This article engages in a critical reflection on the concept of polemics, questioning its dominance as an interpretative category in the fields of Buddhist, Tibetan, and religious studies more broadly. It argues that we ought to rehabilitate the concept of argument or debate as a central presupposition of the philosophical approach and that interpretations are impeded by reducing all critical engagement of others’ ideas and texts to polemical intents. The article proceeds with a theoretical part intended to motivate a distinction between polemics and debate or an antagonistic and an agonistic practice of engagement with others, and a practical application of the distinction. The theoretical development proposes both a conceptual distinction between these two practices, illustrated historically by different texts from Western and South Asian literatures, and a genealogical interpretation of the polemical reductionism that relates a certain social science approach to the treatment of truth and power as found in the works of Michel Foucault. The next part takes the specific example of the debate between two Tibetan authors, Mi pham (1846–1912) and Brag dkar sprul sku (1866–1928), to show the interpretative gain made by maintaining this distinction. In conclusion, the article offers a further argument for maintaining this distinction from the disciplinary point of view according to which the overuse of the category of polemics has potentially reduced the philosophical appeal of Buddhist and Tibetan texts to a wider audience of philosophers.
{"title":"Enough with Polemics! Against Polemical Reductionism","authors":"Pierre Harter","doi":"10.1086/722752","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/722752","url":null,"abstract":"This article engages in a critical reflection on the concept of polemics, questioning its dominance as an interpretative category in the fields of Buddhist, Tibetan, and religious studies more broadly. It argues that we ought to rehabilitate the concept of argument or debate as a central presupposition of the philosophical approach and that interpretations are impeded by reducing all critical engagement of others’ ideas and texts to polemical intents. The article proceeds with a theoretical part intended to motivate a distinction between polemics and debate or an antagonistic and an agonistic practice of engagement with others, and a practical application of the distinction. The theoretical development proposes both a conceptual distinction between these two practices, illustrated historically by different texts from Western and South Asian literatures, and a genealogical interpretation of the polemical reductionism that relates a certain social science approach to the treatment of truth and power as found in the works of Michel Foucault. The next part takes the specific example of the debate between two Tibetan authors, Mi pham (1846–1912) and Brag dkar sprul sku (1866–1928), to show the interpretative gain made by maintaining this distinction. In conclusion, the article offers a further argument for maintaining this distinction from the disciplinary point of view according to which the overuse of the category of polemics has potentially reduced the philosophical appeal of Buddhist and Tibetan texts to a wider audience of philosophers.","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":"103 1","pages":"84 - 104"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43715450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In the ruins of the Qing Empire, monastic writers of the previously favored Géluk tradition produced all manner of literary genres and deployed all manner of interpretative operations to set the postimperial ruins into time and place. One particular and quite peculiar strategy among Géluk scholastics in Yeke-yin Küriy-e, presented and examined in this article, was to deploy an extensive polemical attack against the Nyingma tradition. The Nyingma tradition, however, was nowhere present in the contested field of revolutionary nationalism and socialism that increasingly threatened the social and political status of the Buddhist monastery. Nor was it obvious in any way how Nyingma and Bön philosophical views and ethical standards had any bearing on the future of Géluk institutionalism in Asia’s first experiment in state socialism. Turning to resources from the social theory of knowledge and historical anthropology, this article asks what historical arguments were being made by polemicists without opponents, and by this, what was the intersection between “right view” and writing in late and postimperial scholastic cultures from the Tibeto-Mongolian frontier?
{"title":"What Time Is Right View? Monks, Revolutionaries, and Straw Men at the End of History","authors":"M. King","doi":"10.1086/722621","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/722621","url":null,"abstract":"In the ruins of the Qing Empire, monastic writers of the previously favored Géluk tradition produced all manner of literary genres and deployed all manner of interpretative operations to set the postimperial ruins into time and place. One particular and quite peculiar strategy among Géluk scholastics in Yeke-yin Küriy-e, presented and examined in this article, was to deploy an extensive polemical attack against the Nyingma tradition. The Nyingma tradition, however, was nowhere present in the contested field of revolutionary nationalism and socialism that increasingly threatened the social and political status of the Buddhist monastery. Nor was it obvious in any way how Nyingma and Bön philosophical views and ethical standards had any bearing on the future of Géluk institutionalism in Asia’s first experiment in state socialism. Turning to resources from the social theory of knowledge and historical anthropology, this article asks what historical arguments were being made by polemicists without opponents, and by this, what was the intersection between “right view” and writing in late and postimperial scholastic cultures from the Tibeto-Mongolian frontier?","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":"103 1","pages":"49 - 73"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45241076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tibetan Buddhist debates about funerary practices feature no shortage of hairsplitting. In their writings on funerary rituals in the tradition of the Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra, the prolific Bo dong Paṇ chen Phyogs las rnam rgyal (1375/76–1451) and the Sa skya pa savant Go rams pa Bsod nams seng ge (1429–89) quarrel over what might appear to be very minor issues. This article looks at one such exchange, specifically, how these exegetes understand the details of “visual transmission” and how successive iterations of observation and imitation between master and disciple constitute an authoritative lineage. The article reveals that the specifics of each author’s position on visual transmission was the product of polemical pressures for each one to articulate the specifics of their viewpoint. Understanding a disagreement like this requires contextualization. When Go rams pa was writing his response to Bo dong Paṇ chen, he was receiving support from a local ruler who had been a disciple of the late Bo dong Paṇ chen. Looking to secure further patronage for himself and the Sa skya tradition more broadly, Go rams pa certainly had reason to defend the Sa skya patriarch Rje btsun Grags pa rgyal mtshan (1147–1216) against Bo dong Paṇ chen’s critiques. However, limiting this debate to issues of patronage would be reductive at best. Although this point of disagreement may seem minor, it reveals a sophisticated analysis on how textual and empirical evidence cohere in order to determine correct tantric practice. In this sense, elements of tantric Buddhist traditions are deeply indebted to empirical knowledge.
藏传佛教关于丧葬习俗的争论不乏理发。多产的Bo东帕在其关于萨瓦度噶提帕里śodhana坦陀罗传统中的葬礼仪式的著作中ṇ 陈（1375/76–1451）和萨·斯基亚（Sa skya）的学者Go rams pa Bsod nams seng ge（1429–89）在看似很小的问题上发生了争吵。这篇文章着眼于这样一种交流，特别是这些训诫如何理解“视觉传递”的细节，以及师徒之间观察和模仿的连续迭代如何构成权威谱系。这篇文章揭示了每一位作者在视觉传达上的具体立场是争论压力的产物，要求他们阐明自己观点的具体内容。理解这样的分歧需要情境化。当高拉姆帕写他对Bo东帕的回应时ṇ 陈，他得到了当地一位统治者的支持，这位统治者是已故Bo东巴的弟子ṇ 陈。为了进一步保护自己和更广泛的Sa skya传统，Go rams pa当然有理由捍卫Sa skia家长Rje btsun Grags pa rgyal mtshan（1147–1216）对抗Bo洞帕ṇ 陈的批评。然而，将这场辩论限制在赞助问题上充其量是减少。尽管这一分歧点可能看起来很小，但它揭示了一个复杂的分析，即文本和经验证据是如何结合在一起的，以确定正确的密宗实践。从这个意义上说，密宗佛教传统的元素深深地得益于经验知识。
{"title":"Visual Transmission in Tibetan Ritual Polemics","authors":"R. Lindsay","doi":"10.1086/722753","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/722753","url":null,"abstract":"Tibetan Buddhist debates about funerary practices feature no shortage of hairsplitting. In their writings on funerary rituals in the tradition of the Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra, the prolific Bo dong Paṇ chen Phyogs las rnam rgyal (1375/76–1451) and the Sa skya pa savant Go rams pa Bsod nams seng ge (1429–89) quarrel over what might appear to be very minor issues. This article looks at one such exchange, specifically, how these exegetes understand the details of “visual transmission” and how successive iterations of observation and imitation between master and disciple constitute an authoritative lineage. The article reveals that the specifics of each author’s position on visual transmission was the product of polemical pressures for each one to articulate the specifics of their viewpoint. Understanding a disagreement like this requires contextualization. When Go rams pa was writing his response to Bo dong Paṇ chen, he was receiving support from a local ruler who had been a disciple of the late Bo dong Paṇ chen. Looking to secure further patronage for himself and the Sa skya tradition more broadly, Go rams pa certainly had reason to defend the Sa skya patriarch Rje btsun Grags pa rgyal mtshan (1147–1216) against Bo dong Paṇ chen’s critiques. However, limiting this debate to issues of patronage would be reductive at best. Although this point of disagreement may seem minor, it reveals a sophisticated analysis on how textual and empirical evidence cohere in order to determine correct tantric practice. In this sense, elements of tantric Buddhist traditions are deeply indebted to empirical knowledge.","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":"103 1","pages":"74 - 83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48164012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Flood, Gavin. Religion and the Philosophy of Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. 464 pp. $53.00 (cloth).","authors":"J. Hill","doi":"10.1086/721360","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/721360","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42751723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Schubert Ogden’s recently published Notebooks introduce the key themes of Ogden’s wider body of work and offer some of the most extensive metaphysical and philosophical justifications for his main ideas. I focus on three of Ogden’s greatest contributions to contemporary theology: his criteria of appropriateness and credibility, his theistic metaphysics of value, and his Christian metaphysics of liberation. Thanks to the Notebooks we can finally see Ogden in full, as both a philosopher of religion and a Christian theologian.
{"title":"The Achievement of Schubert Ogden","authors":"W. Wood","doi":"10.1086/721295","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/721295","url":null,"abstract":"Schubert Ogden’s recently published Notebooks introduce the key themes of Ogden’s wider body of work and offer some of the most extensive metaphysical and philosophical justifications for his main ideas. I focus on three of Ogden’s greatest contributions to contemporary theology: his criteria of appropriateness and credibility, his theistic metaphysics of value, and his Christian metaphysics of liberation. Thanks to the Notebooks we can finally see Ogden in full, as both a philosopher of religion and a Christian theologian.","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":"102 1","pages":"560 - 570"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45357417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Morgan, David. The Thing about Religion: An Introduction to the Material Study of Religions. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2021. 268 pp. $95.00 (cloth); $24.95 (paper).","authors":"Cody Musselman","doi":"10.1086/721245","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/721245","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47788846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Walker, David. Railroading Religion: Mormons, Tourists, and the Corporate Spirit of the West. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2019. 343 pp. $29.95 (paper).","authors":"M. Mueller","doi":"10.1086/721813","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/721813","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48569384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tounsel, Christopher. Chosen Peoples: Christianity and Political Imagination in South Sudan. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2021. 205 pp. $25.95 (paper).","authors":"Zachary Mondesire","doi":"10.1086/721244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/721244","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60726975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hudson, Jeremy. Worshipping a Crucified Man: Christians, Graeco-Romans, and Scripture in the Second Century. Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 2021. x+224 pp. $105.00 (cloth); $33.75 (paper).","authors":"David Brakke","doi":"10.1086/721361","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1086/721361","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45199,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGION","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42450897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：