Hi, folks, Someone asked me today to discuss further the philosophia perennis. I am not sure if I can add anything to what I, Gilberto, and others have said, but I will try.
The problem is that there is not just one perennial philosophy. Treating this subject in an email message is difficult and, perhaps, unrealistic. Writers have constructed it differently. Most have focused, to some degree, on Platonism or Neo-Platonism. Others have looked at Vedanta, at one or more of the Buddhisms, at the views of the Traditionalists, or at the "esoteric opponents of the Traditionalists, the HPB Theosophists. Finally, there are some writers (often Hindus, Buddhists, or Baha'is) for whom the term "perennial philosophy" is simply a name for their own religions. In other words, visions of the perennial philosophy run the gambit from religiocentric and triumphalist to universal and syncretistic. Since there is no single philosophia perennis, how one regards it will depend upon one's religious or spiritual background, one's personal, professional, or academic interests, or one's readings. On the positive side, some understandings of the perennial philosophy reflect an awareness of different religions and cultures and a desire to take them into account in one's worldview. J. Michael Straczynski's self-constructed "religion" of foundationism (in Babylon 5), a synthesis of earth religions inspired by extraterrestrial contacts, is an interesting metaphor: http://www.infinicorp.com/VEX/organizations/human-foundationism.htm On the negative side, most approaches to the perennial philosophy are either syncretistic or triumphalist. For that reason, they reflect a kind of ideological hegemony. They are unfair to the particular contributions of the different religions incorporated into one's system. With regards, Mark A. Foster • 15 Sites: http://markfoster.net "Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger" -- Abbie Hoffman __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
