[Buddha-l] The Malaise of Modernity

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Richard P. Hayes schreef:
> On Monday 17 November 2008 13:11:31 Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:
>   
>> I happen to disagree with Richards reading of Taylor. 
>>     
>
> Do you think I misrepresented what he says, or do you disagree with my 
> evaluation of his worth? You clearly disagree with my evaluation, but I'm not 
> sure whether you think I have misrepresented his views in The Malaise of 
> Modernity.
>   
I think your account of Taylors view is correct.
>   
>> The bottom of the 
>> line is he wants to defend the modernist views of the Catholic church
>> against postmodernism and therefore he tries make grounds for a
>> revisited modernism. 
>>     
>
> Yes, Taylor makes the point in various ways that no one should celebrate the 
> demise of modernity. He says modernity is untenable, but he finds nothing to 
> rejoice about in its untenability, and he thinks postmodernism is a complete 
> disaster. His Catholic influence shows in his favoring a communitarian ethic 
> over individualism. He does not hold Catholic authoritarianism or dogmatism 
> in high esteem, but he does think that the Catholic emphasis on the 
> individual's value consisting in potential and actual contributions to the 
> human community is preferable to the Protestant emphasis on each individual's 
> being inherently valuable because of a relationship with God. I tend to agree 
> with him on all these issues. Incidentally, I think his positions are quite 
> consistent with Buddhism as I understand it. Perhaps that's why I value him 
> highly; I value Buddhism highly and find him to be quite Buddhist in tone if 
> not at all in terminology.
>   
I'm not sure that reviving the inquisition is an effective way of 
resolving our problems these days. I'm not sure either if you can save 
Taylor by giving him a new label. In my view his strategy of save values 
and going back to the old days when the Pope ruled the civilised world 
does hold water. Taylor has no idea of the ways the world has changed 
since the globalisation and mass reproduction economy.

Erik

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