life might prevent people from living life to its fullest and achieving happiness. Using Heidegger’s theory of Dasein, this study examines how individuals talk about time in holiday letters. Results of the study indicate that many letter writers were living inauthentic lives. According to Heidegger, inauthenticity prevents individuals from experiencing life at its fullest; implications of the findings blending philosophy and communication are discussed.     

The Global Scope of Justice

In this paper, I examine the question of the scope of justice, in a not unusual distributive, egalitarian, and universalistic framework. Part I outlines some central features of the egalitarian theory of justice I am proposing. According to such a conception, justice is – at least prima facie – immediately universal, and therefore global. It does not morally recognize any judicial boundaries or limits. Part II examines whether, even from a universalistic perspective, there are moral or pragmatic grounds for rejecting or limiting the global scope of justice. In particular, I scrutinize five universalistic objections: (1) the principle of "moral division of labor"; (2) the connection between cooperation and distributive justice; (3) the primacy of democracy; (4) the dangers of a world state; and (5) political-pragmatic reasons. I intend to show that these objections cannot undermine the strong normative claims of global justice. At the most, political-pragmatic reasons speak in favor of initially striving for somewhat less, in order to receive more general backing.     

The Scope of Political Participation

This article explores the differences in the factors that promote and inhibit political participation, both in the home countries and in Canada, of a group of Latin American immigrants. The reported findings emerge from interviews with 100 Latin American immigrants living in Toronto. Results suggest that while in their countries of origin the repression installed by military regimes was the main inhibitor of political participation in Canada, length of residence, negative previous political experiences, language skills, and discrimination hinder the political engagement of this group of immigrants.     

Philosophizing about education in a postmodern society: the role of sacred myth and ritual in education

In modern societies, educational philosophy concentrated on concept clarification and the structure of bodies of knowledge, especially science. This modernist project was found wanting, given its connections with ideologies of exploitation, violence and greed. Educational philosophy should, therefore, develop a new key for making the role of the aesthetic and ethical in cultural life and education meaningful. In particular, a study of ancient and traditional cultures reveals the centrality of sacred myths and rituals as means for creating coherent cultural patterns which are inspirational and foster well-being. Because of the postmodern aversion to theology-as-ideology and the sensitivity to diverse perspectives and populations, the reclaiming and recreation of appropriate cultural myths and rituals is especially challenging. I present, in outline, what I think are reasonable approaches to that challenge.