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Philosophy 254b- A GLOBAL INTRODUCTION TO METAPHYSICS AND GLOBAL ONTOLOGY
Ashok Gangadean
Course Description
A critical examination of philosophical accounts of reality (being and existence) in a global context across diverse worldviews. Special attention is given to how worldviews and formed and transformed; an ontological exploration of diverse alternative categorial frameworks for cultures, experience, and diverse forms of life. We focus on selected metaphysical narratives of diverse ontologists in the evolution of the European traditions, such a Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Heidegger, Whitehead and others. Critical comparisons are made with certain major figures in eastern traditions which have influenced the evolution of eastern worldviews and philosophical paradigms. A central concern is to explore possible common ground as well as fundamental diversity amongst a spectrum of grammars of reality in the quest for a global ontology.
Further Development
At the heart of philosophy, east, west and other has been a quest for "What is First", for the fundamental Primal Principle that is the generative source of all possible worlds, worldviews, and grammars of reality. This tradition is often called "First Philosophy", a term used by Aristotle and the sub-title in Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy. This quest is often focused on the quest for "primary being", for the ultimate realities in our world, which tends to focus on individuals. So one line of thought in this course is to trace the evolution and development of the quest for "First Philosophy" as this has focused on discerning primary beings and what it means to be an individual.
At the same time, as we enter a global perspective across and between diverse worldviews and philosophies of reality it becomes quite apparent that worldviews are profoundly different, world apart, and what makes sense in one world often makes no sense in another. And it is clear that we humans have not yet learnt the rational and human skills of negotiating between diverse worldviews in humane and nonviolent ways. History has shown that chronic patterns of violence erupt when worldviews engage each other and most often clash or collide. So in our globalized world where worldviews are in intensified interaction in the marketplace of the global village, it become urgent and of the highest importance to understand how worldviews are formed and transformed, and to learn the special skills of moving intelligently and nonviolently across worldviews (cultures, religions, perspectives, ideologies...). One of the central themes is understanding how the conduct of our mind and thought processes shape our worlds, our selves, and our living realities.
Bringing Metaphysics to Life
This is one of our primary concerns in this course: we will explore the logical and ontological origins of how worldviews are formed and focus on the special skills required to engage in rational transformations across and between widely variant worldviews. These concerns will be at the heart of our quest for the possibility of global ontology - philosophical grammars of reality that are powerful enough to enter the global common ground between worlds. We will make direct links to the practical moral and political implications of these ontological questions: what is global citizenship?; the relevance of deep dialogue between worlds for sustainable democracy; the rational skills essential to developing as an integral and whole, individual, etc.
We will begin with some classical writings form Aristotle's Metaphysics, to enter into the classical context of early Greek ontology, then we will proceed to the influential work of Whitehead- Process and Reality as a central text as we explore diverse ontologies in an evolutionary and global perspective. We also go in some depth into the writings of Heidegger.
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