Prajñā Vihāra: Journal of Philosophy and Religion

VISUALIZATIONS OF PHILOSOPHICAL CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTION AND INFLUENCE IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD

2024-01-29T03:50:23+00:00

While the process of influence between various cultural and
historical traditions in philosophy has been taking place
for thousands of years, this inter-cultural interaction is
occurring at a more accelerated pace in the information age.
While philosophers throughout history have used visual
representations to understand philosophical influence and
historical origins and the distribution of philosophical ideas
and sub-disciplines, this paper stresses the importance of
philosophical visualizations to represent the global interactivity
of philosophy. It provides various visualizations to
represent global philosophical interaction, the penetration of
Western philosophical ideas into non-Western philosophical
traditions, and the appropriation of non-Western traditions
by Western philosophers. Such visualizations are important
in the contemporary age to promote regional philosophies,
to understand philosophical influence and to understand the
promotion of a kind of pluralism which remains engaged
with the global world.

A THOMSONIAN ARGUMENT AGAINST MEDICAL MANDATES

2024-01-29T04:11:22+00:00

This paper explores the parallel between Judith Jarvis Thomson's argument for abortion rights based on bodily autonomy and the contentious issue of vaccine refusal. Drawing on Thomson's famous thought experiment involving a violinist, I present analogous scenarios involving medical decisions. I argue that if Thomson's reasoning holds, individuals also possess the right to refuse vaccines, even if it entails serious risk to others. The paper underscores the importance of recognizing that medical decisions, including vaccine refusal, should be evaluated within the framework of bodily autonomy and individual rights, challenging the prevailing opinion on this complex issue.

MERCY (RAHMAH) AS THE PRELUDE TO ISLAM

2024-01-29T04:21:19+00:00

Mercy is central to the very identity of Islam, yet this is not often recognized by theologians and scholars. This paper will demonstrate that the idea of mercy is important as a prelude to the understanding of Islam and an interpretation of its teachings. This important role of mercy is evident in Islam's primary sources – the Quran and the Sunnah – and is not contingent on political, social, or historical contexts. It is well recognized that the proper comprehension of Islam hinges on grasping the attributes of God, his divine message, and the character of his messenger. But what is often overlooked is that these aspects are fundamentally rooted in mercy. Islam encourages its followers to cultivate merciful virtues. It emphasizes that the compassionate nature of the faith should always precede the understanding and interpretation of its teachings. As a result, Muslims are encouraged to nurture a compassionate self, foster a benevolent mindset and approach, and anchor their religious obedience in the spirit of mercy. While followers of Islam are responsible for upholding this ethos, external observers too should try to view the religion fairly based upon this recognition of the centrality of mercy.

DYING WITH DIGNITY AND THE ARGUMENT FROM CONSCIENCE

2024-01-29T04:31:25+00:00

This paper examines some of the arguments in favor of and against “mercy killing”. Euthanasia is defined as the voluntary or involuntary killing of a terminally ill human being suffering from unbearable pain and intolerable suffering. Literally, euthanasia means “good death” or “dying with dignity.” But the argument for mercy killing hides under the ill motive of emancipating oneself the burden of having to bear a life that appears meaningless. This inquiry argues that such a position is morally unacceptable since it violates life itself. But the reason this paper puts forward is not based on the stewardship argument, one that says life is sacred. The stewardship argument is weak compared to the “right to die” advanced by liberal philosophers. As an alternative, the “argument from conscience”, which puts emphasis on recognizing the moral mistake of reducing the value of human life into something that is instrumentalist, is proposed. James Rachels’s utilitarian argument for mercy killing seeks to diminish the suffering in the world. But what it hides is that it actually mistreats human life as something that is quantifiable. The argument from conscience is a humanist position that is grounded in the love and attention for the dying.

JESUS’ PRINCIPLES FOR PEACEBUILDING

2024-01-29T04:42:32+00:00

This study explores Jesus’ ideas about peacebuilding in their historical context. The study considers Jesus’ teaching within the context of the conflict of first-century Palestine at its center. Jesus conceptualizes peace in the context of the kingdom of God and prioritizes peace over justice. The principles for Jesus’ strategy for peacebuilding are motivated by compassion, love, identity, forgiveness, and peace itself as a superior reality. The practical implications of these include reset of conflict realities, recognition of ambivalence of conflict and peace, building a culture of peace in the presence of conflict, reconciliation, repentance, and forgiveness, and human free will. The study identifies four conflict barriers that contribute to present-day conflict perpetuation: a destructive emotional orientation, a compromised vision for peace, compromised pragmatic ethics, and an ethnocentric view of peace.

THE GROWTH OF CHRISTIANITY IN SHANGHAI CONSIDERED THROUGH THE RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY OF RELIGION

2024-01-29T04:52:57+00:00

The increasing growth of Christianity in Shanghai, China, provides an instructive model for understanding the marketing and economics of religion. The paper employs theoretical analysis as well as an analysis of the results of field study. The theoretical study employed rational choice theory and the field study included visiting religious places and conducting interviews. The major field work took place at Christian churches and other places of worship in Shanghai city during Christmas and New Year time, 2019. This research concludes that Christianity and its competitiveness in comparison to the other faiths in Shanghai, will gain popularity in Shanghai follower will grow in numbers