Theoretical vs. Practical Forms Aristotle divided all Platonic forms into two classes—theoretical and practical. The theoretical forms could be quantified by converting them into geometry, essentially reducing them to shape. The practical forms, such as beauty, justice, and truth, could not be so converted and had to be decided by […]
Psychology / Religion
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The Freudian vs. the Vedic Unconscious
Two Descriptions of the Unconscious The initial thesis of Freudian psychoanalysis and that of Vedic philosophy are similar—that our surface behaviors are the result of a deeper “unconscious” reality. The person in both cases is described hierarchically—e.g. as an iceberg, with only the tip visible, while most of its reality […]
Philosophy / Psychology
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What is the Power of Kundalini?
Introduction and Overview In an earlier article, I discussed how I discussed the Sāńkhya notion of manifest and unmanifest matter and how the unmanifest becomes manifest through several stages—para, pasyanti, madhyama, and vaikhari. We also talked about how the agency to cause this manifestation is prāna, which acts as the “force” […]
Overview / Philosophy / Psychology
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The Mechanisms of Choice
Introduction and Overview When John von Neumann introduced the idea of the “conscious collapse” into quantum theory, he committed a heresy—or at least something that would have been considered a heresy up until that point—by introducing a causal agent called “consciousness” within science. Science until that point had worked explicitly […]
Philosophy / Psychology
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The Mind-Body Problem in Indian Philosophy
Two Mind-Body Problems The Mind-Body problem in Western philosophy concerns the difficulty in conceiving the nature of the interaction between mind and body, considering that these two are supposed to be different substances—one physical and material while the other spiritual or mystical. In Indian philosophy, matter itself transforms into the […]