Jain Spirit 2002 06 No 11

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 56

PHILOSOPHY
THE RELATIVES OF RELATIVITY
Jason Brett Serle examines anekantvada and finds echoes in the thinking of modern
scientists and linguists
eating a cake, we may get differing comments:
"It is so smooth and creamy!" says one child. "It is crunchy and tastes of chocolate!" says the other.
Taken by themselves these two statements seem to contradict one another but the fact is that one has taken a bite from the top and the other from the bottom of the same
cake. Anekantvada embraces contradiction by recognising Jason Brett-Serle
that any and every statement contains a partial truth. It THEN THE PRESSURES IN THE EARTH'S CRUST REACH A accepts all and denies none and, at the same time, avoids the
critical point, mountains are formed. When the same rigidity and arrogance of dogma by the recognition that no
critical point is reached with regard to the amount of idea or philosophy can express the Whole Truth and this water vapour contained in a cloud, the result is rain. These includes its own. things occur across the entire face of our globe: arising and Philosophy when used as pure speculation is devoid of passing away independent of each other
any true meaning for if it does not and doing so for as long as suitable
affect our lives in any way then what conditions exist for their occurrence. It is
"Too often, we purpose can it be said to have? My much the same for the thoughts and
own attraction to Jain thought and its philosophies of mankind. mistake the map for the
doctrine of many-sidedness is due to Anekantvada or the doctrine of
its practicality and its ability to lead manifold aspects, often translated as
us to the recognition of a greater unity 'many-sidedness' or 'relative pluralism
behind an apparent diversity. For me constitutes the fundamental basis of all
it is the application of philosophy that philosophical discourse amongst the
a symbol,
determines its true value to any Jains. It is the foundation upon which the
individual or society and not merely greater part of Jain thought stands. As all
a representation."
the elegance of its construction or the other aspects of Jain philosophy are
proofs that it appears to demonstrate; subject to the perspectives provided by
for anything can be proven to be true this doctrine, it would be more accurate to refer to it as a when the information required for its refutal has been metaphilosophy or 'philosophy of philosophy'. It functions in omitted. I have never been attracted to any philosophy of much the same way as the telescope to the astronomer in the absolutism for this very reason. If I were to say, "This is the sense that no thought or thing can be accurately viewed without Truth. There is no other!" then the result of this would be to it. Its most basic tenet is that Reality is multi-faceted. Any one create a division between myself and all those who do not thing can be seen from many different points of view that share my view. In my mind, any separation is an arbitrary are often so different from one another as to appear to be one and the view of the absolutist is as absurd as the flower contradictory. No one statement or philosophy can contain the thinking itself to be in some way more valid than the leaf Whole and so we can see that what it must be expressing, is not through its failure to recognise the plant! The practicality of the Whole, but is a part of that Whole. For example, when anekantvada is acceptance and not denial, unification and
territory. It is merely
54
Jain Spirit. June - August 2002