Schopenhauer and Wittgenstein: Assessing the Buddhist influences on their conceptions of ethics

Ovaj esej se sastoji iz tri dela. U prvom delu autor razmatra izvesne aspekte hinduističkih i budističkih filozofskih i religijskih doktrina koje su mogle imati uticaja na evropsku etiku do Šopenhauera. Na primer, Pironov metod uzdržavanja od suda ispoljava zapanjujuću sličnost s izvornim budističkim metodom meditacije (dhyâna). U evropskoj filozofiji sličan metod je razvijen u Huserlovoj fenomenologiji, iako na jedan puno složeniji teorijski način. Razmatranje postklasičnih, helenističkih moralnih doktrina vodi od problema izvora (istorijskih i literarnih) do nekih specifičnih pitanja komparativne ili hermeneutičke prirode. Pa ipak, u povesti zapadne filozofije nije se jasno ukazalo na dug budističkoj etici sve dok Šopenhauer nije napisao Svet kao volja i predstava. U drugom delu rada autor se stoga bavi različitim tokovima mogućeg budističkog uticaja na Šopenhauerovu etičku misao. Vrlo često Šopenhauerovi ključni argumenti su pozajmljeni iz indijskih soterioloških učenja. S druge strane, on je u stanju da prilagodi ta orijentalna učenja svojim vlastitim pojmovima i idejama. Između njegove filozofije i indijskih filozofija moguće je uspostaviti odnos konvergentnosti. Iz toga je proizišlo jedinstveno stapanje dveju perspektiva koje se ponekad označava i kao "evropski budizam". Za razliku od Šopenhauera Vitgenštajn ne upućuje ni na kakvo delo, ili odlomak iz hinduističke ili budističke literature. Štaviše, teško je braniti stav da je Šopenhauer imao ikakvu značajniju posredničku ulogu u buđenju Vitgenštajnovog interesovanja za budizam. Mnogo je, u stvari, lakše ukazati na važnost Šopenhauerovog uticaja na "etičkog" Vitgenštajna iz Tractatusa, nego utvrditi ikakvu sličnost između šopenhauerovsko-budističke i Vitgenštajnove etičke koncepcije. Raspravljajući o odnosu između Vitgenštajna i budizma, susrećemo se s konvergentnim, ali nezavisnim odgovorima na slične vrste problema. Nezavisno, i manje sistematično od budističkih filozofskih škola, Vitgenštajn ukazuje na put oslobođenja što leči od "metafizičke boli" zasnovane na nepravilnoj upotrebi jezika. Međutim, njegov vlastiti projekat nije bio metafizički, već metalingvistički u jednom vrlo specifičnom smislu. Filozofsko "izlečenje" od bolesti jezika vodi, u krajnjoj liniji, do "očišćenja" i "dekontaminacije" misli. Kao rezultat toga, um nalazi spokoj i mir pred besmislenim, paradoksalnim pitanjima moralnog, estetičkog religijskog ili metafizičkog karaktera.In the first part of this essay, the author discusses certain aspects of the Hindu and Buddhist philosophical and religious conceptions that could have made some impact on the European ethics before Schopenhauer. In the second part, he deals with various channels of possible Buddhist influence on Schopenhauer's ethical thought. Finally, in discussing Buddhist-Wittgenstein relationship, one is confronted with convergent, yet independent, responses to similar sets of problems. Independently, and less systematically than Buddhist philosophical schools, Wittgenstein indicates the way of liberation that cures from the "metaphysical pain " emerging from inappropriate use of language. His own project, however, was not metaphysical, but meta-linguistic in a very specific sense. The philosophical "cure" from the language disease leads ultimately to the "purification " and "decontamination " of thought: in turn, the mind rests in peace and silence before the senseless, paradoxical questions of the moral, esthetical religious or metaphysical character

Srpska pravoslavna crkva, desekularizacija i demokratija

In Serbia, in the aftermath of 5 October 2000, the process of desecularization, including the revitalization of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), overlapped with the democratization of its political institutions, as well as with the political and social pluralism. The desecularization of the Serbian society had already started in the socialist Yugoslavia, but the process itself intensified in the early period of political pluralism and establishment of the democratic political institutions. Is Orthodoxy compatible with democracy, viewed not only as the will of the majority or an election procedure, but also as a political culture of pluralism and rule of law? Is Orthodoxy possible as a “civic” church, in line with the European political tradition of democracy and pluralism? The author contends that the contemporary Orthodoxy, including the SOC, accepts globalization in its technical, technological and economic sense, with a parallel tendency towards cultural fragmentation. Thus one needs a consensus between the SOC, state and society in Serbia concerning the basic values, such as: democracy, civil society, pluralistic discourse, secular tolerance and individual human rights.In Serbia, in the aftermath of 5 October 2000, the process of desecularization, including the revitalization of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), overlapped with the democratization of its political institutions, as well as with the political and social pluralism. The desecularization of the Serbian society had already started in the socialist Yugoslavia, but the process itself intensified in the early period of political pluralism and establishment of the democratic political institutions. Is Orthodoxy compatible with democracy, viewed not only as the will of the majority or an election procedure, but also as a political culture of pluralism and rule of law? Is Orthodoxy possible as a “civic” church, in line with the European political tradition of democracy and pluralism? The author contends that the contemporary Orthodoxy, including the SOC, accepts globalization in its technical, technological and economic sense, with a parallel tendency towards cultural fragmentation. Thus one needs a consensus between the SOC, state and society in Serbia concerning the basic values, such as: democracy, civil society, pluralistic discourse, secular tolerance and individual human rights

Religion and challenges multiple modernities

U ovom radu preispituje se teza o revitalizaciji religije u svetlu procesa modernizacije i duha modernosti s dva različita, ali komplementarna teorijska aspekta. S jedne strane, tu se razmatra pojam religije koji bi, možda, na jedan teorijski produktivniji način zahvatio promene u religijskoj sferi karakteristične za kraj 20. i početak 21. veka, imajući u vidu, dakako, i religijske aspekte globalizacije. Umesto pitanja šta religija jeste, ili šta religija čini, autor se ovde detaljnije bavi pitanjem šta religija danas sve podrazumeva, imajući u vidu, pre svega, različite aspekte, odnosno konstitutivne elemente religije u politetičkoj i komparativnoj perspektivi. Drugim rečima, koji to tačno aspekti religije doživljavaju revitalizaciju, ako je o oživljavanju religije, a ne samo religioznosti, reč? S druge strane, autor razmatra i sam pojam modernosti i modernizacije u savremenom društvu (društvu na razmeđu stoleća), imajući pritom u vidu mnogostrukost modernih kulturnih programa, kao i njihovu stalnu dinamiku, i to ne samo na Zapadu, već i u nezapadnim društvima, u kojima je u postkolonijanom periodu, a naročito u poslednje nekolike decenije 20. veka, došlo do značajnije reinterpretacije, selekcije i preformulacije institucionalnih modela i političkih i društvenih tema vezanih za modernu zapadnu civilizaciju.In this essay, the author assesses the thesis about the revitalization of religion in the light of the modernization process (and, for that matter, the spirit of modernity in general) from two different, but complementary, theoretical aspects. On the one hand, the notion of religion has been considered in the light of the changes that took place in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Religious aspects of globalization are also part of this process. Instead of asking what religion is, or what it does, the author tackles, in more detail, the following question: what does religion entail - having in mind, in the first place, the different aspects or constitutive elements of religion in a polythetic and comparative perspective. In other words, what aspects of religion experience revitalization, if revitalization of religion and not just religiosity is at issue? On the other hand, the author tackles the very concept of modernity in the contemporary society, by taking into account the multiplicity of the modern cultural programs, as well as their constant dynamics, not just in the West, but also in the non-Western societies. In the post-colonial period, and especially in the last several decades of the 20th century, those societies experienced a significant re-interpretation, selection and re-formulation of the institutional models and political and social topics related to modern Western civilization

Religious education: The case of Serbia

Konfesionalna verska nastava uvedena je u srbijanski javni školski sistem najpre kao fakultativni predmet, vladinom uredbom objavljenom jula 2001. godine. Takvoj odluci prethodila je nepotpuna rasprava u javnosti koja je trajala od novembra 2000. do jula 2001. U ovom radu analizirani su glavni argumenti za i protiv verske nastave (veronauke) korišćeni u toj debati. Pored toga, razmatrane su i sledeće teme: religioznost u Srbiji; modeli religijskog obrazovanja i glavni akteri koji su učestvovali u raspravama i donošenju odluka; zakonski okvir, programi, udžbenici; ciljevi verske nastave; obrazovanje nastavnika; empirijski podaci o stavovima prema veronauci u školama, itd. Nakon četiri godine, moguće je proceniti ne samo pretpostavke odluke srbijanske vlade da se uvede veronauka, već i njene posledice koje se tiču prvih iskustava u osnovnim i srednjim školama, kao i opštijeg odnosa crkva-država (religijska prava i slobode). Uvođenje verske nastave u Srbiji postalo je i svojevrstan lakmus test za docniji zakon o crkvama i verskim zajednicama, kao i novu društvenu i političku ulogu verskih organizacija u Srbiji danas.The confessional religious education was introduced, as an optional subject in Serbian public school system by a governmental regulation published in July 2001. Such a decision was preceded by an incomplete public debate that lasted from November 2000 to July 2001. Major arguments for and against religious education are discussed in this paper. Other topics include religiosity in Serbia; models of religious education and main actors that participated in the debates and decision-making process; legislation curricula, textbooks; goals of religious education; teacher training; some empirical data on the attitudes towards religious education in schools, etc. Four years later, it is possible to assess not only the preconditions of the Serbian government decision, but also the consequences regarding some initial experiences in the primary and secondary schools and church-state relations (religious rights and freedoms) in general. More precisely, the issue of public religious education in Serbia appeared to be a litmus test for the forthcoming legislation on religious organizations and for the new social and political role of religious communities in Serbia today

Sufism: The inner dimension of Islam

Prvi deo ovog rada predstavlja kraći uvod u sufizam kao osobeni vid ispoljavanja unutrašnje, mističke dimenzije islama. U tom odeljku razmatra se povest, doktrina i ritualna praksa glavnih derviških redova. U drugom delu, koji se uglavnom temelji na autorovom preliminarnom terenskom istraživanju postojećih derviških zajednica u Bosni i Hercegovini, više pažnje posvećeno je oživljavanju islamskog misticizma u savremenom kontekstu. U terminima sociologije religije, revitalizacija sufizma u BiH bi se mogla razumeti u širim okvirima obnove klasične religioznosti na Balkanu. Nakon Drugog svetskog rata bila je na snazi dugogodišnja zabrana delatnosti derviških redova u BiH, čemu je najviše doprinela modernistički nastrojena Islamska zajednica koja je imala podršku vladajućih struktura. To, svakako, treba uzeti u obzir kada se razmatra pitanje odnosa između islamske ortodoksije i misticizma. Potpuna obnova sufizma usledila je tek devedesetih godina, po raspadu Jugoslavije i završetku ratova. Tu je, dakle, reč o obnovi klasične religioznosti, jer se sufizam, još od osmanskog perioda, razvijao unutar ortodoksnog islama u Bosni.The first part of this article is a short introduction into Sufism, seen as a unique mode of expressing the internal, mystical dimension of Islam. In this section, the history, doctrine and ritual practice of the main dervish communities have been considered. In the second part, predominantly based on the author's preliminary field study of the extant dervish communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, more attention has been dedicated to the revival of Islamic mysticism in a contemporary context. In terms of sociology of religion, the revitalization of Sufism in Bosnia-Herzegovina could be understood within the broader framework of the revival of classical religiosity in the Balkans. After World War Two, the activities of the dervish orders in Bosnia were prohibited, mainly due to the modernist Islamic community supported by the ruling structures. This, of course, should be taken into consideration when discussing the issue of Islamic orthodoxy versus mysticism. A complete renewal of Sufism has taken place in the 1990s, after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and completion of the war. Therefore, one is dealing here with the renewal of classical religiosity, because Sufism had been developed within Orthodox Islam in Bosnia since the Ottoman period

Ascetic religiosity in the gospel of Thomas

Ovaj rad bavi se interpretacijom asketskog simbolizma sa kojim se susrećemo u Tominom jevanđelju, ranohrišćanskom spisu sastavljenom na grčkom, početkom drugog veka naše ere. Reč je tu, zapravo, o pomalo paradoksalnom jeziku ranohrišćanske gnostičke zajednice koja je sastavila zbirku Isusovih izreka poznatu kao Jevanđelje po Tomi. U ovom spisu prepoznajemo bar pet dosta tipičnih odlika asketizma poznatih ne samo u hrišćanskim, već i u nehrišćanskim religijskim zajednicama širom sveta. To su odricanje od sveta, isposništvo putujućih harizmatika, enkratizam, ritualna askeza i askeza samoispitivanja. Svi ti prepoznatljivi obrasci asketske religioznosti izraženi su u ovom jevanđelju pomoću vrlo originalnih sugestivnih simbola i metafora. Ovaj rad je, u najvećoj meri, posvećen baš filozofskom, teološkom i antropološkom tumačenju tog osobenog asketskog simbolizma, ali i asketske prakse koju je upražnjavalo Tomino zajedništvo u svom izvornom okruženju.This essay deals with the interpretation of ascetic symbolism encountered in the Gospel of Thomas, an early Christian writing composed in Greek in the early second century. At issue is a somewhat paradoxical language of the early Christian, Gnostic community that composed a collection of Jesus' sayings known as the Gospel of Thomas. In this document, we recognize at least five typical features known not only from the Christian, but also non-christian religious communities all over the world. They are as follows the renunciation from the world, the asceticism of itinerant charismatics encratism, the ritual ascesis and ascesis of (self)examination. All these recognizable patterns of ascetic religiosity are expressed in this gospel through some very unique and suggestive symbols and metaphors. This essay is, to a greater extent, dedicated to the philosophical, theological and anthropological interpretations of this unique ascetic symbolism, as well as to the ascetic practice performed by the Thomasine community in its original setting

Identity politics in the first Christian communities

Nastanak i društveno-istorijski razvoj hrišćanskog identiteta u prva dva veka nove ere bio je inherentno vezan za etnički, religijski i politički antagonizam. Taj sukob bio je vidljiv na nekoliko različitih nivoa odnosa prvih hrišćanskih zajednica s njima savremenim religijskim i političkim akterima u divergentnom socijalnom pejzažu Rimske imperije. U slojevitoj mreži antagonizama i unutar labavo uspostavljenih početnih granica razvio se postepeno jedan sasvim Nov, transnacionalni i multietnički identitet, koji uskoro postaje i najveća, dominantna svetska religija. U ovom radu posebna je pažnja posvećena sukobu između hrišćanstva u nastajanju i dve glavne jevrejske religijsko-političke zajednice u prvom veku-sadukeja i fariseja, pri čemu su fariseji utrli put ka rabinskom judaizmu nakon 70. godine n. e.The main thesis of this work is that the emergence and social-historical formation of Christian identity in the first two centuries CE was inherently linked to ethnic, religious and political antagonisms. This conflict was manifested at several different levels of the relationship between early Christian communities and the coeval religious and political actors in a divergent social-historical landscape of the Roman Empire. The conflicts existed from the very outset: firstly, within the young Jesus movement (nascent Christianity) during its formative process; then in this movement's relationship with formative Judaism; finally, with the political establishment of the Roman Empire that treated Christianity as an extremely heterodox, adversary religion, exposed to occasional systematic persecutions. It is apparent that the social and ethnic identities are constructed and transformed both within communities themselves and in relation to their external social environments. Within that complex network of antagonisms and loosely defined initial boundaries, an entirely novel, transnational and multiethnic, Christian identity had been developed, becoming eventually a major and dominant world religion. In this paper, special attention has been devoted to the conflict between the nascent Christianity and the two major Jewish religious-political parties of the first century CE-Sadducees and Pharisees, the second paving the way to Rabbinic Judaism in the post-70 CE period. This new form of Judaism has survived, up to date, as a leading, official Jewish tradition