philosophy

“It was from the Nameless that heaven and earth sprang. The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind.” -Lao Tzu

The most discussed crisis of  our day can all be traced back to an inherent conflict and loss of orientation in the realm of ethics, values and morality. Throwing back at us some very basic questions on what is the objective nature of ‘truth’ and how does one orient oneself in this ‘post truth’ social culture? How does one deal with mass migration? … unequal distribution of wealth? Would rise of nationalism secure our social systems? Do depleting natural resources have a direct influence on our wellbeing?… It has never been more urgent than today to reflect with rigour as Nietzsche suggested (way back in 1880s), ‘we are faced with a difficult, long term restoration project in which the most cherished aspects of our way of life must be ruthlessly investigated, dismantled, and then reconstructed in healthier form—all while we continue somehow to sail the ship of our common ethical life on the high seas.’

Free from pithy aphorisms Shalini’s take on ethics have been largely influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche and Max Scheler. She uses the method of phenomenology to investigate the terrains of emotions and as Scheler she uses the domain of emotions to establish the ethical nodes in it. In a way challenging Kant’s moral philosophy which is based on the objectivity of ‘reinen Vernunft’. Which according to Scheler were based on ‘empty, universal, law-abiding rationality.’…