[Advaita-l] Vol 50, Issue 8_Guidelines

[Guy Werlings]

Dear SrI Ravi,

Thank you very much for reminding us once more very wise and useful 
guidelines. In a few instances you might even have been tougher.

You wrote:

2. (.) Nowadays, people simply stick to their position no matter what.





That is really quite a major problem of our times: people are just sticking 
to their personal opinions - only in the proportion of the satisfaction they 
derive from them. But satisfaction is by no means a criterion of truth.

 Already in the 1930:s, RAjasEvAsakta V. subrahmaNya Iyer had noticed during 
his trips in the West and his numerous meetings and talks with European 
philosophers and scientists (especially physicists) that the latter were 
strongly clinging to their beliefs and opinions - e.g. as to the causal 
relation - just because they were obtaining from them comfort or 
satisfaction and although they knew that those beliefs and opinions might be 
false.





(.) Hence, beyond a point, debates become meaningless.



Well I am afraid debates are always meaningless because as I pointed out 
recently, people engaged in debates most often wish to establish that they 
are right and that their opponent is wrong. But none of them is searching 
for truth. And if debates had to have a meaning at all, it should be to 
reach truth. To be right or wrong has no place in philosophy. As shrii V. S. 
Iyer used to say: "Philosophy as such is an impossibility to him who does 
not start with an exact definition of Truth".





praNAm-s

Guy W.


> Message: 16
> Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2007 08:17:20 -0500
> From: "Ravisankar Mayavaram" <abhayambika at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Advaita-l] ADMIN - Posting Guidelines
> To: "advaita-vedAnta List" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Message-ID:
> <fb2619990706080617k543e9551p9b9bc397ac347f2d at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> 1. Please restrict yourself to two messages per day.  If you
> constantly violate this rule you will lose your posting privileges.
>
> 2. When the thread becomes controversial, please think twice before
> posting to the thread. Ask yourself if this is really necessary. It is
> not like ancient times, where a person who loses the debate changes
> his position and follows the winner. Now a days, people simply stick
> to their position no matter what. Hence, beyond a point,  debates
> become meaningless.  To some extent they are useful in educating the
> neutral readers.
>
> 3. Be polite and considerate in both your intent and words. This is
> something all of us learning and let us all try our best.
>
> With best wishes,
>
> Ravi
>
>