[Buddha-l] Abhidharma vindicated once again

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Op 08-03-11 07:09, Dan Lusthaus schreef:
> This body of research suggests the French enlightenment view of human
> nature, which emphasized individualism and reason, was wrong. The British
> enlightenment, which emphasized social sentiments, was more accurate about
> who we are. It suggests we are not divided creatures. We don't only progress
> as reason dominates the passions. We also thrive as we educate our emotions.
>
> [
I think the emphasis on the social pratitya samutpada is very wise, but 
there's strong nationalistic bias. I do  not know how many 
enlightenments the writer wants. He obviously overlooked the Icelandic, 
the Baltic and the Maltese ones. Anyway the Anglosaxon analytic 
philosophy is deplete with individualistic logicist reason. The first 
sociologist was Emile Dürkheim, and he was French, other champions of 
nonindividualism are Bakhtim (Russian), Foucault (French) and 
structuralists (continental). But being a conservative nationalist, what 
would he know?
Buddhism is pretty individualistic as well.
BTW thank you Dan for the historical oversight of the TOD. It just 
proves what Herman is arguing all the time: TOD is a conventional rule 
and the difference between life and death is not a two way switch, but 
more like a dimmer.


erik