Ep. 270: Classical Indian (Vedanta and Nyaya) Design Arguments for God w/ Stephen Phillips (Part One)

<p>On <em>God and the World's Arrangement: Readings from Vedanta and Nyaya Philosophy of Religion</em> with one of its translators, <a href="https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/philosophy/faculty/shp9">Stephen Phillips</a>. Does nature require an intelligent designer? Śaṅkara (710 CE) and Vācaspati Miśra (960 CE), commenting on the <em>Brahma-sūtra</em> (ca. 200 CE) and <em>Nyāya-sūtra</em> (ca. 200 BCE), argue that it does against atheistic Buddhists, Sāṃkhya believers in a primordial matter that acts on its own, and the Mīmāṃsā conservatives who so venerated scripture that they ruled out a God who created it. But if we're all Brahman (God), just trying to discover that we are and so escape the cycle of rebirth, then where is there room for a particular deity who created us?</p> <p>Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at <a href="partiallyexaminedlife.com/support">partiallyexaminedlife.com/support</a>. <a href="https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/05/21/ep270-2-vedanta-nyaya-design-argument-citizen/">Get it now</a> or <a href="https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/05/24/preview-ep270-2-vedanta-nyaya-design-argument">listen to a preview</a>.</p> <p>Sponsors: Visit <a href="https://www.headspace.com/code?code=PEL">headspace.com/PEL</a> for a free month's access to a library of guided meditations. Get a free trial and save 20% on an annual membership of at <a href="https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL">TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/PEL</a>. Learn about St. John's College summer programs at <a href="https://www.sjc.edu/summer2021">SJC.edu/summer2021</a>. Get up to a $1000 donation matched at <a href="https://givewell.com/PEL">GiveWell.org/PEL</a> (pick PODCAST and Partially Examined Life at checkout). Hear Wes' "Stoic Guide to Happiness" at <a href="https://www.himalaya.com/stoic">Himalaya.com/stoic</a> (promo code stoic).</p>