[Buddha-l] Written and oral traditions.

[Richard Hayes]

On Thursday 31 May 2007 13:30, L.S. Cousins wrote:

> Steve Farmer, Michael Witzel et al. claim to have proved that the
> signs on the Indus Valley seals do not represent any kind of writing.
> I find their proof fairly conclusive.

I have followed this debate, which has generated no small amount of intensely 
emotional reaction, but so far I have not encountered any evidence that 
struck me as anything like conclusive. It seems to me we are dealing, on both 
sides of the debate, with quite a large number of speculative assumptions. 
Just out of curiosity, which of Witzel's arguments do you find most 
compelling?

> People often confuse signs and writing. There is
> a lot of wishful thinking in this area.

That is certainly true. Not having any vested interests at all in this 
particular matter--I invest my ego in other equally unimportant issues--, I 
find that almost everyone is indulging in quite a lot of wishful thinking. 
Where people differ is mostly in what they wish to be true. I think we could 
use a stiff dose of Batchelorian agnosticism, a willingness to say "The 
evidence currently available is inconclusive, and so we just don't know."

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico