Post by anguyen28 on Jul 30, 2016 4:38:57 GMT
1. Why is Faqir Chand's experiences important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles?
2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy." Be sure to support your answers with references to the required readings and films.
While many Hindu gurus or religious leaders claim to possess the power of appearing in their devotees prayer while remaining in another location, Fagir Chand claims otherwise. Faqir Chand’s experiences illustrate that religious visions and miracles are illusions projected by consciousness. After his realization, Faqir began preaching his belief that all saints, from Buddha, Christ, Kabir, to even his own master Shiv Brat Lal are ignorant about the miracles or inner experiences attributed to them. He believes, that is, "Divine' vehicle within the temporal world that is unaware of tis spiritual manifestations" (Lane,12). In the required film, Chand states, "All visions are projections of the mind and are illusions” He also said, “I believe intensified faith of these devout persons became created and produces these results (NeuralSurfer). All visions are the products of imagination (mind), and those manifestations are, for the most part, merely vivid extension of human's imagination. Faqir doesn't claim to have the power to work miracle, but talks openly about his spiritual life. The best path to pursue spirituality is to admit unknowing, stay real and accept everything with pure minds. He claims "Make sincere efforts to become a man in the real sense of the word, because a pure mind is the prerequisite for a spiritual advancement….We can only be spiritual if we are true human beings first" (Lane,8). Faqir discovery is important in understanding the projection nature of mystical experiences because it gives us a validation on the fact that the brain is a virtual simulator, it can create illusions and make us believe that it's real.
I think the phrase "philosophy done well is science" is suggesting that great philosophical ideas can develop better insight into the field of science. The definition of science is basically the study that build and organizes knowledge with explanations and predictions about our universe. Science develop models to explain how the world works, while Philosophy studies questions from science. Philosophy itself has been substantially enriched by progress in the concrete sciences. For example, the intellectual revolution by Darwin's theory of evolution which had a profound impact on biological science as well as the conception of man's place in nature. On the other hand, the statement "philosophy done poorly remains philosophy" means that when a philosophical conclusions cannot be verified then it would just remain as philosophy. As the film The Remainder Conjecture mentions "If something is genuinely beyond science’s reach, it will invariably show up as a remainder”(Neuralsurfer). An example for this is the String theory. In the Elegant Universe, it is mentions that the String theory is still under development, therefore, it remains as a philosophy. For things that science cannot reach up will just end up as remainder.
Diem-Lane, Andrea, and David Christopher Lane. The Unknown Sage. Walnut: MSAC Philosophy Group, 2014. Print.
2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy." Be sure to support your answers with references to the required readings and films.
While many Hindu gurus or religious leaders claim to possess the power of appearing in their devotees prayer while remaining in another location, Fagir Chand claims otherwise. Faqir Chand’s experiences illustrate that religious visions and miracles are illusions projected by consciousness. After his realization, Faqir began preaching his belief that all saints, from Buddha, Christ, Kabir, to even his own master Shiv Brat Lal are ignorant about the miracles or inner experiences attributed to them. He believes, that is, "Divine' vehicle within the temporal world that is unaware of tis spiritual manifestations" (Lane,12). In the required film, Chand states, "All visions are projections of the mind and are illusions” He also said, “I believe intensified faith of these devout persons became created and produces these results (NeuralSurfer). All visions are the products of imagination (mind), and those manifestations are, for the most part, merely vivid extension of human's imagination. Faqir doesn't claim to have the power to work miracle, but talks openly about his spiritual life. The best path to pursue spirituality is to admit unknowing, stay real and accept everything with pure minds. He claims "Make sincere efforts to become a man in the real sense of the word, because a pure mind is the prerequisite for a spiritual advancement….We can only be spiritual if we are true human beings first" (Lane,8). Faqir discovery is important in understanding the projection nature of mystical experiences because it gives us a validation on the fact that the brain is a virtual simulator, it can create illusions and make us believe that it's real.
I think the phrase "philosophy done well is science" is suggesting that great philosophical ideas can develop better insight into the field of science. The definition of science is basically the study that build and organizes knowledge with explanations and predictions about our universe. Science develop models to explain how the world works, while Philosophy studies questions from science. Philosophy itself has been substantially enriched by progress in the concrete sciences. For example, the intellectual revolution by Darwin's theory of evolution which had a profound impact on biological science as well as the conception of man's place in nature. On the other hand, the statement "philosophy done poorly remains philosophy" means that when a philosophical conclusions cannot be verified then it would just remain as philosophy. As the film The Remainder Conjecture mentions "If something is genuinely beyond science’s reach, it will invariably show up as a remainder”(Neuralsurfer). An example for this is the String theory. In the Elegant Universe, it is mentions that the String theory is still under development, therefore, it remains as a philosophy. For things that science cannot reach up will just end up as remainder.
Diem-Lane, Andrea, and David Christopher Lane. The Unknown Sage. Walnut: MSAC Philosophy Group, 2014. Print.