Delaney Lewis and, Parker Bradley
Test 2 Outlines
17 October 2023
Dr. Chandler
Essay 1:
Soteriology
o The problem- Life sucks
o The obstacles- Knowledge, separation from Dao
o The goal- Become one with the Dao
o The methods- Departing from knowledge?
(Impersonal metaphysics case study II- Philosophical Daoism)
- Metaphysics: Nontheistic metaphysical system
o The Dao is the way
o The Dao is: mother of all things, empty, bottomless, invisible, subtle, vague,
elusive (Dao De Jing verses 1, 4, 11, 14)
o The Dao is balance among everything (verse 2)
o The Dao is not: A name that can be named, audible, visible, bright, shaped (Dao
De Jing 1,14)
- Hinduistic impersonal metaphysics places an emphasis on meditation, like many other
religions, but unlike Daoism. The descriptions of Dao and Brahman are similar, using via
negitiva language rather than via positiva, as both religions do not believe that god can be
described using language. Both soteriologies are very similar, as the goals involve
becoming one with dao or brahman, just the methods of doing so differ. (meditating on
Brahman)
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