We are not single selves, but constantly meet conflicts of desire both within and beyond ourselves. We meet conflict at different levels, from everyday distraction, to the suffering of the addict,... More > through even to world war. The integration of desire is the process of bringing opposing desires to work together, whether at the psychological or the political level. Robert M Ellis here brings together approaches that have previously been separated, drawing on ethics, psychology, philosophy, history, politics, and Buddhism to suggest a common pattern in the resolution of conflict at all levels.
This is the second volume of a planned 5-volume series on Middle Way Philosophy, and follows the first volume, which set out an overall philosophical approach to applying the Buddha's Middle Way in the modern Western context. The Jungian concept of integration is here combined with the philosophical approach of the Middle Way to offer a practical way forward beyond absolutism and relativism.< Less
We are not single selves, but constantly meet conflicts of desire both within and beyond ourselves. We meet conflict at different levels, from everyday distraction, to the suffering of the addict,... More > through even to world war. The integration of desire is the process of bringing opposing desires to work together, whether at the psychological or the political level. Robert M Ellis here brings together approaches that have previously been separated, drawing on ethics, psychology, philosophy, history, politics, and Buddhism to suggest a common pattern in the resolution of conflict at all levels.
This is the second volume of a planned 5-volume series on Middle Way Philosophy, and follows the first volume, which set out an overall philosophical approach to applying the Buddha's Middle Way in the modern Western context. The Jungian concept of integration is here combined with the philosophical approach of the Middle Way to offer a practical way forward beyond absolutism and relativism< Less
Initially inspired by the Buddha's Middle Way,
but working in Western Philosophy and related
disciplines, Robert M. Ellis first developed
Middle Way Philosophy in a Ph.D. thesis in
2001. This new... More > detailed account is the product
of a further ten years of refinement of his
approach, and concentrates on the
philosophical core. It will be followed by further
volumes focusing more on the psychological
and practical implications of the philosophy.
Middle Way Philosophy aims to clear the
ground for practical progress. It challenges
many entrenched assumptions, including
those of analytic philosophy. It also offers a
new account of objectivity, as an incremental
quality that helps us to engage with all
conditions in our experience. It insists on a
consistent approach to both facts and values
that avoids both absolute claims and
relativism.
"An important, original work, that should get the widest possible hearing."
Iain McGilchrist, author of 'The Master and his Emissary'< Less
This book was originally written as an accredited Ph.D. thesis - but one that broke all the usual rules. Rather than focusing on a small area like most theses, this is a inter-disciplinary... More > philosophical treatise that attempts to establish a new approach to the whole question of objectivity, especially in ethics.
Inspired by the Buddhist Middle Way, but argued in Western terms from first premises, this book challenges widespread assumptions found in both analytic and continental traditions of philosophy. It seeks to establish a Middle Way between absolutism and relativism, using evidence from philosophy, psychology, religion and history.
The author, Robert M. Ellis, is a philosopher and teacher, and was also a Buddhist practitioner for many years. However, he has now withdrawn from any commitment to the Buddhist tradition to concentrate on developing a universal Middle Way philosophy, promoted on his website, www.moralobjectivity.net.< Less
