Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Mahaprajnaparamitashastra', 'Leibniz' and 'Letters to Blijenburgh'

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5 ideas

10. Modality / B. Possibility / 1. Possibility

19378	Early modern possibility is what occurs sometime; for Leibniz, it is what is not contradictory [Arthur,R]
	Full Idea: For Descartes, Hobbes and Spinoza, if a state of things is possible, it must occur at some time, whether past, present or future. For Leibniz possibility makes no reference to time; an individual is possible if its concept contains no contradiction.
	From: Richard T.W. Arthur (Leibniz [2014], 4 'Contingent')
	A reaction: It has always struck me as fallacious to say that anything that is possible must at some time occur. If '6' is possible on the die, what will constrain it to eventually come up when thrown? Mere non-contradiction doesn't imply possibility either.

17. Mind and Body / A. Mind-Body Dualism / 4. Occasionalism

19380	Occasionalism contradicts the Eucharist, which needs genuine changes of substance [Arthur,R]
	Full Idea: The Jesuits rejected occasionalism ... because it is incompatible with the Catholic interpretation of the Eucharist, which there is genuine change of substance of the bread into the substance of Christ (transubstantiation).
	From: Richard T.W. Arthur (Leibniz [2014], 5 'Substance')
	A reaction: Not sure I understand this, but I take it that the Eucharist needs a real relation across the substance-spirit boundary, and not just a co-ordination.

23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / a. Virtues

7903	The six perfections are giving, morality, patience, vigour, meditation, and wisdom [Nagarjuna]
	Full Idea: The six perfections are of giving, morality, patience, vigour, meditation, and wisdom.
	From: Nagarjuna (Mahaprajnaparamitashastra [c.120], 88)
	A reaction: What is 'morality', if giving is not part of it? I like patience and vigour being two of the virtues, which immediately implies an Aristotelian mean (which is always what is 'appropriate').

28. God / A. Divine Nature / 3. Divine Perfections

7829	God no more has human perfections than we have animal perfections [Spinoza]
	Full Idea: To ascribe to God those attributes which make a man perfect would be as wrong as to ascribe to a man the attributes that make perfect an elephant or an ass.
	From: Baruch de Spinoza (Letters to Blijenburgh [1665], 1665), quoted by Matthew Stewart - The Courtier and the Heretic Ch.10
	A reaction: This would be a difficulty for Aquinas's Fourth Way (Idea 1432), and one which I think Aquinas might acknowledge, given his desire that we should be humble when trying to comprehend God (Idea 1410). It leaves us struggling to grasp the concept of God.

28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 4. God Reflects Humanity

7830	A talking triangle would say God is triangular [Spinoza]
	Full Idea: If a triangle could speak it would say that God is eminently triangular.
	From: Baruch de Spinoza (Letters to Blijenburgh [1665], 1665), quoted by Matthew Stewart - The Courtier and the Heretic Ch.10
	A reaction: Spinoza had a rather appealing waspish wit. This nicely dramatises an ancient idea (Idea 407). You can, of course, if you believe in God, infer some of His characteristics from His creation. But then see Hume: Ideas 1439, 6960, 6967, 1440.