Question What is the difference between philosophy and religion? I am attending a weekly "Philosophy Class" but the group does not study any of the Philosophers or their works nor do we "philosophize", i.e. pick holes in philosophical statements, etc. We are read lines from the Upanishads and from the "teachings" of an Indian teacher and we are expected to accept these "teachings" as fact. The "teachings" include stories such as that of a woman had reached a high level on the path to realisation (after many re-incarnations of living spiritual lives) and had reached a state where fear was eliminated and she lived a life of bliss. Surely it would not be practical or possible to live a life where fear is eliminated. Is the emotion of fear not essential for survival? Also is life not a series of experiences of pain and pleasure? In any case if we question the teacher we are given his explanation of the story which we are expected to accept. Is this a Religion Class as opposed to a Philosophy class? We meditate (to reach a state of consciousness) and we we are expected to hold the one creed that Unhappiness is caused solely by Desire. Surely there are a whole load of factors or at least we should be entitled to hold the opinion that cause unhappiness such as life's ups and downs and the hand we are dealt?

Accepted:
January 24, 2008

Comments

Sounds rather a cool class to me! You have indeed raised a number of what are certainly philosophical questions, and it is a shame if the class is not going to consider them. It sounds as though your teacher is not perhaps that interested in those sorts of issues, though, so what I should do is stick at it, learn as much as you can of the system that is being expounded, and then you will have a solid grasp of many of the aspects of the philosophical approach on which it is based. You can go on, probably somewhere else, to consider those from a more critical perspective, and your sound understanding of the Upanishads and the commentaries on them will then provide you with much interesting subject matter.

I can't agree that it sounds a cool class. Indeed, if this is going on in a school or college, it is an intellectual disgrace. "Teachings" of any kind are only worth the arguments that support them: and refusal to engage in critical argument by their proponents deprives the teachings of any call on our respect.

Sure, if this is an extra-curricular, non-school, class that you are finding culturally interesting or emotionally satisfying, carry on with it. Get what you can out of it. But whatever is going on doesn't sound like philosophy to me.