Buddhism, Philosophy and Ideas

Although not fond of labels because they have a delimiting quality I do consider myself a Buddhist in thought and practice. The original interest in and present affinity and belief in Buddhism is founded on philosophy. I do indeed love wisdom and the ideas and applications that are connected.

On this page you will find connections to Buddhism and philosophy that I have discovered over the past several years. I will also include some of my personal ideas and ruminations, which in many cases are works in progress as I live, learning every day.

I think of philosophy (Greek: 'philo'=love + 'sophia'=wisdom) as the generation, aquisition, organization and application of ideas to one's life and to the world. There is the matter of a love of wisdom for its own (intrinsic) sake and for what it can do (extrinsic value).

The four fundamental realms of thought (and action) are 1. religion 2. philosophy 3. science and 4. politics. Philosophy is appropriately placed between religion and science not only because of its historical place, but due to its role (real and/or potential). Philosophy can serve as an untainted, neutral intermediary between religion and science.

In ancient times, such as the days of the Pre-Socratics in Greece, religion, philosophy and science were one. In time, they split apart, most notably science from philosophy. Today, for many people science is the new religion and the new philosophy. But philosophy is not forgotten. (Have you not been asked: what is your philosophy of life?) Dry, sometimes dogmatic science is not sufficient for some people, it being too values-free, almost nihilistic. And an increasingly rationalistic generation in the West rejects religion as useless, redundant, irrelevant, even dangerous. Blind faith doesn't suit this age. Nor are dry rules from the past in accord with the spirit of the times. And yet, there remains a demand for religion, often strong, from some quarters. Similarly, there is a demand for science. Really, what people are seeking are answers. They want to know how the world works, and how to live in it. The growing interest in Buddhism from educated quarters comes, I suspect, because Buddhism proper fuses religion, science and philosophy.