Thread by @Helenreflects

For my upcoming philosophy of religion class #PORcourse we will look at the notion of oneness--the idea that the universe is one, that we are all interdependent. Oneness is both a feeling and a philosophical position. Maybe the best way to introduce it is with poetry... 1/

Walt Whitman's (1819 – 1892) poems are joyful pieces that express the feeling of oneness in two ways: we are part of the universe "For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you", and the universe is reflected in each of us, in our own bodies. 2/
whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1…

Whitman's sense of oneness makes him acutely aware of other creatures, how they might feel, such as a tree in Louisiana, "Without any companion it grew there uttering joyous leaves of dark green", or some blades of grass
whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1… 3/

Philosophical traditions we have examined throughout this course are not remote, free-floating from experience. They are borne out of wonder, existential need, exasperation, in this sense, philosophy of religion is the most obvious philosophy 4/

Because religion too is the response to existential needs and wonder--for authors such as Heschel, Schleiermacher, equating religion to doctrine or ethics is a mistake. Religion is in a sense prior to all of this. It's a more basic thing. 5/

Schleiermacher: "Religion’s essence is neither thinking nor action, but intuition and feeling. It wishes to intuit the universe ...to overhear the universe’s own manifestations & actions longs to be grasped & filled by the universe’s immediate influences in childlike passivity"6/

However, what philosophy of religion and also what religions can do is to make manifest, and to articulate those feelings we have--moral feelings, feelings of awe and wonder, feelings of interconnectedness, to give them voice and to systematize them 7/

That's why I continue to resist the narrative of academic work as being in an "ivory tower" and not relevant for ordinary people, or the notion that academics are not real. *Everyone* occasionally has these feelings of wonder, regardless of your education, religion etc. 8/

The sense of oneness, as Philip Ivanhoe (2017) argues in his book on the topic, has been developed in many different religious and philosophical traditions. He focuses on neo-Confucianism.
global.oup.com/academic/produ… 9/

Neo-Confucianism is a Chinese philosophical tradition that developed during the Tang dynasty, and rose to prominence during the Song and Ming dynasty. In Joseon dynasty Korea it became state ideology.
Examples: Zhu Xi (1130–1200) and Wang Yangming (1472–1529). 10/

Oneness is both
(1) a metaphysical idea, i.e., an idea about the nature of reality, namely that the universe is interconnected
(2) a set of ethical principles--what we should do given that the universe is interconnected, which is to care for our environment & other people 11/

Let's consider the metaphysics. Before I will focus on what neo-Confucianism says about oneness, let's look at how we can make sense of the idea that we are all interconnected. How would we make sense of this idea in modern scientific terms? 12/

Well, we have a shared history. Our common origin is the Big Bang, and we're all made of the matter of dead stars It's poetic to say we're all stardust, but it's literally true. Watch this video by astrophysicist Michelle Thaller to see how! 13/

We as individual human beings are just very brief configurations of atoms, clumped together of the matter of dead stars that came together in the solar system, and when we die, we'll dissipate again, our matter will reconfigure into other creatures. 14/

You blink, and poof, we're gone. We know this of course. We say things like "you can't take it with you". And yet, we act as if you *can* take it with you. What would it mean to thoroughly embrace this philosophy of brevity and connectedness with the universe? Take Zhuangzi...15/

On his deathbed, Zhuangzi's disciples were discussing a grand burial, but he said "I shall have heaven and earth for my coffin; the sun and moon for my two round symbols of jade; stars and constellations for my pearls and jewels..." 16/

"...all things assisting as the mourners. Will not the provisions for my burial be complete? What could you add to them?" (ch 32) Zhuangzi does not mind, even rejoices, at the prospect of crows, vultures (above) and worms and ants (below) eating his body 17/

The second principle of oneness, which flows the metaphysics, is ethical. The fact that we are all connected should lead us to take care of the environment and of other people. We should pursue our goals and projects in a way that that reflects that interconnectedness. 18/

Now looking at neo-Confucianism. The metaphysics of oneness relies on two principles:
(1) The pattern, or web of patterns (理, lǐ), a Buddhist notion that neo-Confucians imported. Everything is part of a web of interconnections, the structure of the universe 19/

(2) The primordial stuff (氣,qì) = the primordial psychophysical stuff, at first undifferentiated, that has given rise to all the things in the universe. It is differentiated into different forms (e.g., yin, yang), it is self-moving, everything has it (inc inanimate objects) 20/

By embracing both li (pattern) and qi (stuff) the neo-Confucians resisted the Buddhist idea that selves are an illusion (no-self). Neo-Confucians wanted to keep individual selves, because they found it important to differentiate, for instance as expressed in filial piety 21/

The world resembles an ecosystem writ large, where everything is interconnected and influences each other. A common metaphor was the tree, where some parts of reality are hidden (the roots), others are visible (e.g., the branches), but all parts fulfill their roles. 22/

Neo-Confucian authors adopted this Buddhist idea of the world as a web of patterns, but went one step further: each thing contains within itself all the patterns of the universe. If you are deeply connected with the rest of nature, this brings also a sense of care for it 23/

Because the universe is reflected in ourselves, this would, according to neo-Confucians, give rise to an ethical demand, one to practice benevolence (a key Confucian and Buddhist virtue) for other creatures, including non-human animals and plants. 24/

Wang Yangmin writes (in Questions on the Greater Learning) "Great people regard Heaven, Earth, and the myriad creatures as their own bodies. They look upon the world as one family and China as one person within it... /25

"Those who, because of the space between their own physical form and those of others, regard themselves as separate [from Heaven, Earth, etc] are petty persons." He then goes on to say even petty (small-minded) folk feel compassion for others it's automatic /26

A petty person might feel alarm even for nonhuman animals "when they hear the anguished cries or see the frightened appearance of birds or beasts, they cannot avoid a sense of being unable to bear it. This is because their benevolence forms one body with birds and beasts." /27

Wang Yangmin continues: we also care about plants and even inanimate objects. Our sense of oneness is not due to specieism (only caring about other humans) or some sort of bias for living things over non-living things: /28

"Someone might object that this response is because grass and trees have life and vitality. But when they see tiles and stones broken and destroyed, they cannot avoid feeling a sense of concern and regret. This is because their benevolence forms one body with tiles and stones"/29

So if we all are endowed with this sense of oneness, which gives us an ethical demand to also care for other creatures (and in fact, we spontaneously feel care for other creatures), why don't we behave in accordance of what this sense of oneness demands? /30

Yangmin's response: selfishness "Once they have been moved by desires or obscured by selfishness, beset by thoughts of benefit and harm and stirred by feelings of indignation and anger, they will then attack other creatures, injure their own kind, and stop at nothing."/31

The question of how we can live in line with this oneness is an enduring challenge.--if you look at the earlier linked video by Michelle Thaller, Thaller reflects on the existentialist implications oneness —the briefness of our lives, our particularity, our connectedness. 32/

She says “I let this story change me. How will it change you?”
It's easy to let everyday concerns and desires cloud our natural sense of oneness that we might feel in moments of stillness and wonder. How to preserve it, how to change ourselves, and our society? /end

@threadreaderapp unroll for students please.