25. Some Sytems of Knowledge

Before we start this topic, it helps if we understand that philosophy and maths are considered to be fundamental to any human inquiry through a formal system of knowledge like the modern science.

Short Note on the field of philosophy:

The main branches of philosophy are:

1.       Metaphysics: The study of the fundamental nature of reality.

2.       Epistemology: The study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge.

3.       Logic: The systematic study of the form of valid inference and reasoning.

4.       Ethics: The study of value and morality.

5.       Aesthetics: The study of beauty and taste.

6.       Political Philosophy: The study of government, justice, and rights

Short Note on Enumeration (Mathematics):

Let us assume a simple thought experiment. When the first man (let’s call him ‘Adam’) woke up for the first time, he saw a deer. He was bewildered. A little later he saw a pack of deer. He was again bewildered, but this time it was different. Why? Perhaps, because he, for the first time encountered the sense of one and many or the need for enumeration. Perhaps, he was not able to explain the difference and his left-logic part of the brain co-related it to a group of sticks seen thrown on the ground.

This sense of ‘numbers’ is what is called as ‘Sankhya’ in the Vaisesika philosophy, an old school system of knowledge. In this system, this sense of enumeration is recorded as one of the 24 fundamental- ‘Gunas’ of the real world. (Please refer my article on the trigunas - https://www.mayoan.com/post/24-the-trigunas ).

              On the question of why just 24 fundamental gunas and why not more or less, the answer given is as below (excerpts from the book given in the bibliography section):

              Why should we admit just this number? Can it not be more or less than that?

              To this we reply that if one takes into consideration the numerous subdivisions of these qualities, then their number would be very great. But in a classification of objects, we are to reproduce them to such kinds as are ultimate from a certain standpoint, i.e., do not admit of further reduction. So, we come to the simplest forms or kinds of qualities. Thus, while one compound colour like orange may be reduced to red and yellow, or a complex sound may be shown to arise out of the combination of other sounds, it is not possible for us to reduce colour to sound or any other quality. It is for these reasons that we have to recognize colour, sound, touch, taste and smell as distinct and different kinds of qualities. The Vaisesika classification of qualities into twenty-four kinds is guided by these considerations of their simplicity or complexity, and reducibility or irreducibility. The gunas are what the Vaisesikas thought to be the simplest, passive qualities of substances.

A thought on the act of creation itself:

I believe that the divine energy prefers order, symmetry, geometry, balance, repetition (just not in the shapes but also in designs/models/processes such as in how the planetary system is set as compared to the way how atoms/sub-atomic particles manifest) etc., in the act of creating the real world called Prakruti, on an infinite canvas called MAHAT.

This is evident in the way a leaf or a snowflake or the planets are shaped or by the fact that we have a whole body of knowledge called Geometry as part of the Mathematical field of study. The special shape of human species or any other species can then be defined as additional work by the divine energy, to gain functional efficiencies and to enable activities (to generate karma) and to support the act of perceiving and therefore setting the stage for interactions (thus life happens!). Again, to generate motion/karma (to answer questions such as – Why something and not nothing?)  and to disturb the inertia (from initial equilibrium) the divine energy might have created several sub-designs and adjustments, on both Prakruthi (the stage – including the great forms of forces) and the actors (all the living forms) anticipating and enabling all the interactions needed to resolve their respective karmas. The field of modern science probably has not yet discovered all the puzzles, that the divine energy, has thrown at us when it has implemented this grand design.

Looks like the purpose of this creation is to also unravel the mystery behind the creation itself ! Please refer to my other blog too - 5. The Great Merge (mayoan.com).

We should also try to remember the scientific method of investigation as followed by modern science:

1.       Make an observation.

2.       Ask a question.

3.       Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.

4.       Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.

5.       Test the prediction.

6.       Iterate: use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions.

I think that the problem with modern science is that it is limiting itself to the manifested world of the human species only - mostly! Please refer to my blogs titled as the construct of the humans (https://www.mayoan.com/post/11-the-construct-of-a-human) and as the construct of the universe (https://www.mayoan.com/post/8-the-construct-of-the-universe-part-1 and https://www.mayoan.com/post/10-the-construct-of-the-universe-part-2).

Now, have such an inquiry covering all the dimensions of the universe been undertaken in the past? Maybe yes, and maybe we have lost some of them in the tides of time!

But we could see that some systems of philosophies are still existing at least in an academic sense.

I have created the below data of such systems of philosophies for consideration. We can see the natural human interest to know nature and the purpose of life behind all these intense inquiries. Some of these principles and philosophies went on to become great religions later on. Eventually the ideas around the protagonist and the antagonist too emerged.

Reference:

Epistemology | Definition, History, Types, Examples, Philosophers, & Facts | Britannica

Metaphysics - Problems in metaphysics | Britannica

The philosophy of science - Understanding Science (berkeley.edu)

The scientific method (article) | Khan Academy

Bibliography:

1. Satishchandra Chattterjee & Dhirendranath Datta , An Introduction to Indian Philosophy (Rupa Publications 2016)