A Contemporary Interpretation of Mayavada: Advaita Vedanta and the Affirmation of the Material Universe

<p>Mayavada (the doctrine of maya) is the Advaitin explanation of how the infinite Brahman is manifested as the finite material world. Brahman is unchanging and perfect; the locus of the changing and imperfect world. This paper has two aims. The first is to show that mayavada affirms the reality of the material world, despite the claims of Paul Deussen and Prabhu Dutt Sharstri to the contrary. To achieve this end a world-affirming mayavada is formulated based on the metaphysics of Swami Vivekananda, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Sri Aurobindo. The second aim is to show that world-affirming mayavada is a plausible metaphysical position which should be taken seriously in contemporary metaphysical debate. To achieve this some pluralist arguments against nondualism are rejected, and it is explained how world-affirming mayavada is preferable to pluralism when accounting for the ontological problems that arise from limitless decomposition and emergence due to quantum entanglement. Hence the conclusion of this paper will be that mayavada is a plausible metaphysical position which affirms the reality of the material world.</p>

A Contemporary Interpretation of Mayavada: Advaita Vedanta and the Affirmation of the Material Universe

<p>Mayavada (the doctrine of maya) is the Advaitin explanation of how the infinite Brahman is manifested as the finite material world. Brahman is unchanging and perfect; the locus of the changing and imperfect world. This paper has two aims. The first is to show that mayavada affirms the reality of the material world, despite the claims of Paul Deussen and Prabhu Dutt Sharstri to the contrary. To achieve this end a world-affirming mayavada is formulated based on the metaphysics of Swami Vivekananda, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Sri Aurobindo. The second aim is to show that world-affirming mayavada is a plausible metaphysical position which should be taken seriously in contemporary metaphysical debate. To achieve this some pluralist arguments against nondualism are rejected, and it is explained how world-affirming mayavada is preferable to pluralism when accounting for the ontological problems that arise from limitless decomposition and emergence due to quantum entanglement. Hence the conclusion of this paper will be that mayavada is a plausible metaphysical position which affirms the reality of the material world.</p>

Transformacja wątku Lenory Bürgera we współczesnej kulturze popularnej

In the Romantic era, Bürger’s “Lenore” with its motif of a woman kidnapped by the ghost of her lover was very popular among authors from various nations. The contemporary interpretation of this literary topos can be found in the stories describing love relationships between a woman and a vampire and frequently based on the same patterns. Having contact with the undead lover, the heroine crosses the border between the worlds and herself becomes a borderland creature.

Law and the Invisible Hand

A contemporary interpretation of Adam Smith's work on jurisprudence, revealing Smith's belief that progress emerges from cooperation and a commitment to justice. In Smith's theory, the tension between self–interest and the interests of others is mediated by law, so that the common interest of the community can be promoted. Moreover, Smith informs us that successful societies do at least three things well. They promote the common interest, advance justice through the rule of law, and they facilitate our natural desire to truck, barter, and exchange. In this process, law functions as an invisible force that holds society together and keeps it operating smoothly and productively. Law enhances social cooperation, facilitates trade, and extends the market. In these ways, law functions like Adams Smith's invisible hand, guiding and facilitating the progress of humankind.

THE PHILOSOPHICAL MEANING OF THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER AS A CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF TRAGEDY IPHIGENIA AT AULIS

With the movie The Killing of a Sacred Deer , Jorgos Lanthimos takes the value sacred from superhuman powers and makes it mundane. It is claimed that queen Clytemnestra, one of the heroes of Euripides’ tragedy Iphigenia at Aulis, does not believe in superhuman powers. This is because Clytemnestra considers the event of killing of her own daughter Iphigenia a murder rather than a sacrifice. In The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lanthimos interprets the killing of Iphigenia as a “sacrifice” by her own father, King Agamemnon, to question the relations between the people of the contemporary world. Are the killings of Iphigenia and Martin’s father, Jonathan Lang, sacrifices or murders? Whatever the answer is, the idea that both the film and the tragedy suggest is that what should be considered sacred is life. King Agamemnon, who killed his own daughter, and surgeon Steven, who caused the death of his own patient, are expected to pay the price for the loss of life they caused. But how? What could be the cost of a human life? As a result, the contribution of the movie The Killing of a Sacred Deer to the people of the contemporary world is that it re-examines the values of “sacred” and “sacrifice.”

U-5 Equilibrium of Population and Resources: Interpretation and Approach

Population and resources have an interdisciplinary relationship. The establishment of a sustainable society depends upon a balanced family. Environment, health, and socio-economic peace and prosperity are tempered due to rapid variations. The population and resources gap is misinterpreted in particularly in Muslim societies. The population has been recognized symbol of power for a country. Shortage of resources is not caused by population growth but a result of mismanagement. This crisis requires contemporary interpretation and some indirect approaches. Islam is a balanced religion and encourages balanced life and society. The article in hand will review the policies taken by various Muslim countries. It will denote governmental campaigns for management of family and resources. This paper will provide Islamic instructions on the equilibrium of population and resources. It will discuss minutely legitimacy of the population equilibrium campaign. This research will highlight the approachable zones to address this burning issue. It will introduce swift actions to be taken by individuals and the community at large.

Foreign Debt in the Perspective of Tafsir Fii Zilaal Al-Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

This study aimed to analyze the contemporary interpretation of Sayyid Qutb against usury contained in foreign debt in his book Fii Zhilaal al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah: 275. The method used in this research is the descriptive analysis method combined with the method of hermeneutics and supported by a literature review to find Sayyid Qutb’s thoughts on foreign debt. This study is an attempt to gain a proper understanding of usury-based on a contemporary interpretation of Sayyid Qutb in the book Fii Zhilaal Al-Qur'an especially that including in foreign debt. This study described the analysis of usury in foreign debt base on the interpretation of Sayyid. Findings. The results of this study are understandings of the thoughts of Sayyid Qutb in his book related to the impact of foreign debt which may lead to the theory that foreign debt will have an impact on regulatory intervention, colonization, and even warfare.

Feminist Exegesis in Hamka’s Tafsir Al-Azhar

This research aims to understand the typology of contemporary interpretation in Indonesia, especially concerning the issue of women based on the interpretation narrative in Hamka's Tafsir Al-Azhar. This interpretation arose in modern thought and was born from Indonesian society that the Dutch were colonizing. Therefore, this interpretation represents an idea with a modern background and colonial issues. One of the interesting issues in Al-Azhar's notion is the interpretation of verses related to women. This study uses a qualitative approach by collecting interpretations related to women in Tafsir Al-Azhar. This research used Hans-George Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutic method. The study results prove that the context of the colonial era made Hamka choose to reinterpret the verses of the Qur'an related to women's creation. The purpose of the interpretation is to harmonize between religious values and social conditions. According to Hamka, he interpreted the female verse that said women created from Adam’s ribs. Also, he explained controversially that the interpretation of women's creation from Adam’s ribs is merely a metaphor. He explained that both men and women could build a fair social system. As well as the issue of women's education rights, Hamka tries to explain that men and women have the opportunity to obtain information and education in an equal position. The latter issue is women's social activities in public areas. In this context, it is not only men who can rule women; on the contrary, women can regulate men's domestic affairs. Therefore, it is the inevitability of the existing potential.

Embedding Marxist Epistemology: A Contemporary Interpretation of Shao Yong’s Thought on “Observing Things”

The cognition method of “observing things” by the famous Confucian, Shao Yong from the early Song Dynasty has an extremely broad and profound meaning. It overlaps and also has similarities with Marxist epistemology. This article attempts to examine it from the perspective of Marxist epistemology; beginning with the subject and object of knowledge, the method of knowledge, and the purpose of knowledge to interpret and reflect on Shao Yong’s thought of “observation.”