Browsing by Author "Giordano, John"
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    Chantal Mouffe and religious pluralism: agonistic experiments in non-western societies
    (Assumption University Press, 2017) Lana Indralak ; Giordano, John
    This paper examines questions regarding the alleviation and management of religious conflict. It will first examine the philosophical framework of Chantal Mouffe as a response to Carl Schmitt’s critique of pluralism. Then it will give examples of conflict resolution and the preservation of diversity in such regions as, Lebanon, Indonesia and Thailand. Finally, it will examine these examples as exercises in “agonistics” as understood by Mouffe. This will be shown to be a valuable framework for conflict resolution and democracy in the ASEAN region.
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    Developing life-quality indicators for the philosophy of sufficiency economy based Upon Budhhadhamma
    ( 2021) Wichian Chabootbuntharik ; Giordano, John
    Although, sufficiency economy is a philosophy based on the fundamental principle of agriculture, which is traditionally the occupation of most people in Thai society, it can also be applied to other professions. However, this requires some modification so it can guide other professions and can contribute to an integrated economic theory. This modification should be based upon the philosophical principles of Buddhism. To enable this movement from philosophy to practical theory and application, this article will suggest how indicators can be developed based in Buddhism in order to guide the practitioners on living a good life in terms of economics, society, environment, balance, stability and sustainability. All these indicators are guided by the Buddhist middle way. And it will develop these indicators according to His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s idea of the ‘Three Rings’ consisting of moderation, reasonableness and self-immunity combined with two other conditions: knowledge and virtue.
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    The essence of Kanyu in Feng Shui and the tombs of the Chinese Emperors
    ( 2021) Jing, Wang ; Giordano, John
    Chinese geomancy is also known as Feng Shui. It is an ancient philosophical ideological system that uses interdisciplinary knowledge such as astronomy, geography, and anthropology to realize the “harmony between heaven and human”. At present, Chinese geomancy mainly focuses on urban construction, large-scale architecture, interior design, and applied research in the fields of ecological environment, but there is very little discussion on the location of the tomb of the ancient emperors. Based on the concept of Kanyu and the principles of Chinese geomancy,this article compares the location of the tombs in the Emperor Valley in ancient China and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, combined with reflections on representational space in Eliade, Heidegger, Bachelard, and Lefebvre. It shows that the employment of Kanyu in the layout of the Emperors Tombs, there is a unity of ‘the representation of space’ with ‘representational space’.
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    Human autonomy and the overcoming of alienation in immaterial labor with reference to Zen Buddhism
    (Assumption University Press, 2018) Teerapong Jiaranaidilok ; Giordano, John
    This paper, will be a reflection on the changes in labor and alienation in the information age. It will focus specifically on the concept of immaterial labor and how this effects human autonomy and the consciousness of alienation. The paper will trace these concepts from the writings of Marx, to the approaches of Hardt and Negri and Franco “Bifo” Berardi. It will then show how the shortcomings of these theories which concern human autonomy in the face of the alienation of material labor can be complemented by the insights into practice developed by Zen Buddhism.
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    Individual enlightenment and social responsiblity: on the sociological interpretations of the Holy Monk Khruba Boonchum
    (Assumption University Press, 2018) Dayweinda Yeehsai ; Giordano, John
    This paper will assess some sociological interpretations of Theravada Buddhism and Holy Monks which rely on such concepts as charisma, millenarianism and utopianism. In the past, sociologiests like Weber and Murti misinterpreted Buddhism as focusing upon individual enlightenment rather than the welfare of society. But these interpretations of Theravāda Buddhism overlook that the Buddhist concept of enlightenment has a deep relationship with social development and social responsibilities. Buddhism has a highly developed sociological basis and need to be understood in its own terms. The practice of Buddhist monks should be understood by means of Buddhist sociology. To illustrate this, this paper will discuss the Theravāda Buddhist concept of the ten perfections (pāramī) in general and perfection of morality (sīla-pāramī) in particular. This will also be illustrated by Buddhist tale of Bhuridatta-Jātaka and the case of Spiritual Master, the Most Venerable Khruba Boonchum, Nyanasamvaro.
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    On bitcoin and Simmel's idea of perfect money
    (Assumption University Press, 2019) Siwittra Chainiyom ; Giordano, John
    Georg Simmel in his book Philosophy of Money,described how money evolves through history and predicted that it will evolve to the point where it no longer relies on any substance. He called this stage “perfect money,” which he described as “money detached from every substantial value”. Today we are faced with the development of cryptocurrencies, of which Bitcoin is the best known. Bitcoin presents a new system of transaction which does not require governments or middlemen to regulate trade. Since such currencies are completely beyond substantial value, the philosophical question emerges whether Bitcoin is “perfect money.” This essay will argue that Bitcoin can be understood in connection with Simmel’s idea of “perfect money.” But will also consider Simmel’s claim that perfect money is only possible in a stable society and will show the limitations of cyrptocurrencies and Bitcoin in light of this.
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    Overcoming the passions in Spinoza: a Buddhist reading
    (Assumption University Press, 2020) Vinayaparla, U. ; Giordano, John
    Spinoza’s philosophy and Buddhism have often been compared based upon their tendencies towards seeing the world as a single order and moving beyond our passions and desires. But the comparison of these philosophies also creates interesting problems. One problem is the way we relate to this order itself. In Spinoza we achieve enlightenment when we recognize that we are a part of a single substance which has its own order and necessity. This leads us to transcend the bondage of our passions through reason. And when we reach the highest level of the intellectual love of God, we show kindness on all beings still trapped in this bondage. Buddhist enlightenment is the recognition of the dependent origination of all things. It is a larger order of causality which we are a part. We suffer within this order through our attachments so our goal is to eliminate our attachments. When we see the world in this way, we do not judge through the categories of good and evil and we show compassion to all living creatures still in the state of ignorance. So there are obvious similarities. But a major difference in these two approaches is differing ways they regard the order itself. Spinoza focuses on the love of this order – intellectual love of God – which leads him affirm non-judgment and kindness. And Buddhism focuses on the non-attachment to this order which leads to compassion. Comparing and contrasting these two philosophies is valuable because it allows a deeper understanding of the Buddhist role of compassion as a special kind of (non-passive) passion which breaks the suffering of others. It also clarifies elements of Spinoza’s philosophy which are not easily understood, for instance, his claim that pity as a useless emotion.
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    The problem of presential knowledge in the illumination philosophy of Suhrawardi
    ( 2020) Sajjad, Sayed Payam ; Giordano, John
    In Islamic philosophy the relationship between God and the Human subject has been an interesting and difficult problem. While mystics claim a direct connection with God, philosophers and other theologians find that the use of reason creates a distance between God and the Human subject. This is reflected in the way Islamic philosophy attempts to ground itself through the concept of selfevidence. Avicenna, who was a follower of Aristotle, believed that existence is self-evident, and the reason for the existence of all beings is God. But this approach maintains a gap between God and the human being. Suhrawardi was interested in Avicenna’s problem and the importance of the concept of self-evidence. But he considers form, essence or quiddity as self-evident. He uses a philosophy of Illumination to demonstrate the unity of quiddity with God. This allows him to posit a direct connection between human thinking and the Divine. The human subject or the “I” does not perceive existence directly, but perceives light directly. Light is self-evident and God is the Light of Lights. Based on this insight, he introduced a new kind of knowledge which he called Presential knowledge (huduri) or knowledge as presence. This researcher will explain Suhrawardi’s approach to Presential knowledge, but will attempt to demonstrate that neither Avicenna’s grounding of self-evidence in existence nor Suhrawardi grounding it in essence or light is completely successful. It will contend that the “I” is prior to both existence and essence, and our knowledge of God as perfection emerges within the “I” through a dialectic of perfection and imperfection.
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    Rene Guenon on the realization of traditional knowledge
    (Assumption University Press, 2017) Santos, Barbara Batista ; Giordano, John
    This paper investigates the ‘metaphysical’ perspectives of the French philosopher named René Guénon. Although Guénon was French, he was often critical of Western ways of thinking. Especially with regard to the concept of the metaphysical. Turning to the etymology of the word metaphysics, for Guénon metaphysics stands for whatever lies ‘beyond physics.’ This is different than the Aristotelian understanding of metaphysics, since it is always directed to the idea of the natural sciences viewed as a whole. This is a kind of thinking recognized by ancient traditions. So based on this perspective of thought, Guénon is known as a traditionalist or perennial philosopher. The preservation of traditional knowledge is becoming an important issue today with the pressures of conformity with Western models of science and rationalism. So this paper will investigate his viewpoint on ‘realization of traditional knowledge’ and its relevance today. The conclusion of this study shows that this ‘realization’ can preserved by the harmonious integration of ‘theory’ and ‘practice’, where traditional practices of initiation, oral transmission, performance of rites and use of symbols, are in balance with modern forms of codification and information.
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    Rereading the three worlds according to King Ruang based upon its roots in the Tipitaka
    (Bangkok : Assumption University Press, 2022) Nath Narada ; Giordano, John
    This paper is a study of Thai Buddhist cosmology contained in the old manuscript named, the Traibhumikatha (Tebhumikatha). This manuscript had been compiled and revised for first public edition in 1912. The final text was entitled the Trai Phum Phra Ruang and it has been translated into English in 1979 as The Three Worlds According to King Ruang. The dissemination of this text began since the rise of Thai kingdom, thus it is regarded as one of the literary classics of Thai culture. The text has often been interpreted as an attempt to make Theravada Buddhism more accessible to the masses. It subsequently has been appropriated by folk culture as documenting the literal existence of heavens and hells and the accumulation of merits through several lifetimes. This paper aims to move beyond this more superficial reading of text to a deeper interpretation based upon the concept of impermanence (Anicca) which is a dominant concept of Theravada Buddhism. Impermanence represents a cosmological view based on the law of three marks of existence (Tilakkhana). It also determines the features of time, space, and beings as contingent and not independent of other things. Therefore, it is used in this study as a key to disclose a new meaning of this text based upon its deeper narrative, the Tipitaka. And with the notions Nath Narada and John Giordano 73 applied from Schleiermacher’s hermeneutical theory, the rereading of this text represents an attempt to fill the gaps in the traditional interpretation which overlooks the attainment of Nibbana at present lifetime and in modern interpretation which lacks a sociocultural dimension.
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    Scientia sacra: a holistic educational approach for transforming environmental consciousness
    ( 2020) Siriporn Kiatpapan ; Giordano, John
    This research studies the educational approach to the environmental crisis called Scientia Sacra which was developed by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a perennial and a contemporary Islamic philosopher. The paper aims to understand the background and underpinnings of this philosophy. It will discuss Nasr’s critique of modernism as the root cause of our environmental crisis, and the manner in which he sees an educational approach informed by the concept of scientia sacra as the solution. The researcher also discusses various critiques of Nasr’s approach and challenges in its application to education. It will investigate whether scientia sacra can contribute to solutions to the environmental crisis which can operate across religious and secular divides.
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    The ethics of intellectual property law in the area of pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines during times of pandemics
    (Bangkok : Assumption University Press, 2022) Peeraput Thiendej ; Giordano, John
    The course of the Covid 19 pandemic, has demonstrated the serious obstacles to the availability and access to vaccines for many less-developed countries. One obstacle involves the pharmaceutical patents which limited the ability of many countries to afford the necessary vaccines. For many, the intellectual property laws created by the World Trade Organization and TRIPS agreement has shown itself to be unfair to less-developed countries. This is also seen as a problem in global justice. There is an increasing belief that pharmaceutical patents should be waived in times of emergency. But the question is how to justify these waivers? One approach might be the idea of the commons which underlies intellectual property in it most basic form. This paper explores ways of reforming intellectual property law in light of the recent problems connected to the Covid pandemic.