I was really astonished when I saw the subject "Zen archaeology" in the
list. Is that really possible? I suppose than exaclty the same as a "Zen
physics." Even though it originally had a religious and mystic origin in
the Hinduist tradition of Yoga, Zen is now most commonly seen in the West
as a practical method of mental discipline seeking to control the "flux of
conscience" (often a true maelstrom!) and getting happier by freeing one's
mind from pathological complexes, egoist impulses and so on. As it
consequently favours mental concentration (as in the beautiful metaphor of
the "zen archaeologist" put in the list, hidden in her/his pit and
indifferent to the rest of the world!), its practitioners tend to make
their work, be it manual or intellectual, in a better way, and I've read
somewhere that this could be one of the reasons of the success of the
Japanese electronic industry.
Zen has also an ethical side, since mental control and renunciation is
supposed to make easier the so called moral behaviour of the human beings.
For example, if one stops thinking in getting at a higher academic post,
s/he probably will tend to make such things as publishing only once the own
ideas or research results, or frankly admitting in the excavation reports
the mistakes made during the digging. Even if absolute honesty and morality
is obviously an illusion, as a theoretical aim they have proved very useful
in the human practice. (As to the current habit of redundant publishing,
I've just finished reading "Is science multi-cultural?" by Sandra Harding
-Indiana, 1998- and the ideas presented in the book are extremely
interesting indeed, but they are repeated again and again -not to mention
that the chapters had previously appeared in periodicals- as in a political
pamphlet!)
But the most interesting and controversial facet of Zen in the initial
Chris' presentation in the list is the possibility of it being a way to
culture-free scientific attitudes, strongly opposed by Jesse and, I guess,
most of the list members that have been attending the debate. Of course I
don't have a definite idea on the matter, but now I don't feel like
rejecting it angrily as a devious way to defend the traditional,
pre-kuhnian positivist position in scientific research or simply as plain
religious obscurantism. I will just only recall some of the last ideas
published by Derrida about an "idea of justice" that is "infinitely
irreducible" that cannot be deconstructed, "an experience of the
impossible" (orig. in "Force de Loi", quoted by the anti-deconstructionist
Mark Lilla in the New York Review of Books, June 25, 1998). Since mental
activity and intellectual discourse are caught up in the structures of
language and therefore may -and have to- be deconstructed, is a firmer
basis of reality to be attained beyond the texts (thought, spoken or
written) in the silence of a Zen mind? (but later it would have to be
re-converted into the text form, for the sake of communication!)
Thank you, and sorry for my english
Víctor
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