The Expression of Cyclical-Universal Understanding Inherent in the Essay

The Expression of Cyclical-Universal Understanding Inherent in the Mlamadhyamakikrik by Ngrjuna - Essay Example The philosophers who ascribe to this position do so without having real proof: certainly in many cases it seems to be true that the same thing will always happen in identical conditions, say, a sound will always travel at the speed of sound through a certain medium. On the other hand, there are documented limitations to this understanding: in quantum mechanics, scientists can have exactly the same circumstances, and only predict a probability of results. They argue this away by indicating that there was probably something different in the circumstances that cannot be effectively observed, but the bottom line is that this philosophy inherently rests on an unproven assumption, without which it cannot stand. It is thus always interesting to analyze the fundamental premises on which a major work of thought is based. Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakikarik, the foundational text of â€Å"Middle Way† Buddhism, demonstrates all the hallmarks of the best Buddhist thinking: a unique com bination of logic and spirituality, a peace with subjectivity and so on. But it, like every work of philosophy, rests on an un-provable premise, without which its arguments largely fail. IN the case of Mulamadhyamakikarik, one such fundamental premise is that the universe is cyclical in nature. ... If a thing is non-existent, how could it have a condition? / if a thing is already existent, what would a condition do?† (Nagarjuna 1.6). This is essentially a play on the idea of conditional existence: obviously everything has a conditional existence (a bird would not exist if its mother did not lay an egg, for instance), and yet that conditional existence implies the possibility of the non-existence of the thing, which obviously cannot be, because the thing is. Similarly, the condition of a non-extant thing’s existence is obviously of no importance, as the thing does not exist. He then uses this comfort in comparing the conditionality of existent and non-existent things to describe how the conditionality of existence essentially negates a thing having its own essence, separate from another thing – so everything can exist, but everything that exists is essentially the same (Nagarjuna). This philosophy thus earns the name â€Å"The Middle Way† because it fo rges a practical middle road between the two extremes of Buddhist thought: that everything exists, or that nothing does. Nagarjuna’s argument that nothing has its own separate, distinct essence serves as the central argument of this work. But this essential argument rests fundamentally on the idea of a cyclical universe, something inherent to all Buddhist thinking. Nagarjuna expresses this Buddhist idea of the infinity in the opening lines of his text: â€Å"Neither from itself, nor from another, / Nor from both, / nor without a cause, / does anything whatever, anywhere arise† (Nagarjuna 1.1). This demonstrates the idea of the infinite being a circle, as opposed to an expanse as imagined in Western thought. That is, obviously things are – or at

How are social relations expressed in consumption practices Use Essay

How are social relations expressed in consumption practices Use detailed ethnographic examples in your answer - Essay Example They get socially attached to other people by doing these activities. The understanding level of relation between consumption practices and social relationship is complex because it has become a very common part in the society. People do not bother to remember the experiences that are gained through real life activities. Acknowledgement is a powerful mode of communication and it creates positive relationship among human beings in society. Many anthropologists have observed the change in human nature from the past era to recent contemporary era. They share knowledge to the society regarding socio-culture, archaeology and biological anthropology based on the relevant observations. In the modern world, consumers not only make decisions based on service or product attributes but also based on several emotional elements, such as joy, anxiety, fear and feelings. This essay explains how social relations are expressed in consumption practices with the help of case-studies and ethnographic ex amples. In the modern world, it is believed that betterment of a society or country is directly proportional to the enhancement of consumption process. Though it might seem that it is only based on economic perspective but there are scenarios, where it has been observed that consumption processes have integrated the social relationship within human society. Human experiences are valuable and exchange of knowledge is possible only by communication processes. People communicate with each other in general contexts and it helps them to enhance their own knowledge and skills. For an example, according to Kabyle of Algeria in the ‘Outline of a Theory of Practice’ there is an important significance that provides the understanding of a social anthropological study. According to the study, social influence is imposed on an individual through education and socialization and is expressed through cultural practices, such as consumption (Barnard, 2001, p.570). Knowledge about anything is