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. Socio-political Integration of Meaning Practices

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

Meaning is integrated at the shared socio-political level through communication in which all participants share sufficient of the meaning of symbols being employed. Ethical failings in communication, like lying, disrupt that shared meaning. Ritual also depends for its communal integrative effects on shared meaning, which needs to be ensured by ritual leaders rather than relying on representationalist assumptions. Longer term integration of meaning practice is supported by education in the arts, and by meaningful education in general taking embodiment into account. The further conditions for these require political support, and politics itself also requires meaning integration.

Notify A Colleague

Citation

Ellis, Robert. f. Socio-political Integration of Meaning Practices. The Five Principles of Middle Way Philosophy - Living Experientially in a World of Uncertainty. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 247-254 Jan 2023. ISBN 9781800503045. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=44197. Date accessed: 25 Apr 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.44197. Jan 2023

Dublin Core Metadata