Locke, John

John Locke (1632-1704) was a British philosopher who had a profound influence on the school of empiricism. Locke believed the human infant enters the world with a tabula rasa (i.e. a blank slate). Accordingly, we inherit nothing more than physical … Continue reading →

Wendy Doniger – epitome of the “Western” scholar

Wendy Doniger (1940 – ) is a leading American scholar of Hinduism. Her study of the seemingly endless variations of Hindu myth illustrates some of the intricacies of the Hindu imagination. O’Flaherty’s translation of the Rig Veda compares well in … Continue reading →

Positivism – not so positive after all

Positivism is a branch of philosophical thought asserting that all knowledge is arrived at through observing phenomena and learning facts. Although the positivist approach has been a recurrent theme in the history of western thought, the modern sense of the … Continue reading →

Upanaya

In Hinduism, Hindu males at age 12 belonging to the upper three castes undergo the ritual of upanaya, receiving a sacred thread to indicate their status as ‘twice born.’  Not unlike the Christian Confirmation or Jewish Bar Mitzvah, this ceremony … Continue reading →

Superego

In Sigmund Freud‘s psychoanalytic theory, the superego is the conscious or unconscious element of the ego that is formed from the child’s internalization of parental values, beliefs and prohibitions. Because the superego is internalized in childhood, its moral injunctions are … Continue reading →

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa (Latin: blank slate) is the idea that human beings are born psychologically equal, and that all knowledge comes from experience or perception. We usually hear that the British empirical philosopher John Locke forwarded this view. This is true, … Continue reading →

Torah

Torah [Hebrew torah: instruction] The Torah refers to the first five books of the Jewish Bible, known as the Pentateuch. Although traditionally ascribed to Moses, contemporary scholars suggest they have been compiled from different sources. The Torah outlines the beginnings … Continue reading →

T’Pol

T’Pol is a female Vulcan science officer in the American TV show Star Trek: Enterprise (active 2001-2005). The character is played by Jolene Blalock, who was one of the bright lights of the series. Attractive and chic, she also played … Continue reading →

Tramp Souls

In mystical thought, tramp souls are deceased persons said to be clinging to the material world, often to some locality. They might be holding a grudge against someone whom they feel wronged them. Alternately, tramp souls are regarded as accidental … Continue reading →

Unconscious

Black’s Medical Dictionary (39th edition) defines the unconscious as “a description of mental activities of which an individual is unaware” (p. 567). In the West, the idea of the unconscious has an interesting history. It’s found in the ancient Greek … Continue reading →