Descartes and Hinduism - Essay Example

Descartes and Hinduism Introduction In his study, Descartes begins his philosophy with doubt and his mechanical doubt wasepoch-making. Doubt was Descartes’ way of establishing a foundation of knowledge by discarding the old knowledge and getting rid of prejudices that are not even clear-cut. Descartes observes that “all that I have, up to this moment, accepted as possessed of the highest truth… I received either from or through the senses. However… these sometimes misled us” (Wall 215). Descartes aimed at replacing the causal details in physics and gaining favor from Aristotle philosophers through mechanistic justifications based on geometry. Descartes illustrates the understanding that one thesis is core to the entire tradition that is everything behaved for the sake of certain goal. Descartes mechanistic view of the universe shows that events result from prior events as indicated in scientific theories of past events that are capable predicting future events. Moreover, he manages to show that there is dualism in interactions because mental states like beliefs and desires interact with physical states (Wall 215). In Hinduism, Self does not denote the personal self or rather the soul, which embodies and reincarnates but rather the spirit referred to as Atman. According to Wall (30) “Atman, the spirit of vision is never born and never dies… never-born and eternal…. He does not die when the body dies”. Therefore, Atman is never a personal possession for anyone because it remains the one universal Self for all. Therefore, Atman is one often referred to as Brahman and entails the one endless consciousness in everything. Hindu scriptures continually show that Atman is Brahman and that a person’s Spirit is the Supreme Spirit; as well, the Self is the Supreme self. Atman illustrates that the manifested universe and everything material is an ultimate illusion when viewed from the high perspective and that Self remains a reality. Western: Descartes Descartes believes that he has to find some motive for doubting his prevailing views in order to search for strong basics for his understanding. Everything the meditator accepts as true he came to learn them from or through his senses and acknowledges that senses can deceive although with respect to small objects small or those far away because the sensory knowledge is quite sturdy. Meditation in Descartes is considered as setting the foundation where doubt is used as an influential tool and a foundation of modern skepticism. Reading the first meditation presents skeptical doubts as subject of study on their own and the idea remains that the uncertainties are not probable but a likelihood that is hard to rule out (Wall 215). Skepticism cuts through the core of the western approach and tries to offer certain groundwork of understanding and comprehending the world. On further consideration, the mediator is able to realize that even simple things can be doubted and finds it hard to keep habitual opinions and assumptions of the head. However, by doubting everything, Descartes believed he would at least be certain not to be deceived to untruth by demon (Wall 217). Considering the omnipotent God has the ability of making the conception of mathematics false. Descartes realizes that he is convinced that when dreaming he senses real objects and although present sensations may be images, he manages to indicate that even dream images result from waking experience similar to painting (Wall 215). Even when painters create imaginary creatures, the composite parts are drawn from real things and in case painters create an entirely new thing, at least the colour within the painting is attached to real experience. Therefore, Descartes observes that even though it is possible for him to doubt combined things; he hardly doubts simple and common components from which compounds were constructed. Descartes also points out individuals can doubt studies based on composite things such as medicine, physics or even astronomy; however, Descartes observes that individuals never doubt studies founded on simple things such as geometry and arithmetic (Wall 216). Instead of individually doubting every formed opinion, Descartes determines he will be able to cast them in doubt if he is able to doubt the foundations and the basic principles on which the opinions base. An individual may argue that God is supremely good; hence would never allow the person to believe false things; however, through this reasoning an individual can think that God would never deceive him on anything, though this is clearly false. Moreover, if an individual asserts that there is no Supreme being, then it increases the likelihood of getting deceived because defective senses would never have been developed by a perfect being (Wall 215). Descartes raises more comprehensive doubts by inviting people to consider radical hypothesis derived from the treasured traditional belief of religion by considering that the omnipotent god whose deity devotes full attention to deceiving an individual. In trying to show that science rests on firm foundation, Descartes shows that the foundations reside in the mind as opposed to being in senses; moreover, Descartes begins by doubting all the philosophy that results from senses. Descartes’ aim in the arguments is not merely to indicate that nothing exists or is impossible for individual’s to know if anything exists but rather to indicate that knowledge of things through senses is prone to doubt. Moreover, from Descartes’ view if scientific knowledge was generated through senses, people would not be sure that anything outside of them existed. Descartes employs three analogous arguments to initiate understanding of doubt through dream argument, unrepresentative God argument as well as the demon argument. The basic notion in the arguments is that individuals never openly perceive outside objects but rather through substance in their mind in form of representations to the objects generate (Wall 215-217). An individual may come up with an objection to Descartes in that his method involves doubting the truth in everything not only of the senses, the cultural presuppositions but also the basic process of logic itself. Therefore, if any certain truth regarding the world is able to withstand the extreme skeptical challenge, then the truth is surely indubitable and a perfect foundation for knowledge, which is not the case in the natural world. Moreover, Descartes raises the devastating possibility that whenever an individual believes anything, even when it has always been true, a truly omnipotent deceiver can at that point choose to change the world in order to render the belief false (Wall 217). This serves to show that it is possible for an individual to doubt the truth of absolutely anything the individual manages to believe. However, proponent of the western perspective would reply to the objection by citing how scientific knowledge bases on facts as opposed to relying on senses that end up being unreliable. Moreover, the proponent would argue that Descartes meditation to be offering a metaphysical underpinning of new physics. As well, the proponent would likely point out that Descartes doubt is methodological and rational because Descartes does not merely doubt everything at random but rather offers solid reason for the doubt in every stage. For example, Descartes rejects the prospect that he could be mad because that would demean the rationality that stimulates his doubt. My opinion on Descartes is that he suggests that most of an individual’s knowledge comes from senses (Wall 215), which is meant to appeal to proponents of Aristotle philosophy. Therefore, Descartes first meditation starts at a point where Aristotle proponents would agree with and then tries to seduce the Aristotle proponents away from Aristotle approach. Moreover, since Descartes is conscious of the radical ideas he has, he has to offer lip service to conventional opinions at the time in an attempt to be heeded. This is so because reading the first meditation implies coercion of Aristotle proponents from their customary opinion that allows individuals to read distinct interpretations in various stages of doubt. Eastern: Hinduism In Hinduism, everything is an illusion because things are transient, provisional, finite and likely to change apart from the Self, the Atman that is referred to as Brahman. That which is lasting, absolute, immutable and enduring can only be perceived to be real because it remains to be the Divine Allness and the infinite existence. Atmanis shown as head of the chariot, while the body is considered to be chariot and motive as the charioteer while the mind acts as the controls. An individual devoid of proper understanding whose mind is never steady is never a rule of his or her life and resembles a bad driver with wild horses. Nevertheless, an individual with proper understanding and whose mind is steady as being responsible for his or her life, then the individual resembles a good driver with trained horses. Moreover, an individual without proper understanding is considered careless and not pure and never reaches the end of the journey but rather wanders from death to death. However, an individual with understanding is careful and ever pure and is able to reach the end of the journey from which the individual never returns. An individual whose Atman chariot is propelled by reason, watches and holds the reigns of the mind is able to reach the end of the journey that entails the supreme everlasting Spirit. Beyond the senses are their objects and beyond the objects is the mind; as well, beyond the mind is clean motive and beyond motive is the Spirit within man (Wall 30). Although Atman is considered invisible in all beings, it is visible to seers of the subtle in case their vision remain keen and dear. Moreover, Atman is considered to be beyond sound and form, without touch and taste and perfume and remains eternal devoid of a beginning or end hence above reasoning (Wall 30). When desires harbored in the heart are yielded then the worldly becomes eternal and even in the current world the individual remains one with Brahman. Atman implies the eternal self and refers to the authentic self beyond ego or even the fake self. Atman is often considered spirit or soul that indicates an individual’s true self or essence that underlies the person’s existence (Wall 31). Various interesting notions of self within Atman range from self-being an everlasting servant of God to self-being linked to God. The consideration of self as eternal sustains the idea of reincarnation since same eternal beings can inhabit temporary bodies. Atman entails the notion of self as spirit instead of the physical being, which indicates a strong aspect of Hinduism that underlines disconnection from material world while advocating for such practices. Therefore, it could be argued that in the world, the spiritual being, the Atman undergoes human experience instead of a human being undergoing a spiritual experience. Atman in Hinduism is shown with the consideration of the secret high place of the heart where two beings drink the wine of life in the world of truth and they include individuals who know Brahman and those who keep the five sacred fires and those who light the three-fold fire of Nachiketas (Wall 30). Therefore, Brahman being the spirit of Atman exists beyond the surface activities of illusionary life like a remote star that is seen but vaguely recalled. Since Brahman chooses never to be worshiped in temples or even other places of worship but rather in an individual’s heart and mind as the in-dweller of the material body and master of senses the charioteer, an objection could arise because He is too remote and incomprehensible to be revered and approached with personal supplications. Moreover, to materialistic and worldly individuals who thrive in changing everything to be a foundation of personal gain, Brahman never offers any appeal as a personal God. As well, Brahman is too remote, unbiased and too vast a belief to be considered in terms of meaningful and intellectual satisfaction forms and shapes. However, a proponent of the eastern principle would answer the objection by indicating that that the Universe comes from Atman and his life burns through the universe and his power within the majesty of thunder; hence, those who find him find immortality. Moreover, a proponent of the eastern perspective would argue that when all ties that bind the heart become loose then the mortal become immortal, which is a sacred teaching. Atman being the immortal feature of the mortal being of the self is concealed in every creature including man. Therefore, from my opinion is that Atman remains the microcosm that represents macrocosm in people imparting divine qualities and possibilities offering individuals with a reason to exist and experience pains and pleasures of life on earth. Moreover, Atman being Brahman, the very self which descends down into elements of nature through self-projection and participates in self-induced illusion and delight. Therefore, self remains the silent partner in people’s deeds and experiences as well as the observer and in-dweller of embodied beings. Hence, Atman nature is impossible to describe using the human language since it is beyond human senses and mind. Conclusion Implications of any investigation into what it means to be human are potentially huge because they involve free will while at the same time under influence of internal and external forces some of which no individual has control over. Moreover, being human conjures different ideas in people like bringing into being something new; although, something made by human hand is made in a context of some culture with reference to prior works. Therefore, being human shows the fact that people are aware of their existence and consider themselves superior because of the conscious awareness of their existence. Works cited Wall, Thomas. On Human Nature. Belmont, CA: Thomas Wadsworth, 2005. Print. Read More