Philosophy Live
- johntambornino
- Jul 31, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Aug 2, 2020
Since my last of several posts on the integration of philosophy, democracy, and racial equality, I had the opportunity for a rich, wide-ranging conversation with someone who epitomizes such integration. Dr. Samir Chopra, Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College and fellow philosophical counselor, invited me to dialogue about my recent posts, which led us to a plethora of interconnected philosophical and political issues. Among the topics we explored are the inherent philosophical dimensions of political activism, the role of philosophy in clarifying and challenging the status quo, and the ways in which philosophical reflection can shape our identities and experiences as particular individuals and engaged citizens. We proceeded to reflect on the intellectual ethos appropriate for democratic dialogue in the context of diversity, including the traits of humility, criticism, and imagination. We concluded with reflection on the ways in which the traditional philosophical canon provides conceptual resources for illuminating the present, and also how contemporary experience allows us both to critique this canon and to build upon it. Dr. Chopra is an exceptionally lucid, nimble, erudite, and impassioned philosopher, and I trust that you will benefit as much as I have from his insights and provocations. See Philosophical Practice & the U.S.' Racial Crisis: A Dialogue between John Tambornino and Samir Chopra
Kurt, Thank you, that is an excellent point. Many of the mainstream divinity schools in the U.S. (even if they're officially Christian of whatever denomination) have moved toward a religious pluralism, believing that it is necessary to understand multiple faith traditions, and to consider the challenges that arise in relations between alternative faiths. Thus comparative religious studies appears to have become the norm. Philosophy is further behind, it is fair to say, in recognizing the benefits of studying a plurality of traditions (there has long been the Analytic/Continental divide, but they have mainly ignored and mistrusted one another, and they're both Western).
I also agree that the understandable desire to master a particular tradition discourages exploration of multiple traditions. That'…
Another possibility is that there is a great opportunity for insight in the intersection of different philosophical traditions. Would Gandhi have seen beyond the caste system if he had stayed within the confines of Hinduism? Would Martin Luther King have developed his ideas about non-violence without encountering Gandhi? It is important for those of us raised in the western tradition to ask where other traditions would change our worldview. This is challenging inasmuch as it is difficult enough to get a good handle on our own traditions. Likewise, cultural encounter does not automatically benefit the arc of moral progress. Schopenhauer read the Upanishads every night, and considered Buddhism the greatest religion. In both, however, he found reinforcement for his misogyny.