Science helps us connect Personal Belief to Universal Truth. Those using personal belief need to stay in the local environment in which the Belief was developed. At that level people need to ‘see’ the form of their belief and hence Members are elected through votes. Truth on the other hand is realized within.
by Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam
(August 12, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) I write in reference to the article ‘EDUCATION: Introduction to Political Philosophy’ by Professor Steven B Smith – published in Sri Lanka Guardian.
In his first lesson, Professor Smith says, ‘In one sense, you could say political philosophy is simply a branch or what we call a subfield of the field of political science. Yes, all right. It exists alongside of other areas of political inquiry like American government, comparative politics, and international relations. Yet in another sense, political philosophy is something much different than simply a subfield; it seems to be the oldest and most fundamental part of political science. Its purpose is to lay bare, as it were, the fundamental problems, the fundamental concepts and categories which frame the study of politics. In this respect it seems to me much less like just a branch of political science than the foundation of the entire discipline.’
Even as I read it, I started frowning. My simple mind said philosophy was the field of wisdom. Information, Knowledge and Wisdom to me is the parallel of Body, Mind and Soul. In this instance it is stacked vertically in the following order – Belief, Science and Philosophy. In terms of work outcomes – it is called Money, People and Ownership and in Politics in democracy its parallel is Votes, Law and Governance.
The problems we have in Sri Lanka is due to votes being directly used to Rule and such ruling being called Governance by custodians of power by both sides of the ethnic divide. Belief is personal to the individual and hence is the basis of a good vote. Philosophy is Universal. When realized through a particular path that path is the Science through which Philosophy was realized. The path/science has different names but not Philosophy itself. We merely refer to the name of science in relation to philosophy to show our path. If Hinduism is the religion (science) god realized through that path is Philosophy . Likewise if Christianity is the religion, god realized through that path is Philosophy.
Science helps us connect Personal Belief to Universal Truth. Those using personal belief need to stay in the local environment in which the Belief was developed. At that level people need to ‘see’ the form of their belief and hence Members are elected through votes. Truth on the other hand is realized within. It has no ‘form’ external to the self. It works and supports us wherever we go. Hence the importance of philosophy – to confirm which people get PhD through Universities. To truly be universal, one needs to lose consciousness of the individual. The path of getting there without hurting / damaging others is the Science which attributes ‘rights and wrongs’ on the way. To be a philosopher – one needs to have had the experience. Einstein experienced Light – i.e. travelled with Light – to give the world the science of relativity. When one thinks of an issue all the time – one has the experience. In Hinduism we say Tat Tvam Asi – Thou Art That.
In terms of position – for example the position of Dean of Political Science – one first occupies the position (birth of body); then one grows into the position by relating to various other parts of the institution (mind recognizes beyond the body) and then we become that position (we merge with the Soul). At this stage whatever we say about that position and from that position would always be right to all other position owners of the institution. That is called ownership. All just measures would confirm this ownership. One true owner will naturally recognize another and like in Love there is no need to confirm expressly. It is quietly shared in the beauty of Silence.
Post a Comment