Exploration of General Systems Theory and Jain Philosophy Could Provide New Ways of Looking at the Field of Bioethics

SR No.: 269184
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Surendra Singh Pokharna
Publisher: Surendra Singh Pokharna
Total Pages: 9
Language: English
Classification: Article
File Size: 175 KB

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followed to have progress along the spiritual path. But in this process, they consume minimum resources, and hence resources do not have great impact on survival. It is least important which is critical in case of Darwin's principle. As the least resources are consumed by the Jain monks, they produce minimum entropy in the environment, and this can be linked with some kind of higher order.
⚫ Jainism says that all living beings want to evolve, and so highly developed species like human beings should support the evolution of other species through the principle of non-violence (ahimsa). In this process, their own evolution also gets enhanced.
. With the discovery of genes, mutation takes place in such a way that new genes are more robust and are transferred to the next generation. However, in Jainism, it is an individual soul which leaves a body in one's life and goes to another world after leaving the body in one life. As knowledge is major characteristic of the soul, knowledge is carried over to the other birth.
• Darwin's principle does not talk about any goal in the process of evolution; it talks only about natural selection, and the whole evolution could be a set of randomly occurring steps of evolution without following any direction to achieve any goal. Jainism, on the other hand, talks of Moksha, which is the target or one's goal. Hence many uncertainties are reduced. One should note that, since human systems are strictly irreversible, a goal for such systems is perfectly compatible with the General Systems Theory.
. In view of the above principle of Jainism that worshipping of all animal kingdom and plant kingdoms and all natural objects like water, soil, air etc., is heavily emphasized in Jainism, a concept of "live and let live" has evolved, indicating respect for all living beings and aims to have collective evolution of all living beings.
It appears that the various principles and set of rules and regulations developed by ancient Jains are just like control parameters in this huge biosphere which indirectly provides stability of the biosphere on the long time scale and are hence critical conditions required for the continuation of life processes on this planet. They also reflect the interdependence of various activities of human beings on different components of the biosphere through the principle of ahimsa. The whole subject of General Systems Theory and philosophy of Jainism may provide a new perspective to the field of Bioethics.
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