Post by Tiffanie Huynh on Jul 25, 2016 2:10:43 GMT
1. Why is Faqir Chand's experiences important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles?
The experiences of Faqir Chand are important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles because they exemplify how "religious visions and miracles" are merely an external manifestation of one's inner beliefs. In many examples throughout the text, "The Unknowing Sage," there is a recurring motif of common people who desire things, whether material or intangible, and their seeking help from Faqir Chand. In all of the cases, Faqir Chand simply gave the advice to "make sincere efforts to become a man in the real sense of the word, because a pure mind is the pre-requisite of spiritual advancement" (Sec. 18). His experiences showed that any desire for excess inevitably leads to the loss of inner joy and peace.
2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy."
The phrase "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy" refers to the meaning that the practice of philosophy is in itself so complex and at times, contradicting, that it produces more questions than it does answers. If philosophy is done well enough to be considered science, that means that there has been an idea able to be developed into a testable hypotheses and unable to be disproven despite many tests. This would mean that the probability of that hypothesis to be the true "truth" is as true as truth can get -- which is ultimately the goal of philosophy: to figure out the truth (of life, of the universe, of humankind, etc.). Whereas "philosophy done poorly remains philosophy" would mean that the logic behind a philosophical idea is not sound enough nor valid enough to lead to an "answer" to major philosophical questions.
The experiences of Faqir Chand are important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles because they exemplify how "religious visions and miracles" are merely an external manifestation of one's inner beliefs. In many examples throughout the text, "The Unknowing Sage," there is a recurring motif of common people who desire things, whether material or intangible, and their seeking help from Faqir Chand. In all of the cases, Faqir Chand simply gave the advice to "make sincere efforts to become a man in the real sense of the word, because a pure mind is the pre-requisite of spiritual advancement" (Sec. 18). His experiences showed that any desire for excess inevitably leads to the loss of inner joy and peace.
2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy."
The phrase "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy" refers to the meaning that the practice of philosophy is in itself so complex and at times, contradicting, that it produces more questions than it does answers. If philosophy is done well enough to be considered science, that means that there has been an idea able to be developed into a testable hypotheses and unable to be disproven despite many tests. This would mean that the probability of that hypothesis to be the true "truth" is as true as truth can get -- which is ultimately the goal of philosophy: to figure out the truth (of life, of the universe, of humankind, etc.). Whereas "philosophy done poorly remains philosophy" would mean that the logic behind a philosophical idea is not sound enough nor valid enough to lead to an "answer" to major philosophical questions.
