Why Fusing Philosophies Can Be

a Dangerous IdeaBy Joffre Balce

delivered at Philorum on 10 September 2014 at Dulwich Hill NSW

Why the Talk?

• Challenge – Response Theory of Arnold J. Toynbee

• The Dialectical Challenge: The test of a first rate mind is the ability to hold two opposing in mind at the same time & still retain the ability to function. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Challenge of Muliculturalism: What Is Your Response?• By What Standards Do We Judge Success or Failure?

• Is the “Experiment” Over? Was There Ever an “Experiment”?

Survey of 20th Century Examples

• Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

• Sun Yat sen

• Mao Ze dong

• Ernesto “Che” Guevara

• Paolo Freire

• Frantz Fanon

• Lee Kwan Yew

Leo Tolstoy

• Russian Context

• Western Philosophy

• Eastern Philosophy

• American Philosophy

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

• Indian Context

• Indian Philosophy

• Judaeo-Christian-Muslim Belief

• Western Philosophy

Dr. Sun Yat Sen

• Chinese Context

• Confucianism

• American Philosophy

Mao Zedong

• Chinese Context

• Chinese Military Philosophy

• Western Philosophy

Che Guevara

• Latin American Context

• Western Philosophy

• Asian Philosophy

Paolo Freire

• Latin American Context

• American Philosophy

• European Philosophy

Frantz Fanon

• African Context• Negritude Movement

• Psychiatry

• Western Philosophy

Lee Kwan Yeuw

• Singaporean Context

• Confucianism

• Fabian Socialism

• Adam Smith

Australian Context

• Isolationism - Mundialism

• Scientific Atheism – Traditional Theism

• Religion – Philosophy

• Eastern – Western

• Materialism – Spiritualism

• Politics – Economics

• Third World – First World

Quo Vadis?

• No Hay Sendero. Se Lo Hace Al Andar.

• There Is No Path. We Make the Road As We Travel.

Treat Life Like An Adventure!