On Thu, 19 Aug 2004, BklynMagus wrote:
> And yet the ideas made famous by the Enlightenment were propounded
> by the Buddha during the 4th century BCE. In the pieces from
> Marcus Aurelius Chris posted you can see how Buddhist thought was
> used in the Roman world view. The Enlightenment was nothing new.
This is an interesting claim to me. I associate the Enlightenment with scientific rationality, epistemological individualism, and a skepticism of religious authority. Is this really consistent with Buddhism? Do Buddhists agree that scientific practice and the dissemination of scientific knowledge is the key to human progress? I assumed you guys privileged religious faith over "linear", "Western" rationality.
Miles