The Five Principles of Middle Way Philosophy - Living Experientially in a World of Uncertainty - Robert M. Ellis

The Five Principles of Middle Way Philosophy - Living Experientially in a World of Uncertainty - Robert M. Ellis

f. Probabilizing

The Five Principles of Middle Way Philosophy - Living Experientially in a World of Uncertainty - Robert M. Ellis

Robert M. Ellis [+-]
Middle Way Society
Robert M Ellis has a Ph.D. in Philosophy and a Cambridge BA in Oriental Studies and Theology. Originally from a Christian background, he spent about 20 years practising Buddhism, including as a member of the Triratna Order. However, he now describes himself as a Middle Way practitioner without exclusive loyalty to any one religious tradition. Over the last 20 years he has developed Middle Way Philosophy, initially in his Ph.D. thesis. This is best described as a practical and integrative philosophical approach, incorporating many elements not only from Buddhism but also from psychology, neuroscience, and other aspects of Western thought. In 2013 he founded the Middle Way Society (www.middlewaysociety.org) to develop and apply Middle Way Philosophy beyond the limitations of the Buddhist tradition, both in theory and practice. Robert has earned a living for more than 20 years as a teacher and tutor of philosophy and related subjects. He has previously published both academic and introductory books about Middle Way Philosophy, and recently a parallel book on Christianity, ‘The Christian Middle Way’.

Description

Estimating probability, even if it cannot be very precisely determined, is an important aspect of provisionality practice. It is an estimate of justification rather than of a relationship to ‘reality’, and the process of making that estimation is more important than the results, because it helps us avoid absolutizing. We need to take very small and very large probabilities seriously, and even recognizing the distinction between asymptotic probability and certainty is still of general practical value. We can also probabilize value claims by considering the probability of the prescribed desires being fulfilled in an integrated form.

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Citation

Ellis, Robert. f. Probabilizing. The Five Principles of Middle Way Philosophy - Living Experientially in a World of Uncertainty. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 86-92 Jan 2023. ISBN 9781800503045. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=44170. Date accessed: 28 Mar 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.44170. Jan 2023

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