[MD] The Relativist's journey

[MarshaV]

On Nov 23, 2011, at 12:32 PM, Arlo Bensinger wrote:

> [Marsha]
> When you wrote 'historical philosophical conversation', weren't you limiting the statement to Western-centric historical philosophical conversation? I am interested in exploring the relationship between Buddhism and the MoQ.
> 
> [Arlo]
> I do not speak any Eastern languages, nor am I fluent enough to understand the specific cultural and historical meanings of what gets translated into the English term "relativism" when the word is pulled out of that context and put in a paragraph in front of me.
> 
> It may very well be that whatever term the Buddhists use that we translate as "relativism" matches the MOQ's stance precisely. But the problem is (1) we are not in that context, in the Eastern world with a fluent understanding of their thoughts and language and cultural history, and (2) the term when used in translation is someone's best approximation of whatever original term was used within that language, and so I don't think demanding the term be used is wrong-sighted.
> 
> In essence, even making this argument, you are saying that the there is no real term in English that coincides with the original idea taken out of that context, and "relativism" may be close but you're off then in redefining 'relativism' to capture what meaning was lost in translation. This may be good for you, but when that argument extends outside of people knowing how you have personally redefined the word, it becomes entirely problematic.
> 
> Maybe "relativism" isn't the best lexical selection in translation. Maybe "contextualism" or "relationalism" or whatever is better, I don't know. But why reforce meaning to keep a particular 'word' rather than improve your understanding of meaning and offer words in English that may, or do, map onto the original cultural-historical idea better?

Marsha:
And that opinion is relative to your pattern life history.  I will continue to follow my interest in the relationship between the MoQ and Buddhism based on my pattern life history and immediate experience.  


 
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