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http://www.crvp.org/book/ism/master-1.htmTHE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR METAPHYSICS STUDIES IN METAPHYSICS, VOLUME IPERSON AND NATUREEdited byGEORGE F. McLEANUNIVERSITY PRESS OF AMERICAINTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR METAPHYSICSEDITORIAL BOARDH.D. Lewis, President, ISM; University of LondonS. Sengupta, Vice President, ISM; Visva-BharatiG.F. McLean, Secretary, ISM; The Catholic University of AmericaW.N. Clarke, Board of Directors, ISM; Fordham UniversityTHE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR METAPHYSICSPRESIDENTMargaret Chatterjee, IndiaBOARD OF DIRECTORSMasao Abe, JapanEvandro Agazzi, ItalyChung-yuan Chang, HawaiiW. Norris Clarke, USANicholas Lobkowicz, GermanyMihailo Markovic, YugoslaviaMohammed Maruf, PakistanAndre Mercier, SwitzerlandEv. Moutsopoulos, GreeceJoseph Nyasani, KenyaTarcisio Padilha, BrazilW.H. Walsh, U.K.HONORARY PRESIDENTSH.D. Lewis, U.K.Ivor Leclerc, U.S.A.HONORARY VICE PRESIDENTSantosh Sengupta, IndiaSECRETARY-TREASURERGeorge F. McLeanWashington, D.C. 20064Tel.: 202/635-5636TABLE OF CONTENTSForeword: H.D. Lewis v-viIntroduction: George F. McLean vii-viiiTable of Contents ix-xPrologue: Surajit Sinha xi-xiiPART I: SCIENCE AND NATURE1. Science and Metaphysics Before Natureby Evandro Agazzi 3-132. Does Science Coincide With Our KnowledgeAbout Nature?by André Mercier 15-233. Science and Natureby Errol E. Harris 25-38PART II: PROGRESS AND NATURE4. Progress and Natureby Margaret Chatterjee 41-475. Nature as Object and as Environment:The Pragmatic Outlookby John E. Smith 49-566. Man, Technological Praxis and Naturein Dialectical Synthesis
by Janusz Kuczynski 57-757. Nature and Human Praxis in Karl Marxby Andrew N. Woznicki 77-868. Praxis and Natureby Satindranath Chakravarti 87-96PART III: PERSON AND NATURE9. Nature and Freedomby Kalidas Bhattacharyya 99-12610. A Touch of Animismby S.C. Thakur 127-13711. The Nature of Man as Taoby Chang Chung-yuan 139-14712. Heidegger: The Man-Nature Problemby Thomas A. Fay 151-159PART IV: TRANSCENDENCE AND NATURE13. Man and Nature in Christianity and Bhuddhismby Masao Abe 161-16714. A Characteristic of Indian Philosophiesand Its Interpretationsby K. K. Banerjee 169-17515. Nature, Real and Unrealby T.M.P. Mahadevan 177-18316. Spiritual Experience andMetaphysical Interpretationby W. Norris Clarke, S.J. 185-19317. Causality and Creativityby Eliot Deutsch 195-21018. Aesthetic Meaning of Nature:An Indian Approachby Bishnupada Bhattacharya 211-226Epilogue: Santosh Sengupta 227-232Index 233-235INTRODUCTIONGEORGE F. MCLEANThis study by the International Society for Metaphysics of the relation betweenman and nature is the first of three such investigations coordinated around theperson and directed to its relation to nature, to society and to God. All areintended to draw upon the classical metaphysics of East and West and to extendthat wisdom to man's life in this century. The particular task of this volume is,therefore, to search out the dimensions of an understanding of the physicaluniverse sufficient to enable man to live fully and creatively in these times.The first three quarters of this century has seen a number of major attitudestowards nature. One of these has emphasized man's ability to transform nature; itis typified by the central place of the notion of human progress in thephilosophies of praxis and of pragmatism. A second has been the periodicallyrecurrent awareness of the limitations of physical resources and of the fragilecharacter of their economic structuring. Finally, an aesthetic attitude towardsnature has been expressed in concern for ecology and conservation.These attitudes, which in the past have occupied the attention of philosophersserially, today vie simultaneously for attention. Developing nations face the needrapidly to achieve material progress, often in the face of shortages and whilecarrying forward the basis of their classical self-understanding. Other nationsface the problem of conserving resources in the face of progressively moreambiguous economic and industrial creations. Both converge in the need today forthe development of metaphysical insight which will enable man to direct progress,face the limitations of the physical world and achieve a more adequate fulfillmentof himself in nature.In order to bring a broad range of metaphysical capabilities to bear upon this
understanding of man's relation to nature, this series of papers was prepared anddiscussed intensively at the second meeting of the International Society forMetaphysics held at Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal. The papers reflectthe various modes of stating the problem, elaborate carefully the multiple levelsof contributions to its resolution and search out the ways in which these convergeor are mutually illuminative.Part I takes the first step by considering one of man's major projects forappreciating nature, namely, science. The papers of E. Agazzi and A. Mercier, bynoting the extension of the meaning of the physical universe beyond thatarticulated by the sciences, both identify the distinctive task of metaphysics andrelate it positively to science. E. Harris notes the implication of thedevelopment of science for man's metaphysical conception of the universe and ofhis place within it.In the present century, this role has most generally been seen, not theoretically,but practically. Hence, Part II traces the contribution of this practicalawareness. The papers of M. Chatterjee and J. Smith analyze and evaluate thefoundation and implications of the pragmatic attitude. Those of J. Kuczynski, A.Woznicki and S. Charkravarti constitute a parallel study of the implications ofthe Marxian analysis of praxis for understanding man's relation to nature.A major recent concern, however, has been that the reality of the person has beenseriously ignored in the increasing focus upon the transformation of the physicaluniverse. Indeed, there may be reason to ask whether that universe itself can beunderstood adequately except in relation to person, knowledge and will. It is thisquestion in its many modes of person and nature, East and West, that is studied inPart III by the papers of K. Bhattacharyya, S. Thakur, C. Chung-yuan and T. Fay.Finally, in Park IV the search for the meaning of nature and of man's life thereinis carried to its ultimate metaphysical root. The articles of M. Abe, K.K.Banerjee, T.M.P. Mahadevan and W.N. Clarke search out this meaning and the natureof its discovery in the absolute and/or transcendent. In this light nature can beseen afresh as is reflected in the articles of E. Deutsch and B. Bhattacharya.Professors H.D. Lewis, Surajit C. Sinha and Santosh Sengupta, all of whom aided ininitiating the study, have graciously embellished it with a Foreword, Prologue andEpilogue, respectively. To them and to the authors of the papers whose wisdom andscholarship this volume reflects, as well as to B. Kennedy and A.M. McLean fortheir work in preparing the manuscript, the International Society for Metaphysicsexpresses sincere thanks.PROLOGUESURAJIT SINHAOn this campus one of the greatest minds in human history was engaged in creativeexperiments towards defining the ultimate goals of human existence. RabindranathTagore's life-long pursuit was to seek and establish harmony with nature in thethoughts and action. It is indeed a fitting tribute to his guiding spirit that thetheme of this conference is "Man and Nature."An anthropologist, accustomed to observe human behavior in a mundane and matter-of-fact manner, has a feeling of diffidence in confronting philosophers. Asmembers of a super-discipline, they monitor the theoretical concepts and methodsof other specialized disciplines at a high level of abstraction. Nonetheless,philosophers do seek a feed-back from the concrete problems of various disciplinesand specialists in the various fields do seek clarification of their ideas fromphilosophers. I would like, therefore, to suggest some problems relating to theconcepts of man and nature in the evolutionary experience of the Homo Sapiens.Ethnographers the world over have attempted to record the customs of peoplebelonging to a wide spectrum of levels and patterns. These include the primitive,isolated, self-sufficient hunters and gatherers, and also the highlyindustrialized urban-based modern societies. There is general agreement in anideally constructed model of an `archaic primitive world view' in which theconcept of man, nature and supernature deeply interpenetrate. The three categoriesare woven together in a unified moral order. In such a state of mind man
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Metaphysics - Chinese Culture Philosophy analysis
ese Culture Philosophy analysis
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