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The article is an attempt to answer the question whether in the thought of Indian adualism (advaita) one can speak about the concept of a person. The considerations are conducted in the aspect of the possible concept of Brahman personality and the individual soul of man. The predefined reference point is the classic definition of a person, formulated by Boethius.
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This article undertakes the issue of the Mahāyāna Buddhist concept of tathāgatagarbha, seen as a form of selfhood. Its task lies in outlining the methods employed to disclose tathāgatagarbha as a “true” and “original” – but also utterly Buddhist – form of self. In the first part of the article I demonstrate the stance of sūtras from the Mahāparinirvāṇa-mahāsūtra group, in which tathāgatagarbha is bluntly termed ātman, and which posit that all ideas of selfhood are derivatives of the notion of tathāgatagarbha. In the second part, where the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra is taken under consideration, I introduce an interpretative strategy that shows how this scripture establishes tathāgatagarbha as an enduring self. This is done mainly by assigning the tathāgatagarbha a function of sustaining the diachronic coherence of sentient beings in saṃsāra. Consequently, tathāgatagarbha can be viewed as a “prototype” for the idea of “base consciousness” (ālayavijñāna). The final part of the article is built around the question of why Śrīmālādevī-sūtra warns against ascribing the label ātman to tathāgatagarbha.
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The study of the history of yoga in Poland has only just begun, and knowledge about the earliest stages of the reception of the idea in thi country is so far negligible. This paper is an attempt to broaden the current state of knowledge on yoga in Poland in the interwar period. It focuses on the interpretation/understanding of yoga presented by Eugeniusz Polończyk (?–1932), a medical doctor, social activist and esotericist. Polończyk’s interpretation of yoga forms an integral part of his socio-political views. It may be seen as an attempt to strengthen his synarchist beliefs as well as a way to introduce them into the practice of social life in order to enable the revival of the Polish nation and create an ideal (utopian) state. The paper also highlights the most characteristic features of interpretations of yoga in Poland in the interwar period – patriotic, messianic, Christian and esoteric.
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The influences of the phenomena of religious consciousness on the thinking and philosophy of Modern India are described in the article, based on the Bengal Renaissance works of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, especially those of the inaugurator Rammohun Roy. He created the basic foundations of Neo-Vedanta philosophy predominantly owing to the special phenomena of religious consciousness. The basic phenomena are primordial religious experience and the experience of contemplation and understanding of an Other religion (Islam and Christianity). Derivative phenomena are “monotheistic revolution” (term by G. Pomerants) and dialogue of religions in personal consciousness. Opening the resemblance of Vedanta and other religious traditions’ meanings to dialogue helped to achieve a new interpretation of the darśana. The novelty of Neo-Vedantism lies in the appearance of mighty ethical and social vectors of thinking. The combination of the aforesaid phenomena created the method of philosophizing – free dialogue between one’s own tradition and another in order to enrich indigenous thought.
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The elegant portrayal of the transcendental in F. W. Marnau’s Nosferatu, the artistic representation of mysticism in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, and the scenes of horror in Francis Ford Coppola’s filmic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, are reflections of belief in the mystical in all cultures across the world. This archetypal phenomenon stems from universal valourisation, utility, and the relationship between man and the transcendental. The popular notion of the transcendental lends credence to its artistic exploration in the Nigerian home video film enterprise, popularly known as Nollywood. In fact, the genesis of the Nigerian film industry, attests to this as first generation filmmakers incorporated themes of mystical contentions. Thus, belief in mysticism and the spiritual have influenced the content of Nigerian home video films. It is against this backdrop that this study examines the mystical contest in Andy Amenechi’s film, Oduduwa. It argues that transcendental contests in Nollywood home video films are a portrayal of the Nigerian belief system. Using pictorial illustrations, I adopt historical and content analysis methods to analyse the film, Oduduwa. Among other findings, it comes to the fore in this study that mysticism holds sway in cinemas across all cultures and that Andy Amenechi’s Oduduwa could be located in this category. I therefore conclude that Nigerian filmmakers and cineastes across the world, should fully explore themes of mysticism in their films, to facilitate a documentation and propagation of this cultural component.
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Thephilosophy of language in India is inextricably linked with the mythical thought of theWord (vāc / śabda) that underlines almost all philosophical systems and grammaticalschools. Having already sixty-four grammarian predecessors, Pāini (4th B.C.) represents theturning point in firmly establishing the rules of the Vedic and of the canonical (bhāṣa )(classical) Sanskrit. The philosophical insights around Sanskrit are propounded by variousprepāṇinan and postpāṇinians Mīmāṁsāka and Naiyāyika grammarians and philosophers.Bhartṛhari occupies an unique position in the line of the grammarians, byintegrating the word and language theories and concepts under a “linguistical monism”.His works are chronologically the first that combine the traditions of purely linguisticapproach of the śabda sau prakriyā grantha, represented by Pāini, and darśana grantha –the tradition with certain philosophical propensities as it could have been identified atVyāi out of the quotations that have survived.The present introductory lines throw also some light on how Indian grammarianphilosophersapproached semiotics key-concepts such as significant (sphoṭa ), sound(dhvani), class (jāti), linguistic universals (ākṛti ) and individuals (vyakti), sentence(vākya) etc., concepts that have been widely and deeply studied by the modern researchof structural linguistics and philosophy of language.
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In order to shed light on the effort made by Patañjali, the famous author of no less famous Yoga-Sūtra, to gather and systematize the valuable spiritual doctrines of his time, Eliade decided to summarize Patañjali’s intellectual and spiritual effort in the pages of a small volume, called Patañjali and Yoga. Although small, Eliade’s volume proves to be a suitable introduction to the yoga philosophy expresses by Patañjali in YogaSūtra. By reading Eliade, one can follow the intellectual path taken by Patañjali in his systematization effort. One can thus understand the classical yoga treaty as a practical guide and a philosophical approach in order to attend unconditional freedom and immortality.
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Philosophy in general and African Philosophy in particular is rocked by the crisis of relevance and is being called upon to justify the huge investment in it by the government. This paper attempts to examine the contribution that philosophers can make to the development of African countries given the fact that the continent suffers from the problem of development. The paper is a counter discourse to that of scholars like Bodunrin who thinks that philosophy cannot help in dealing with our present social, moral, religious and economic problems. The paper argues that the professionalization of philosophy which has led to it being treated as a theoretical inquiry does not preclude the capacity of philosophers to reason about the practical problem in the society with a view to solving them. It examines some of the ways by which African philosophers can contribute to social development in Africa such as the development of an ideology, the critique of African values and colonial legacies and the readiness to participate in practical matters so as to translate ideas and theories to social reality. The paper suggests that if philosophers are to be able to be involved in practical matters, there is the need for multi-disciplinary training for them. It concludes by suggesting a philosophy of praxis for Africa.
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Medieval Islamic medicine represented a cornerstone in the history of this field of expertise and it has greatly influenced the honorable profession of medicine in Europe. During the Dark Ages, Europe was struggling to survive politically and economically to different invasions. Medicine and culture, in general, were left aside and nobody thought of developing these fields least of all to come up with new theories or discoveries. European early Middle Ages was not favorable to any breakthrough. Those who introduced new ideas, practiced medicine and promoted the survival of what Greek and Roman cultures had instilled centuries before the Arab physicians. Not only healers of the body, the Arabs who forwarded medical knowledge were well-known philosophers, writers, pharmacologists, polymaths able to broader the horizon of European knowledge with a new intenseness. The present article aims at presenting some of the most outstanding discoveries made by two practitioners of medicine of Arab descend: Avicenna and Averroes.
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This Essay, written as a scientific preview, issues the question of the intellectual heritage of Emanuel Swedenborg, being present in the fields of philosophy and theology. Having that in mind, only those theories have been displayed which can be brought into connection with the thought of Swedenborg, being it directly or circuitously. Due to that, a full oeuvre of mentioned authors hasn’t been treated.Keywords: theory of signatures, imaginative world, mysticism, modern European esoteric tradition, Swedenborg, Böhme, Kant, Suzuki, Corbin
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This article examines the approaches of Avicenna and Nasîr al-Dîn al-Tûsî to the conditional propositions. The conditional propositions and inferences have an important place in the logical theories of Arabic philosophers. The fully articulated theory of the conditional propositions was developed for the first time by Avicenna (d. 1037) in Arabic logic, although we can find early discussion of this issue in al-Fârâbî’s (s. 950) works. Avicenna’s commentator Nasîr al-Dîn alTûsî (d. 1274) evaluated Avicenna’s doctrines on the conditional propositions and made considerable contributions to these doctrines. This article aims to survey Avicenna’s and al-Tûsî’s views on hypothetical and disjunctive propositions and their subtypes. It discusses, especially, implicational (luzûmiyya) and accidental (ittıfâkiyya) propositions as subtypes of hypothetical propositions as well as subtypes of disjunctive propositions
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In this research I will focus on the main and central features of Averroes'perception of Ghazali instead of concentrating on polemical debates between two thinkers. In other words, how Averreos, as an Peripatetic Philosopher, perceives Ghazali? What are the main characters of his perception regarding Ghazali? Consequently I hope that Ghazali's thought can be grasped more deeply and profoundly from another point of view. This research also may enlighten the relationships between theology and philosophy through Averroes's perception of Ghazali. First of all, Avrroes recognize and appreciates Ghazali's intellectual capacity, his deep effect and religious authority on Islamic Society very well. Secondly for Averroes mainly perceive Ghazali as Asharitean theologian. This fact guides Ghazali's thoughts directly or indirectly. Thirdly Averroes considers Ghazali who does not aim to discover the truth in itself and does not follow the demonstrative reasoning namely burhan. Therefore he grasped inappropriate conclusions regarding the theoretical subjects and the position and the intentions of the philosophers. Lastly, Averroes observes Ghazali as inconsistent and variable thinker regarding many theoretical subject such as the attribute of the hereafter, condemnation of the philosopher with heresy and whether there are mediatory existents between First Principle and sublunary worlds.
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Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidī, who lived in XIII-th century and was one of the eminent philosophers in this century particularly in the fields of philosophy and Islamic theology. al-Āmidī, wrote over twenty works about various scientific fields such as, philosophy, logic, Islamic theology and methodology of Islamic jurisprudence (usūl al-fıkh). His works have been accepted as reference materials from scholars of following generations. In this study, after a brief overview of alĀmidī's life, scientific personality and works, we focus on the edition and assessment of his work, Daqāiq al-haqāiq fī al-mantiq, on the syllogism (qiyās) which is the main interest of logic.
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Ibn Rushd, who became one of the most distinguished scholars of the Andalus traditions among the Islamic faith, had considerable fame in the West rather than the East and his influence notably continued for centuries. The emergence period and the spread of Ibn Rushed’s philosophy, known as ‘Averroes’ and “the Great Interpreter” of Aristotles in the European intellectual traditions had a great initiative impact on the Renaissance movement. The influence of ‘Latin Averroism’ emerging after a short time following his death spanned through the modernist period, therefore it became possible to observe his impact on the successive philosophers and thinkers of this time. In this study, the emergence of Latin Averroism and the recognition of Ibn Rushd and his philosophy in the Latin intellectual traditions, which is the standpoint in the Western world, will be examined.
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Latince Avicenna ismiyle bilinen Ebû Ali el-Hüseyin İbn Abdullah İbn Sînâ (980-1037), Aristotelesçi gelenek içinde eser veren, önde gelen çoğu Ortaçağ İslam (Arap) filozofu gibi mantık hakkında birçok eser kaleme almıştır. İslam filozofları mantık çalışmalarında, kendi Grek kaynaklarına daima önemli bir değer biçmişlerdir. Dolayısıyla çıkış noktası açık bir şekilde Yunan, hatta aslında Stoa menşeli olan, bitişik (hipotetik) ve ayrışık (şartlı) önermeler mantığına dair İbn Sînâ’da bir tartışma bulmak ilgi çekicidir. Onun tartışması eldeki kaynaklarda şimdiye kadar varolan tartışmaların da ötesine geçmektedir. Bu yazının amacı, İbn Sînâ mantığının bu yönünü birazcık olsun aydınlatmak olacaktır.
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The issue of human being and values has been critically analyzed in the works of contemporary Russian philosophy. This problem has been evaluated by Russian philosophers within the framework of philosophical schools. Such analysis also causes integration between modern Russian philosophy and world philosophy. In this article we will describe and analyze the views of some modern Russian thinkers in relation to the matter in question.
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This article examines Ibn al-Tayyib's commentary on Porphyry's Eisagoge which was as much influential in Islamic, as it was in medieval Latin scholastic logic. In Islamic logic, as in the Alexandrian and Syriac before it, Eisagoge, means „Introduction‟, was put at the head of the Aristotelian Organon. The importance which the Muslim scholars attached to the Eisagoge of Porphyry is evident from the large number of commentaries they wrote on it. Many of the philosophers such as, Farabi, Ibn Sina and Ikhwan al-Safa produced their own Îsâgûcî, or Madhal which means „Introduction‟ in Arabic. Abu al-Faraj Ibn Al-Tayyib, notable Iraqi Nestorian philosopher, physician, theologian, and canon lawyer who flourished in Baghdad in the first half of the eleventh century, wrote a commentary on Porphyry's Eisagoge, the kind of which is usually called Great or Long Commentary. This study explores Ibn al-Tayyib's statements, opinions, his Aristotelian point of view and his contributions to Logic throughout his „Commentary‟ which he saw it as one of the best ways of philosophizing.
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In his paper ‘Why is there philosophy in India?’ (1999), Bronkhorst suggested that rational philosophy appeared in India due to Greek influence as it can be found first in the innovations of the Sarvāsti-vāda Abhidharma rather than the Thera-vāda Abhidharma; Sarvāsti-vāda arose in Gandhāra, a Hellenistic kingdom. The present paper challenges this position in the following ways: (a) The theoretical framework is inadequate. Philosophy, rational inquiry, systematic philosophy and philosophical system are four distinct concepts, they cannot be used as synonyms. (b) Clear examples show that rational inquiry was present in Indian philosophy earlier. The Kathā-Vatthu of the Thera-vāda uses rational arguments, as did the Buddha himself. Sāṁkhya philosophy and several important passages of the earliest Upaniṣads, both earlier than the Buddha, defi nitely represent rational philosophy.
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This paper presents the theology of early nyāya, more precisely the theology of the Nyāyasūtra, Nyāya-bhāṣya, and Nyāya-vārttika. In the Nyāya-sūtra we find an argument for the existence of God which is quite probably the most ancient such argument in the history of Indian philosophy. This fragment – only three sentences long – outlines the concept of God as it is expounded in the commentaries. According to Nyāya, there must be a God who ensures that each individual’s karma produces the proper fruit. We also learn that God is a particular kind of soul, differing in its attributes from human souls.
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The article was written in order to familiarize the reader with the genesis, development and basic assumptions of ancient Chinese philosophy. The first part presents the external and internal conditions that influenced the intense development of ideas in the Middle Kingdom in the period preceding the creation of the authoritarian Qin Empire in 221 BC. The second and third parts discusse the general assumptions of the most important philosophical schools, focusing in the third part on a detailed discussion of the main topic of Chinese philosophy, which is the retention of the social order, in the four main schools of thought: Confucianism, Legism, Mohism and Daoism. The main research method was the analysis of Chinese classical texts, carried out on the basis of the author’s own translations, which enabled deeper penetration into the raised issues. As a result, it was established that the philosophy of ancient China is above all a political philosophy, which results from the declared pragmatism of Chinese thinkers. The author compares selected aspects of Chinese thought with the West European thought, which allows partial reconciliation of both perspectives and makes it easier for the Western reader to approach the understanding of the far-eastern view of reality.
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