The Metaphysical Foundation of Buddhism and Modern Science

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Section II. Philosophy is a difficult subject, from the day of Plato to the present time haunted by subtle perplexities. This existence of such perplexities arising from the common obviousness of speech is the reason why the topic exists. Thus the very purpose of philosophy is to delve below the apparent clarity of common speech. In this connection, it is only necessary to refer to Socrates. Another illustration is to be found in the Sophist, where Plato states that 'not-being' is a form of 'being'. This statement is at once an extreme instance of the breakdown of language, and the enunciation of a profound metaphysical truth which lies at the foundation of this discussion. 4 Section III. Speculative Philosophy ca be defined [Process and Reality Pt I, Ch. I, Sect I] as the endeavour to frame a coherent, logical, necessary system of general ideas in terms of which every element of our experience can be interpreted. Here 'interpretation' means that each element shall have the character of a particular instance of the general scheme. Thus speculative philosophy embodies the method of the 'working hypothesis'. The purpose of this working hypothesis for philosophy is to coordinate the current expressions of human experience, in common speech, in social institutions, in actions, in the principles of the various special sciences, elucidating harmony and exposing discrepancies. No 4
5 systematic thought has made progress apart from some adequately general working hypothesis, adapted to its special topic. Such an hypothesis directs observation, and decides upon the mutual relevance of various types of evidence. In short, it prescribes method. To venture upon productive thought without such an explicit theory is to abandon oneself to the doctrines derived one's grandfather. In the preliminary stages of knowledge a haphazard criterion is all that is possible. Progress is then very slow, and most of the effort is wasted. Even an inadequate working hypothesis with some conformation to fact is better than nothing. It coordinates procedure. The advance of any reasonably developed science is twofold. There is the advance of detailed knowledge within the method prescribed by the reigning working hypothesis; and there is the rectification of the working hypothesis dictated by the inadequacies of the current orthodoxy. Sometimes it is necessary for a science to entertain concurrently two – or more – working hypotheses, each with its own success and its own failure. Such hypotheses are contradictory as stated; and science awaits their conciliation by the production of a working hypothesis with a wider sweep. When a new working hypothesis is proposed, it must be criticized from its own point of view. For example, it is futile to object to the 5
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Christian Thomas Kohl The Metaphysi
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1.Summary The key terms. 1. Key ter
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are two immaterial bodies which wer
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2. Nagarjuna Preliminary note We sh
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anything else (Descartes); is exist
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making and as working with informat
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that they are not to be found (MMK
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Chapter 1: Cause and effect. A high
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Chapter 8. Action and agent. Pictur
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Commentary: Without fire there can
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Chapter 13. A teenager and an aged
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Chapter 16: Bondage and liberation.
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Father and son. Description: The au
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3. Interpretation of MMK’s 25 cha
Page 31 and 32: 4. Discussion of Nagarjuna’s work
Page 33 and 34: philosophy of the ancient Greeks wh
Page 35 and 36: It became evident that fundamental
Page 37 and 38: The double-slit experiment. (see pr
Page 39 and 40: Figure 1: In this Feynman diagram,
Page 41 and 42: centimeter) and are so weak that th
Page 43 and 44: little clouds we attempt to use met
Page 45 and 46: Nagarjuna's thought and the ideas o
Page 47 and 48: 5. as something between bodies by A
Page 49 and 50: Appendix 3: Alfred North Whitehead:
Page 51 and 52: had its birth with Greeks; and amon
Page 53 and 54: epletion. With Aristotle and Epicur
Page 55 and 56: activities of the spirit of mankind
Page 57 and 58: its habitual ideas. It is a step by
Page 59 and 60: Section IV. Plato’s contribution
Page 61 and 62: But the notion of mere knowledge, t
Page 63 and 64: facts had gradually accumulated thr
Page 65 and 66: within which the course of history
Page 67 and 68: the doctrine of proportions incapab
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Page 71 and 72: understood in disjunction. All reas
Page 73 and 74: observation beyond the boundaries o
Page 75 and 76: divergence of opinion as to the ext
Page 77 and 78: space-time is a composition of what
Page 79 and 80: Alfred North Whitehead: Adventures
Page 81: 3 with a sufficient scope of applic
Page 85 and 86: 7 But whether we be ancient or mode
Page 87 and 88: 9 the self-development of the exper
Page 89 and 90: 11 retreats others into a backgroun
Page 91 and 92: 13 problems which have tortured Eur
Page 93 and 94: 15 Section IX. European philosophy
Page 95 and 96: 17 of stable technical language. Co
Page 97 and 98: 19 particular fact on the earth's s
Page 99 and 100: 21 'subjective form', is that I str
Page 101 and 102: The conventionalized abstractions p
Page 103 and 104: 25 include as part of its own essen
Page 105 and 106: 27 Philosophy is the ascent to the
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Page 109 and 110: 31 not-being. It is how the past li
Page 111 and 112: 33 7. Notes [1] See Appendix 1 for
Page 113 and 114: 35 the components cannot exist with
Page 115 and 116: 37 [28] Einstein, A. & Infeld, L. T
Page 117 and 118: 39 Kalupahana, D. J. Mulamadhyamaka
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The Metaphysical Foundation of Buddhism and Modern Science

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