Double truth etc

[Dmitri]

On Thu, 28 Dec 2000 03:02:50 +0000, Narayan R.Joshi <giravani at JUNO.COM>
wrote:

>For a long time in the West,philosophy was thought to be concerned with the
>established truths of a very general kind, with metaphysics and ethics,
>with other truths to be arrived at through the power of reasoning.

It seems that similar ideas about "western" phylosophy and science
are at the bottom of many heated arguments on this list and outside of it.
I think this view of "western" phylosophy is inaccurate.

The "western" phylosophy was and is concerned primarily with uncertainties
-- with the major goal of clarifying those to a degree that allows
application of logic.

Here is a quote from B.Russell that expresses it clearly:

...those questions which are already capable of definite answers are placed
in the sciences, while those only to which, at present, no definite answer
can be given, remain to form the residue which is called philosophy.

Thus, "western" phylosophy is the art of designing questions that might
move the subject of phylosophical inquiry into the area of science.
As a result of this, phylosophy remains forever concerned with uncertainties
while the body of scientific knowledge constantly increases.

It is interesting to know if such dichotomy "phylosophy-sciences" existed
in Indian intellectual tradition.  This dichotomy appear to exists de-facto
already in ancient Greece.


Best regards, Dmitri.