Practical Philosophy
An Interdisciplinary Study on the Buddhist Truths – Introduction
B.Contestabile First version 2022 Last version 2024
The Buddhist Truths
The Buddhist teaching is a possible answer to the question of how one should live, the question which – according to Kant – is at the heart of practical philosophy. However, it is also a therapeutic philosophy with a strong normative claim. The Four Noble Truths can be interpreted as diagnosis, etiology, prognosis, and prescription and represent a detailed guide to liberation from suffering.
The Socrethics Study
Socrethics is a catenation of Socrates and ethics and refers to the Socratic way of thinking. In the Socratic tradition, the Buddhist truths are regarded as theses that are open to discussion. In contrast to the antiquity, however, contemporary philosophy has numerous sciences at its disposal for testing hypotheses and arguments. The study pursues two different strategies:
1. The verification (respectively refutation) of the Buddhist truths with the help of empirical data.
2. The mapping of the Buddhist truths onto contemporary ethics. The criticism of the latter then also applies to the former. The most common interpretations of Buddhist ethics are:
- Negative utilitarianism (consequentialism of compassion), which is criticized by social contract theory.
- Virtue ethics, which is criticized by some forms of philosophy as therapy.
The complete study is available from the Socrethics homepage. Following a few examples to illustrate the two strategies:
Verification with empirical data
The Biological Evolution of Pain
The basis of any therapy is the knowledge of the origin and dissemination of suffering. The prime goal is therefore a theory of the origination and dispersion of suffering (a new theory of karma). A contemporary approach to this topic leads to an unpleasant result: the intensity and magnitude of pain increase during evolution. This seems to confirm – at least on the biological level – that an expansion of desires leads to an expansion of suffering.
The Cultural Evolution of Suffering
Does the cultural evolution with its increasing complexity and its prolongation of lifetime lead to higher degrees of suffering (in analogy to the biological level)? Or will the problem of suffering be solved by a technological breakthrough? In the latter case the Buddhist doctrine is refuted.
The Buddhist doctrine of karma and rebirth – which implies a belief in cosmic justice – is shattered by the findings of contemporary biology. Secularization means, amongst others, that the belief in cosmic justice transforms into a quest for mundane justice.
Mapping onto contemporary ethics
Negative Utilitarianism and Buddhist Intuition
Negative utilitarianism is an umbrella term for versions of utilitarianism which model the asymmetry between suffering and happiness. Major Buddhist intuitions can be mapped to major versions (axiologies) within negative utilitarianism. This means that some of the arguments against negative utilitarianism can also be applied to Buddhism.
Is There a Predominance of Suffering?
The negative utilitarian (and Buddhist) denial of the world is hard to defend, if it is confronted with empirical data. Surveys on subjective life satisfaction consistently report that the majority is satisfied with their lives. This essay examines whether the negative utilitarian (and Buddhist) assessment can be refuted by surveys.
Negative Utilitarian Priorities
Buddhist virtue ethics is criticized for its apolitical attitude and its lacking commitment to justice. The priorities discussed in this essay are an attempt to find altruistic alternatives to the spiritual, retreat-oriented life of the early Buddhists.
Philosophy as Therapy – Conceptual Models
All forms of virtue ethics are criticized for their claim to universality and their lack of authenticity. Much of this criticism stems from therapeutic concepts inspired by Nietzsche and Freud. Does the Buddhist virtue ethics lead to neurotic disorders? Does it merely transform suffering it into new forms? The sublimation of passionate happiness into com-passion and meditative happiness is hard work, and not achievable for everybody. High ethical standards are often the wrong medicine for people who are vulnerable to depression.