Category Archives: Network Stimulus

Network Stimulus 8: Agnosticism

Middle Way Philosophy, Network Stimulus, Religion, Video

The next main meeting of the Middle Way Network will be on Sun 30th August at 7pm UK time on Zoom. This is the fourth of the series looking successively at five principles of the Middle Way (scepticism, provisionality, incrementality, agnosticism and integration), followed by three levels of practice (desire, meaning and belief).

There’ll be a short talk on agnosticism, followed by questions and discussion in regionalised breakout groups. Some other regionalised groups will meet at other times. If you’re interested in joining us but are not already part of the Network, please see the general Network page to sign up. To catch up on the previous session, on incrementality, please see this post.

There is already a short introductory video (9 mins) on agnosticism as part of Middle Way Philosophy, which is embedded below. You might like to watch this for an initial orientation before the session.

Here is the video of the actual network talk, followed by Q&A:



Agnosticism

Agnosticism is an aspect of Middle Way practice that is interdependent with scepticism, provisionality and incrementality, but involves the distinctive challenge of decisively resisting absolute beliefs on both sides. Once we recognise that we ‘don’t know’ and can’t know anything perfect or infinite, the challenge is that of not being either unnerved or seduced by those with absolute beliefs who will constantly try to either dismiss or appropriate any kind of Middle Way position. These absolute beliefs may be about God, or about a whole range of other claims of infinite scope. Resisting these absolute beliefs requires having confidence in our embodied experience as a basis of judgement, as well as the application of critical thinking skills.

Agnosticism, like scepticism, has been much misunderstood and straw-manned by many philosophers and theologians, who then influence others’ views of it. It has been unfairly associated with indecisiveness, when it actually requires a good deal of decisiveness. It has been appropriated by those on both sides, who use its arguments, but then over-extend them into a claim that it positively supports their own absolute position. Agnosticism about God’s existence has also often been appropriated by atheists, who conflate the mere failure to believe in an absolute with belief in the opposite, often by redefining the terms in a way that tries to make any Middle Way unthinkable.

Alongside the avoidance of belief in absolute claims, we can maintain even-handedness by also having a full acceptance of their meaning. This means that we can engage as fully as we wish with the archetypal power of absolute ideas, or of the images and concepts associated with them, as we encounter them in experience. In our attitude to religious traditions, a Middle Way thus allows us to combine a resolute agnosticism with a practical appreciation of all the valuable inspiration and practical guidance that can be found in these traditions. A further video exploring the distinction between absolute belief and archetypal meaning can be found here.

Some suggested reflection questions:

  1. What are the absolute beliefs that you need to be most decisive in remaining agnostic about?
  2. Are there some negative absolute beliefs you may hold that you need to separate from agnostic ones?
  3. Have you experienced the difference between strong and weak agnostic positions?
  4. Do absolute beliefs remain meaningful to you even when you avoid belief in them? How could you make them meaningful if they aren’t?

Suggested further reading:

Truth on the Edge  chapter 2

Middle Way Philosophy I: 1e: Distinguishing Negative Metaphysics from Agnosticism

The Buddha’s Middle Way: 3.f: Agnosticism: The Elephant and the Snake

Network Stimulus 7: Incrementality

Critical Thinking, Middle Way Philosophy, Network Stimulus

The next main meeting of the Middle Way Network will be on Sun 16th August at 7pm UK time on Zoom. This is the third of the series looking successively at five principles of the Middle Way (scepticism, provisionality, incrementality, agnosticism and integration), followed by three levels of practice (desire, meaning and belief).

There’ll be a short talk on incrementality, followed by questions and discussion in regionalised breakout groups. Some other regionalised groups will meet at other times. If you’re interested in joining us but are not already part of the Network, please see the general Network page to sign up. To catch up on the previous session, on scepticism, please see this post.

There is already a short introductory video (8 minutes) on incrementality as part of Middle Way Philosophy, which is embedded below. You might like to watch this for an initial orientation before the session.

Here’s the video of the actual stimulus talk and Q&A:

Incrementality

Incrementality is seeing things as a matter of degree rather than as an on/off switch. It is an important aspect of Middle Way practice, because it is one of the ways we can challenge absolute assumptions on either side. Absolute assumptions are framed as discontinuous alternatives between one thing and another, seen as necessarily the only way we can understand the situation. However, in human practical experience there is always another way of framing these absolute binary choices, which are imposed by our conceptual assumptions. We do not have to depose conceptual assumptions themselves (or the logic we use to relate them to each other) to do this, but merely use them more carefully, thinking carefully about the meaning of what we are talking about in experience rather than in terms of the concepts traditionally imposed on it.

Some of the most damaging and immediate examples of the negative impact of binary distinctions can be seen in arguments about race, nationality, or any other human group assumed to have a fixed boundary. Not only these, but even some of the most seemingly intractable binary assumptions that have become entrenched into our language and thinking can be reframed. God or his absence is one widespread example of this. Freewill and determinism, and mind and body are others.

The tendency to think in terms of necessary and absolute binaries is also often described as dualism or as false dichotomy. We also have many phrases in everyday thinking that show ways of avoiding them. We often talk about ‘black and white’ thinking versus ‘shades of gray’, or of things as being ‘a matter of degree’. ‘Incrementality’ can also be thought of as ‘continuity’, or ‘gradualism’. It also has much in common with ‘non-dualism’ if this is interpreted practically rather than metaphysically.

Some suggested reflection questions:

  1. Think of an example of an opposed pair of terms that you frequently absolutise. Can you work out how they could be incrementalised?
  2. How do you think incrementalisation might help you in a practical situation: for example, resolving a dispute?
  3. Do you still find yourself assuming there are some opposed terms that can’t be incrementalised? (This may require further philosophical exploration and discussion to be resolved)

Suggested further reading:

Middle Way Philosophy 1:1.d

Middle Way Philosophy 4: Section 4 discusses a whole set of different pairs of opposed metaphysical beliefs and how they may be integrated (see pdf of Omnibus edition on Researchgate).

The Buddha’s Middle Way 3.e: ‘Incrementality: The Ocean’ has more about the concept of incrementality in the Pali Canon and in Buddhism

Network Stimulus 6: Provisionality

Middle Way Philosophy, Network Stimulus

The next main meeting of the Middle Way Network will be on Sun 2nd August at 7pm UK time on Zoom. This is the second of the series looking successively at five principles of the Middle Way (scepticism, provisionality, incrementality, agnosticism and integration), followed by three levels of practice (desire, meaning and belief).

There’ll be a short talk on the provisionality, followed by questions and discussion in regionalised breakout groups. Some other regionalised groups will meet at other times. If you’re interested in joining us but are not already part of the Network, please see the general Network page to sign up. To catch up on the previous session, on scepticism, please see this post.

There is already a short introductory video (8 minutes) on provisionality as part of Middle Way Philosophy, which is embedded below. You might like to watch this for an initial orientation before the session.

Here is the video of the talk and Q&A at the actual meeting:

Provisionality

Provisionality is the quality of being provisional in our judgements – that is, of being capable of changing them in the light of new experience. It may seem an obvious concept, particularly for those in the sciences, but in fact the word is rarely used, and the quality is often taken for granted rather than explicitly cultivated. As the video explains, provisionality involves both having a critical awareness of the limitations of the justification of your beliefs (through scepticism), and also having awareness of alternatives (through optionality). Optionality can be cultivated through the arts, or through any other activity that broadens our experience and available meaning.

Science relies on a quality of provisionality in those who practise it to make good its claims of being open to revision, but it tends to rely on socially organised checking mechanisms rather than explicitly cultivating that quality in individuals. Individuals also depend on provisionality to be able to make appropriate judgements in a variety of circumstances, to adapt and to meet their needs at a variety of levels (see the video on adapting to conditions for more on this). It may also seem to be a crucial quality in religious practice, but has rarely been explicitly identified or supported in religious contexts, even when sceptical arguments have been used (as they have in Buddhism). The Buddha’s parable of the raft is one potential exception. It is time that provisionality was explicitly identified and cultivated as a vital quality in all traditions.

Some suggested reflection questions:

  1. Do you often have chance to pause for reflection, so as to be more critically aware of your assumptions? When does this happen, or when could you make it happen?
  2. Think of examples of belief that you take for granted in everyday life. Are you aware of possible criticisms of those beliefs?
  3. If you live a very social life, do you take opportunities for solitude so as to gain perspective on what groups expect from you?
  4. Do you have any ways of cultivating weak links, through the arts, or other ways of stimulating the imagination or broadening experience? If not, how could you develop these?

Suggested further reading:

Middle Way Philosophy I: 1c Provisionality

The Buddha’s Middle Way 3.c: Provisionality: The raft and lute strings

Middle Way Philosophy IV, section 2 gives a fuller account of optionality, adaptiveness, and a range of other features of provisionality: See pdf of the Omnibus Edition on Researchgate.

Network Stimulus 5: Scepticism

Middle Way Philosophy, Network Stimulus, Philosophy, Scepticism, Skepticism

The next main meeting of the Middle Way Network will be on Sun 19th July at 7pm UK time on Zoom. This begins a new phase of the stimulus talks, which will be looking successively at five principles of the Middle Way (scepticism, provisionality, incrementality, agnosticism and integration), followed by three levels of practice (desire, meaning and belief).

There’ll be a short talk on the scepticism, followed by questions and discussion in regionalised breakout groups. Some other regionalised groups will meet at other times. If you’re interested in joining us but are not already part of the Network, please see the general Network page to sign up. To catch up on the previous session, on the focus on error, please see this post.

There is already a short introductory video (8 minutes) on scepticism as part of Middle Way Philosophy, which is embedded below. You might like to watch this for an initial orientation before the session.

Here are some brief details, stimulus questions and suggested reading for this session. The video of the talk and initial questions will also be posted here after the meeting.

Scepticism

Scepticism (spelt ‘skepticism’ in the US) is often misunderstood to be a negative position, but it merely consists of a set of arguments that remind us of uncertainty. These arguments need to be applied consistently (rather than selectively) to be helpful, and they show the uncertainty of negative claims (e.g. denying the existence of something) as much as of positive ones. It’s thus a prompt to recognising that we ‘don’t know’ in a balanced way, not to assuming the opposite absolute belief to the one we are doubting. Scepticism is also unfairly associated with indecision and impracticality, when recognising the limitations of the justification of our beliefs is actually a more practical long-term approach than assuming that you have the whole picture.

These misunderstandings of the implications of scepticism have had negative effects on our thinking for a long time. Facing up to the radical power of scepticism is thus one of the starting points for challenging the power of absolutism on both sides, so as to boost our understanding of the Middle Way.

Some suggested questions:

  1. Does this present a different view of scepticism to the one you hold or have held? If so, what is or has been your view of it?
  2. Can you suggest an example of a belief in which you have great confidence, but may nevertheless possibly be wrong?
  3. Can you also suggest a belief that you confidently deny, but which may nevertheless possibly be correct?
  4. Can you see a practical value in leaving open that possibility in both cases?

Suggested further reading:

Network Stimulus 4: Focus on Error

Middle Way Philosophy, Network Stimulus

The next main meeting of the Middle Way Network will be on Sun 28th June at 7pm UK time on Zoom. There’ll be a short talk on the focus on error as our fourth criterion for the Middle Way, followed by questions and discussion in regionalised breakout groups. Some other regionalised groups will meet at other times. If you’re interested in joining us but are not already part of the Network, please see the general Network page to sign up. To catch up on the previous session, on the focus on judgement, please see this post.

Here are some brief details, stimulus questions and suggested reading for this session. The video of the talk and initial questions will also be posted here after the meeting.

Focus on error

The focus on error refers to the ways that we can be more confident in judging errors than we can in finding completely correct positive values. At a later time when we’re more aware, we can judge that we made a mistake in the past by limiting or absolutising our judgement. Positive values, on the other hand, are very subject to confirmation bias, where we get attached to one sort of positive ideal and perhaps have difficulty recognising alternatives.

Most political, religious, or other ideologies rely on appealing to a positive value (e.g. Enlightenment, God, Justice, Freedom), which is then in danger of justifying inflexible beliefs. The Middle Way, however focuses on how we judge rather than what we judge, whatever the values we are applying. The values we favour may well be good ones to apply to a particular situation, but our judgements about how to apply them will be less adequate if we’re not also aware of the dangers of interpreting them in fixed ways.

Stimulus questions These can be used in the group discussions if you wish.

  1. Can you identify specific errors in your past experience, in the sense of judgements you have made that you now recognise were based on over-narrow assumptions?
  2. What sorts of positive ideals do you find most inspiring?
  3. In what ways could the positive ideals that you find inspiring be interpreted narrowly and thus be less adequate? What other values might they come into conflict with, that you might need to recognise?

Suggested further reading/ listening

Migglism chapter 3 (4 in e-book), first section, ‘Avoiding metaphysics’

MWS Podcast 125: Arie Kruglanski on close-mindedness and the Middle Way (there is also a discussion in the comments between Kruglanski and me)

Middle Way Philosophy 1, 4.g. ‘Objectivity, adaptivity and evolution’

The Buddha’s Middle Way 7.e ‘Alternative Sources of the Middle Way: Scientific Falsificationism’