Nature and Western Philosophy : Meta­ physical aspects of the current crisis

Research any non­Western philosopher of your choosing (e.g. a Chinese, Japanese, Indian, African / African diaspora or indigenous philosopher)and explain what nature is according to that philosopher.

In responding to the question, you must address the four fundamental areas of philosophy that were addressed during the lectures: (metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, logic)

­Choose a "non­ western" philosopher (either from your choosing or from the list provided in the end of this document)
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What is (this philosopher's) view on nature?
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What does this philosopher What are this philosopher's views on nature?" is best answered as follows: How does the philosopher illustrate reality?
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What arguments does this philosopher use?

Illustrate their view on nature through:

1. A Metaphysical lens

? What is there?
? What is it like?
? Existence, time, space, cause, effect...
? Origins of Ontology
? Logical Positivist

below is a link to a brief document which explains the intersection of metaphysics and nature, within philosophy

http://faculty.fordham.edu/klima/Blackwell­proofs/MP_C19.pdf

2. An Epistemological lens

? Truth
? Belief
? Justification
? Gettier Problem
? Internalism/ Externalism (Cartesian)
? Empiricism: knowledge through experience
? Rationalism: Knowledge acquired through reason and rationality

for further explanation, you may refer to the link below

http://atheism.about.com/od/philosophybranches/p/Epistemology.htm

3. An axiological lens

? The study of worth or value
? Two main subfields" Ethics and Esthetics
? Ethics: corresponds to conceptualization of what is "right" or "good" within human nature and human conduct amongst social contexts
? Esthetics: Studies the notions of "beauty" and "harmony" (here you can discuss the vision of your chosen philosopher in regards to the beauty of nature)
? Socrates and Plato are both "non" Western philosophers that specialize in the axiological understanding of the connection between knowledge and virtue (you can pick either one of those philosophers as you subject of analysis) the link below is a very basic and brief explanation of the theme and its correlation with beauty : Esthetics

http://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_aesthetics.html

Below is a list of potential "non­ western philosophers that have pertinent insights and teachings in relevance to nature. I have highlighted the prominence of each philosopher's works and theories under their name, so if you happen to pick one of them, you can shed light on the suggested themes under each of the personas.

Greek: ( Greek philosophers ARE western philosophers, therefore you may not choose them as your philosopher of choice, however you may use their example and create a similar framework for your philosopher of choice) I have only included them to give you an idea of what is expected of you to present in your paper.

1. Parmenides

­Describe his poem and its major categories:

Way of Opinion
­Way of Truth

Ontological arguments of the poem against nothingness: the state of nothing­ness can not exist

­Refer to Professor McLennan's notes from the first class (October, 11th)

2. Epicurus
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Aponia: absence of pain (physical, mental)
­ Ataraxia: the state of liberation from pain
­ Pleasure and pain are the measures of "good" and "evil"
­ Infinity of the universe
­ Events of the universe's dependence on the motion of atoms
­ Epicurean paradox: God's inability to remove evil, disqualifies him for divinity

3. Plato
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Nature's teleological order and its promotion of reason over necessity
­ Learning "goodness" by studying the cosmos and nature
­ His representation of the universe's perfection through his Timaeus­Critias
­ His commodification of the understanding of the world's function through the examination of "cosmology"

4. Aristotle:
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His theory of the four causes
­ Kinesis or the study of motion
­ Potentiality and actuality

Indian Philosophers
5. Jiddu Krishnamurti

6. Mahatma Gandhi

7. Sri Aurobindo

8. Osho

Middle Eastern Philosophers (Persian and Arab):

9. Avicenna

10. Rumi (famous for his views and poetry on nature)  excellent choice of a philosopher

11. Al­ Farrabi

12. Hafiz Shirazi (Famous for his poetry and views on nature)

13. Al­Ghazali

14. Muhammad Ibn Zakkariya Al­Razi

15. Ghutb Al­din Shirazi

16. Mulla Sadra