Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Mahaprajnaparamitashastra', 'Introspection' and 'works'

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5 ideas

1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 2. Wise People

15833	Tell cleverness from answers, but wisdom from questions [Mahfouz]
	Full Idea: You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.
	From: Naguib Mahfouz (works [1998])
	A reaction: [Popped up on Twitter. I am adjusting to the 21st century] The observation is simplistic, of course, but very nice indeed.

12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 8. Adverbial Theory

5691	The adverbial account of sensation says not 'see a red image' but be 'appeared to redly' [Shoemaker]
	Full Idea: Some who reject the act-object conception of sensation favour an 'adverbial' account, where (instead of the act of 'seeing a red image') it is better to speak of 'being appeared to redly'.
	From: Sydney Shoemaker (Introspection [1994], p.398)
	A reaction: The point is that you couldn't perceive without a colour (or travel without a speed), so the qualifying adverb is intrinsic to the process, not a separate object. The adverbial theory will imply a fairly minimal account of universals.

16. Persons / C. Self-Awareness / 1. Introspection

5687	For true introspection, must we be aware that we are aware of our mental events? [Shoemaker]
	Full Idea: Some writers distinguish introspection from a pre-introspective awareness of mental phenomena, saying one is not properly introspecting unless one is not only aware of the phenomena, but aware that one is aware of them.
	From: Sydney Shoemaker (Introspection [1994], p.395)
	A reaction: The test question might be what we think animals do. I think I agree with the 'writers'. You are either just aware of the contents or qualia or images of thought, which is not introspection, or you become introspectively aware that you are having them.

5688	Empirical foundationalism says basic knowledge is self-intimating, and incorrigible or infallible [Shoemaker]
	Full Idea: Foundationalist epistemology takes all empirical knowledge to be grounded in the introspective knowledge each mind has of its own states, …holding that introspective judgements are 'incorrigible' or 'infallible', and mental states are 'self-intimating'.
	From: Sydney Shoemaker (Introspection [1994], p.396)
	A reaction: Descartes' foundationalist Cogito also seems to be based on introspection, making introspection the essence of all foundationalism. The standard modern view is that introspective states are incorrigible, but not infallible.

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').