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Wk 01 Mon, Jan 4
Syllabus, etc.
Goals Readings Assignments Grading Gen’l Guidelines
1:1 Meeting Sign-up Introductions
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Texts
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Readings for WedOnline: Eastman on academic philosophy, ultimate
purpose Perett’s “Introduction” to Indian
Philosophy Potter on Karma
– 1964: Karma as a natural principle– 1980: Details for Yoga & Advaita theories
Feedback due by* 11:30 WFor each reading: [Top] 3-3-3a. Key points?b. Difficult / Puzzling? c. Worthy of further discussion?WOTD nomination?
⁕ I’m “offline” 9:15-11:30, earlier submissions will get greater attention…
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Reflection Due Sat 10am*Reflection Cues: Is the critique of academic philosophy put forth in Eastman
(2014) fair? Why or why not? How might the Eastman & Perett papers affect how you
engage with the material of this course?
What are the two most important takeaways of Potter (1964)?
What are the two most important takeaways of Potter (1980)?
How do the two Potter papers reinforce / diverge from one other?
Perspectives…
Stephan Pastis, Pearls Before Swine, 7-7-2012
Scott Adams, Dilbert, 12-26-2016
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Course Title Deconstructed:“Karma, Dharma and Free Will
in Indian Philosophy”
Karma Dharma Free Will
“Indian” – next slide “Philosophy”
Indian vs. Hindu Sanskrit Sindhu =
river or ocean. Persian hindū =
inhabitant of Hind, country through which the river Sindhu (Indus) flows = non-Muslims living in the Indus Valley
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“Upaniṣad, Gītā, Kṛṣṇa” or“Upanishad, Gita, Krishna”?
Diacritics – what & why? Sanskrit phonology
– 14 vowels– 33 consonants
Importance of “sound” Bottom line – Survival Guide
Sounds like … Sounds like …a u in but, a in chamaleon j hard, as in just
ā father jh lodge-hut
ai as in aisle k as kart
au as in loud ṃ nasalization of preceding vowel
bh club-hut ṅ ~ n
c church ṇ ~ n
ch birch-hut ñ like Spanish niña
ḍ ~ d o as in go
ḍh ~ mud-hut ṛ as in river
e say, longer Spanish e ś shun
g hard, as in get, go ṣ shun
gh log-hut ṭ ~ t
ḥ echo of preceding vowel ṭh ~ ant-hill
i pin u pull
ī machine ū rūleSurv
ival G
uide
to P
ronu
ncia
tion
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Origins of Vedic Culture? Sanātana dharma, eternal dharma
• Dharma = religion, law, morality, order, justice, ethics, merit, duty …
Considered anādī, beginning-less Revealed to ṛṣi-s, “seers”
Some historical evidence however…
2600-1600 BCE Indus Valley Civilization
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Hints of Early Religion?
Harappan “Priest” Proto Shiva?
Aryan Invasion/Immigration Theory
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1500-500 BCE. Vedic corpus “composed” – śruti
Veda from √vid, to know
Maintenance of cosmic order
“sacrifice” to Agni,fire god transports offerings to other gods.
Brāhmins Date controversy
Vedas 4 Vedas:
• ṚgVeda – collection of hymns sung during rituals
• SāmaVeda – chants sung during Soma ritual• YajurVeda – prose formulas, mantras• AtharvaVeda – collection of charms & spells
for every purpose (health, wealth, sorcery)
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Vedic corpus Brāhmaṇas – “theological textbooks”
explaining all aspects of Vedic rituals Āraṇyakas – wilderness texts discussing
more secret & ‘dangerous’ rituals Upaniṣads 600 BCE – beg. CE – secret
teachings, beginnings of philosophical speculations: where do we come from, why are we here, where do we go after death?
500 BCE - 400 CE: Challenges
Heterodox challenges to Vedic system– 450-370 BCE: The
Buddha, SiddārthaGautama
– 599–527 BCE: Mahāvīra, Jain Tīrthaṅkāra
Weaken Hinduism Six Hindu Schools of
Philosophy develop in response
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400 BCE-200 CE: Development of the Rāmāyaṇa epic
400 BCE-400 CE: Development of the Mahābhārata epic
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200 BCE-100 CE: Bhagavad Gītā, Song of the Lord
More than the Vedas, this is the text studied by the average Hindu
smṛti (as opposed to śruti)
confirmation of śruti, Vedic dharma, Upaniṣads
Message of Kṛṣṇa, reconciling the conflict between doing one’s duty and following one’s desires
At the same time… 200 BCE-400 CE: Dharma-śāstras
• texts prescribing authoritative code of ethics for all of society
1-200 CE: Yoga Sūtras of Pātañjali• text on meditation• 8 limbs: yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma,
pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, samādhi
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Hndu Philosophical Schools 6 orthodox schools, ~200 BCE
• Sāṃkhya & Yoga – inert matter, spirit and their admixture
• Nyāya & Vaiśeṣika – logic, atomism• Mīmāṃsā & Vedānta – Vedic exegesis,
Upaniṣadic thought
Today, only Vedānta and Nyāya schools survive, rest absorbed
Heterodox Schools Buddhism
– Abhidharma– Yogācāra– Mādhyamika
Jainism
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Bhakti, devotion & surrender Seeds in MB, Gītā Purāṇas Starts to come to
the fore around 7th
cent.
Some Key Terms Karma Dharma Rebirth / Reincarnation Free Will Fatalism
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Karma from √kṛ, to do, act = action, or its performance = practice of religious duty = result of action
– good karma = puṇya, bad karma = pāpa– both = bondage
OED: “The sum of a person's actions in one of his successive states of existence, regarded as determining his fate in the next; hence, necessary fate or destiny, following as effect from cause.”
Dharma Moral and religious duty Law Custom Good deeds, Merit Virtue Right, n. or adj. Justice
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Rebirth / Reincarnation
Belief that karma is carried forward through successive lifetimes
Liberation, mokṣa = freedom from rebirth
Free Will Same as Freedom?
– Political Freedom vs. Control over one’s actions Up-to-us-ness of choice / action Moral implications?
– Kleptomania Self-determination vs. Determinism Causal Determinism = Pre-determined
– Incompatibilism– Libertarianism– Scepticism
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p. 19, Thomas Pink. 2004. Free Will: A VSI. OUP.
Determinism Any event is an effect of a prior series of
effects “Clockwork Universe” Implications for moral responsibility?
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Fatalism Belief that deliberation and action are
pointless The future will be the same no matter
what we do. “It is fated” E.g., falling sick → recovery
Rejected by Determinists
Another Perspective…
New Yorker, 3-30-2015
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