Tattva Journal of Philosophy

Editorial

Peter Jonkers — 2024-05-20

Descartes and the Question of God's Existence

Thoibisana Akoijam — 2024-05-20

When Antoine Arnauld in his Fourth Set of Objections to Descartes’ Meditations expressed the difficulty of accepting the certainty that God exists only because we clearly and distinctly perceive this, with the claim that, what we clearly and distinctly perceive is true only because God exists; he sets the structural problem of Cartesian epistemology, which is also popularly known as the Cartesian Circle. Descartes replied by drawing attention to the difference between clear and distinct perceptions to which one is actually attending and clear and distinct perceptions that one merely remembers having considered in the past. He claims that whereas the former sort of perception is beyond doubt, the latter cannot be trusted until it is established that a non-deceptive God exists. The controversy surrounding the Cartesian Circle has been reduced to the debates concerning the questions of whether Descartes was interested mainly in providing a psychologically stable system of beliefs, or if he wanted to establish that these beliefs correspond to reality. Hence, the underlying question concerning the Cartesian Circle, is whether Descartes is intended to provide a deep challenge to the reliability of human cognition, or he merely wanted to use the skeptical process to direct the reader to clear and distinct perception and then on to the first principles of metaphysics. Whereas there is evidence on both sides of the argument, the present essay will focus specifically on the metaphysics of God.

The Queerness of Art and the Foucauldian Origins of Judith Butler's Notion of Performativity

Muhammed Shafi S. — 2024-05-20

By deploying the methodology of Judith Butler's notion of Performativity, this article intends to understand the possibility of the concept of 'Queerness' beyond the possibilities of gender studies and queer theory and to develop a concept transcending the limits of identity. It is undeniable that Foucault's concept of disciplinarity is one of the major precursors of the notion of Performativity, which is a much more focused tool for what Foucault broadly devised. Both thinkers explain how a subject is a construction by power. They explain how bodies are marked, assigned, and manipulated and expose the banality with which these operations take one for granted. It is through unearthing the disciplinary aspects of Performativity in Butler and foreseeing the performative aspects of disciplinarity in Foucault that this article finds its methodological perspective. It is undeniable that disciplinarity and, as its extension, Performativity ultimately exposes the underlying ontology of identity as a 'truth effect' rather than an apriori truth. The paper critically analyses the artist's identity and the art discourse to expose the Queerness or underlying plurality of aesthetic experience using Performativity as a formative tool.

Queer Politics in Hindu Mythology: Locating Misrepresentation of Gender Fluidity in Amar Chitra Katha’s "Krishna" and other Titles

Sreyoshi Dhar — 2024-05-20

In India, the Vedas and other Hindu mythologies mention of third-gendered gods and even some that manifest all the three genders, along with mentions of gods that cross-dress, without any gender transition. One such multi-faceted character in Hindu mythology is the character of Krishna. While commentaries on Krishna by brahmin scholars portray him as a masculine warrior, the non-brahmin commentaries such as Shrimad Bhagavatam, see Krishna in feminine terms. Krishna in such commentaries is seen as a cross-dressing, gender fluid being who is immensely comfortable in both his masculine and feminine identities, and adheres to both and none simultaneously. However, most retellings and adaptations of Krishna’s lore depict him as alluding to the former masculinist identity, thus completely subduing and ignoring the queer aspects of his character. Such focused partial exposure, unfortunately, begins at a very young age through the works of children’s literature. One such very influential franchise in India is the Amar Chitra Katha. In this paper, I would attempt to analyze the titles of Krishna- Retold from the Bhagawat Puran and Bhagawat- The Krishna Avatar thoroughly and explore how every aspect of it is changed or omitted in order to provide a heteronormative and heterosexual narrative.

Referring to Moral Terms:

Hossein Khodadadi — 2024-05-20

The project of realist moral naturalism is desirable for many philosophers. Proponents of realist moral naturalism believe that ordinary commonsense assumptions about moral claims are cognitively truth-apt. Realist moral naturalism, in this context, is shown to have developed through the works of Moore, Kripke, Putnam, Boyd, Horgans, and Timmons. Some raised objections and some sought solutions to justify the theory. In this paper, the author argues that the current formulation of Horgan and Timmons’s argument cannot rule out the application of causal semantic theory to moral terms. In addition, the author illustrates that Boyd’s project works well, and the causal semantic theory is applicable to moral terms.

Life and Philosphy of Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyan Vyāsa: The Chronicler of the Mahãbhãrata

Joyati Bhattacharya — 2024-05-20

Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyan Vyāsa, popularly known as Veda Vyasa, is regarded to be the greatest seer of ancient India. He was an erudite scholar. He is credited with writing the epic Mahābhārata and dividing the Veda into four texts. Unlike other texts, Krsna Dvaipāyana Vyāsa also features as an important character in the Mahābhārata. He is believed to be the grandfather of the main protagonists of the epic. His character in the Mahābhārata shows that he is supremely wise. Vyāsa lived around the 3rd millennium BCE. There are references in the epic and the Purānas to the fact that Vyāsa lived at the close of the DvāparaYug (era). The festival of Guru Purnima is dedicated to him. Indian mythology says that ‘Vyāsa’ is not a particular person's name. It is the name given to a compiler. It is thus evident that there were compilers of the Veda who preceded Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa. However, as mythical as it may be, the chronicler of the Mahābhārata is the twenty-eighth Veda Vyāsa to be succeeded by Droni (Ashwathāma) in the forthcoming Dvāpara Yug. In the Mahābhārata, Vyāsa was worshipped as an incarnation of Brahmà, Narayana Vishnu and Maheshwara. Thus, the life of this great saint of ancient India is mired in many myths and realities, some of which are difficult to retrieve from the hold of time. The present study is an attempt to discern myth from reality and to draw a comprehensive sketch of the life and philosophy of the mystic based on the epic Mahābhārata.