Category Archives: Brief Thoughts

MASTER AND SLAVE

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Master and Slave:

According to Hegel, each possesses half of freedom: power to exercise it, and insight into its value. As a paradigm of this relationship he took the philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius and the slave philosopher Epictetus who taught him to be free.

Page 212 THE OXFORD ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY edited by ANTHONY KENNY

Epictetus (c. AD 55-135) The most influential teacher of Stoicism of his time, Epictetus was born a slave in Asia Minor. He was given his freedom around the year 68, but was banished from Rome by Diocletian around 90. He was lame for much of his life. It is known that he was extremely popular, respected, and lived a life of utmost simplicity, in accordance with Stoic doctrine. His teachings or Discourses include an emphasis on submissiveness, humility, and charity, but also upon the ability and duty of a person to mould his or her character in the effort to achieve self-government and independence of external circumstance. [THE OXFORD DISCTIONARY OF PHILOSOPHY]

Note: Philosophy encourages you to acquire freedom thru intellectual empowerment. All organized religions impose limitations on human intellectual freedom. All organized religions ostracize free thinkers.

Posted by:  nSalik (Noor Salik)

 

Iran Nuclear Deal & New Regional Powers? By F. Sheikh ( Brief Thought)

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The Iran nuclear deal has the potential to reset the relations button not only between USA and Iran but also between Saudi Arabia, Israel and USA.

The deal may be a clear signal from the West to acknowledge Iran’s potential to become a regional power. There is strong possibility that the West may encourage such a role by Iran as long as Iran does not threaten their interests. Iran may be ruled by mostly religious clerks, but nevertheless it is a major stable country in the region with well educated population. Saudi Arabia may lead the opposition to Iran because Saudi Arabia’s main concern is its minority Shia population in its Eastern region where most of its oil fields are located and is afraid of any uprising in that area. This may change the whole political structure in the region and Israel and Arab neighbors may join hands to oppose the re-emerging Persian Power.

In Europe, the Greece crisis has brought on the forefront the economic power of Germany and its willingness to use it without any qualms. It has set aside its previous hesitations, because of its past, to be assertive and yield to other European powers, especially France. It has startled the Paris and Rome. Roger Cohen writes in NYT “Europe, once again at a moment of crisis, faces the quandary of how to deal with German power. The German Question is back.”

In Pacific Asia and South East Asia, China is undoubtedly the regional power and world power. USA is encircling China with military and economic pacts with surrounding countries as well as boosting India and Japan to challenge China. India is dreaming of at least becoming a regional power.

Next decade will be interesting to see how these new political currents take a shape. It may be a different world.

“Religious Bigotry” is equivalent to “Personal Threat”

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“Religious Bigotry” is equivalent to “Personal Threat”

 

What is religious bigotry?

In order to answer this question, I will quote one paragraph from the book:

“The MEANING of HUMAN EXISTENCE”

By EDWARD O. WILSON

EDWARD O. WILSON is widely recognized as one of the world’s preeminent biologists and naturalists. The author of more than twenty books, including The Creation, The Social Conquest of Earth, and Letters to a Young Scientist. Wilson is a professor emeritus at Harvard University. The winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, he lives in Lexington, Massachusetts USA.

Religious Bigotry is a sensitive and important concept for all TF USA affiliates, hence I will quote one full paragraph from the book The MEANING of HUMAN EXISTENCE. This will be helpful for TF USA affiliate’s discussion of this concept.

Section VI

IDOLS OF THE MIND

HUMANITY’S INTELLECTUAL FRAILITIES

IDENTIFIED BY FRANCIS BACON,

IN ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE FIRST ENLIGHTENMENTS,

CAN NOW BE REDEFINED BY SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION.

Topic RELIGION [from page 147 to 158]

Page 154 last paragraph:

Religious warriors are not an anomaly. It is a mistake to classify believers of particular religious and dogmatic religion like ideologies into two groups, moderate versus extremist. The true cause of hatred and violence is faith versus faith, an outward expression of the ancient instinct of tribalism. Faith is the one thing that makes otherwise good people do bad things. Nowhere do people tolerate attacks on their person, their family, their country —– or their creation myth. In America, for example, it is possible in most places to openly debate different views on religious spirituality – including the nature and even the existence of God, providing it is in the context of theology and philosophy. But it is forbidden to question closely, if at all, the creation myth — the faith – of another person or group, no matter how absurd. To disparage anything in someone else’s sacred creation myth is “religious bigotry.” It is taken as the equivalent of a personal threat.

Posted by nSalik [Noor Salik]

Dr. Shoeb Amin’s reflections on latest discussion in TF USA

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Dr. Shoeb Amin wrote:

I have said this before and I’ll say it again.

I am convinced that even if I ever started a debate on the TF on random topics like:

  1. Is Britney Spears’ claim to fame her vocal cords or some other physical asset/s?  Or
  2. What is the better material for a deck – wood or a composite?

That these discussions will somehow end up in discussions about God or no God, about how evil religion is – or is not; about what Einstein or Bertrand Russell said or didn’t say and the participants will start quoting Quranic verses.

Just look at the latest discussion on the Foreign Affairs article about Islamic and Western values. I ask the current participants in this debate to please read the original article. And just because someone mention God or Jainism or Einstein does not mean that the whole focus of discussion should change to any one of them.

I have also said this before and will say it again. The TF is not a forum to proselytize believers into atheists or vice versa; nor is it a place to insult other people’s belief;  nor is it a place to fight till death.

It is just a forum to express different opinions about a specific topic in a polite and civil manner. If your insights can change somebody else’s opinion, fine but if not, to each his own.

I suggest that the editors look at the comments and on basis of its relevance to the original topic decide whether it should be posted or not and that each participant can have only a limited number of responses to a particular topic. Beyond 3-4 responses the comments have turned personal and have gone off track anyway and have ceased to add any significant contribution to the discussion.

Shoeb