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Christian Thomas Kohl The Metaphysical Foundations of Buddhism and Modern Science

Christian Thomas Kohl The Metaphysical Foundations of Buddhism and Modern Science

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This consideration is the basis <strong>of</strong> Bradley's objection that relations do<br />

not relate. Three towns <strong>and</strong> an abstract universal are not three<br />

connected towns. A doctrine <strong>of</strong> connectedness is wanted. Bradley [Cf.<br />

Essays on Truth <strong>and</strong> Reality, Ch. Vi., On our Knowledge <strong>of</strong> Immediate<br />

Experience, Appendix, p. 193. <strong>The</strong> page references are to the Oxford<br />

edition <strong>of</strong> 1914. Also cf. Appendix to Ch. VI, passim, <strong>and</strong> Supplementary<br />

Note to the same.] writes 'Is there, in the end, such a thing as a relation<br />

which is merely between terms? Or, on the other h<strong>and</strong>, does not a<br />

relation imply an underlying unity <strong>and</strong> an inclusive whole?'<br />

Bradley's 'inclusive whole' is the connectedness <strong>of</strong> which we are in<br />

search. Throughout this chapter [loc.cit.] Bradley uses the term Feeling<br />

to express the primary activity at the basis <strong>of</strong> experience. It is<br />

experience itself in its origin <strong>and</strong> with the minimum <strong>of</strong> analysis. <strong>The</strong><br />

analysis <strong>of</strong> Feeling can never disclose anything lying beyond lying beyond<br />

the essence <strong>of</strong> the occasion <strong>of</strong> experience. Hence Bradley terms it 'nonrelational'.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are <strong>of</strong> course grave differences between my own<br />

doctrine <strong>and</strong> that <strong>of</strong> Bradley. This was a reason [Cf. Process <strong>and</strong> Reality<br />

passim] for expounding my point <strong>of</strong> view in some independence <strong>of</strong> Bradley,<br />

with due acknowledgement. Surely the proper method <strong>of</strong> choosing<br />

technical terms is to adopt terms from some outst<strong>and</strong>ing exposition <strong>of</strong> an<br />

analogous doctrine. It throws an interesting light on the belief in a well-<br />

103

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