Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

25 January 2017

http://austms.blogspot.com.au/

Double Truth & Alternative Facts

Saint Yoga Swami said ‘Eppavoh Mudintha Kaariyam’ – the matter  has already been concluded.  To my mind, this means that what happened cannot be reshaped. It happened due to all the forces present at that place at that time. Those forces include the minds of those who lived at that place as owners. Their bodies are not there but their minds remain – for better or for worse.

Mentoring is part of the Subjective system. In Democracy it is optional but nevertheless valuable to those who are not able to produce independent outcomes that would stand the test of public scrutiny. True Practice of Democracy makes it easier for us to work out more easily than under Autocracy, as to which forces manifested outcomes. Under the Subjective system the forces merge and the top person is taken as the one responsible for the outcome.

To my mind,  ‘fact’ is a combination of  Truth and what happened. Truth can be active Energy – as in Dancing Shiva or passive – as in Meditating Shiva. Truth when expressed shows the connection between cause and effect. Unless we therefore know the causal forces of the manifested outcome – our expressions do not qualify as ‘facts’.  The causal force could be our own belief or external forces known to us through intellectual derivation.

In his Colombo Telegraph article ‘Justice Weeramantry – Hero Of Muslims’ Mr. M.F.M. Anoozer states under the heading ‘Doctrine of Double Truth’:

[While acknowledging the advancements made in the fields of science, mathematics and astronomy during the time of the Arab empire, Justice Weeramantry appeared to conclude that the greatest impact of the Arab empire on the modern world was in the field of philosophy and law.

In the area of philosophy ibn Ruschd (Averroes to the Western world) came up with the doctrine of double truth in the 12th century to the problem of the nature of the relationship between divine revelation and human reason. To what extent was there scope for the latter when the divine will had been both declared by God and interpreted by the Prophet? The same issue plagued the Christian world as well but it chose to discount the value of human inquiry which led to the so called dark ages in the West. The Church emphasized the need to study the Bible only and any other study was greatly discouraged. It was Ibn-Ruschd who broke the shackles placed on human inquiry with his doctrine of double truth. He said that there was truth that emanates from divine revelation but there is also truth that comes to us through human inquiry. This was supported by the hadiths of the Holy Prophet. There was room for coexistence of human reason and the word of God. This doctrine of double truth thus explained was accepted and adopted by Thomas Acquinas in the 13th century in his book Summa Theologica. Through this work, reason gathered momentum in the Western world and resulted in intellectual and political upheavals of vast proportions such as the Reformation and Renaissance. In the words of Justice Weeramantry, by the introduction of this doctrine in the West, “the horse of reason which had been kept confined in the stables, bolted, and could never be put back again”.]

Wikipedia explains the Doctrine  as follows:

‘Double-truth theory is the view that religion and philosophy, as separate sources of knowledge, might arrive at contradictory truths without detriment to either’

As per Australian publication - VISIONS OF THE LEGAL ORDER IN THE 21ST CENTURY:

[Judge Weeramantry has also repeatedly emphasised the need to rescue international law from a monochrome reflection of the great legal traditions of Europe so that it draws, in the future, upon the richness of the legal systems of other civilisations, including those in the Asian region where his homeland, Sri Lanka, is found  . Judge Weermantry's commitment to the universalistic ideals which underlie the concept, if not always the practice, of the discipline of international law finds voice in the words of Mahatma Gandhi whom he cites in his inaugural Memorial Lecture in honour of Judge Nagendra Singh  :

"Indian culture is neither Hindu, Islamic nor any other, wholly. It is a fusion of all. ... I want the culture of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any. I refuse to live in other people's houses as an interloper, a beggar or a slave".

Judge Weeramantry perceived the need for the cultures of all lands "to be blown about the house" of international law. The search for universal notions is one which motivates international law. Not least does it do so in the efforts to find, declare and enforce universal notions of human rights.

It is the impact of these universal notions upon the reverse journey - international law affecting the development of municipal law - that I wish to explore in the balance of this essay. In my view, this is one of the most interesting developments that is occurring in domestic law at this time. It is doubly interesting because it is happening apace in countries such as Sri Lanka  as well as in the legal systems of Australia and the United Kingdom. The development has its critics as well as its supporters. I wish to describe the developments in some of the jurisdictions which I know best. I will then attempt to draw some general conclusions.]

Yet – Justice Weeramantry appears to have been ‘voiceless’ when it came to Sri Lankan Government’s  Buddhism Foremost  Clause in the Constitution. One could conclude that Justice Weeramantry accepted the Constitution on the basis of Doctrine of Double Truth – one scientific discovery and the other God’s word – in this instance – Lord Buddha’s word. One could therefore conclude that alternative facts can arise from the Truth discovered by humans through the secular system on the one hand and through the god in those humans on the other.

The Political Correspondent of Economy Next  states in her/his article ‘Sri Lanka's 'alternative facts' on bond sales’:

Sri Lanka's government Tuesday resorted to the latest Donald Trump

tactic of offering "alternative facts" to defend Arjuna Mahendran who is accused of

"insider dealing" when he headed the Central Bank.
…………………………………………………

Amidst the mudslinging and outright lies, Opposition leader R. Sampanthan moved to lift the quality of the debate by focusing on the real issue - a debilitating plague of corruption.
"What is happening now. I am not saying Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe is corrupt. I am not saying Mr. Maithripala Sirisena is corrupt, but there is corruption. you know it," Sampanthan said.
He said much was talked about the corruption that prevailed during the previous regime, but not a single person had been convicted or even indicted.
"Has anyone being convicted? No. Are you framing false charges that you cannot substantiate. The country needs to know.
"When there is so much of corruption levelled against the former government, why is it that no one has been convicted, or no one has even been charged in a court of law. Is it because you are protecting them?," he asked the government.
"Or is it because your charges are thoroughly unfounded and you can’t substantiate them?"
Sampanthan said the country was "stinking" of corruption, but the worst thing was the loss of Central Bank's credibility.]

In terms of Central Bank – the conduct of  the former Governor of Central Bank if  classified as ‘insider dealing’ could be marked right as per the Subjective system based on Common Belief. Mr. Arjuna Mahendran’s mind – to the extent it included his son-in-law would have been speaking to itself as if any information about the Bonds issue was ‘insider’ thinking. But in terms of legal relationships relating to the Central Bank – Mr. Mahendran was an outsider to his son-in-law -  Mr. Arjun Aloysius. This kind of situation prevailed not only between many Sri Lankan politicians during the previous regime, including the President having his sons and brothers close to him,   but also here in Australia when the then Prime Minister – the Hon John Howard  failed to treat his brother Mr. Stan Howard as a Common citizen when it came to his brother:

 [ Stan, the brother of Prime Minister John Howard, was supposed to be so financially destitute that the PM had to bail him out via the government’s entitlements package when his company went belly-up, leaving the workers owed tens of millions of dollars. It was consequently revealed that Stan and other directors helped themselves to big bonuses prior to the bankruptcy announcement. Well it seems his wife, Mrs Howard, isn’t doing too badly. Mrs Howard and her son have recently purchased the Bowral estates, Walling and Wallingwood in NSW for a whopping $6,175,000.] https://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/john-howard-and-family-values/

In the same land during the period of one reign / constitution, as per God’s word – if the person with highest authority is excused in relation to wrong doing as per a particular principle/law, then all below have also the entitlement to be excused from a wrong as per that principle/law. Dharma would confirm this pathway of forgiveness. Hence to the extent Article 9 of the Constitution, which says Buddhism foremost is applicable – no citizen could be investigated for ‘insider dealing’ before the former President and his cabinet which included the current President are investigated. All one could do is publish alternative ‘facts’ and leave it to the citizens to make their own decisions.

The manifestations under  the previous government were highly subjective and hence the President is taken as having produced the manifestations of the Government and its inner sections. All institutions that were under the subjective influence of the Government are taken as part of the Government under a subjective system. The Bonds Issue included the minds that were strongly influenced by the previous leaders and hence one from that regime is risking exposure – if  God’s Truth is invoked by a true Believer. That was how the Tamil National Alliance - TNA became leading opposition in National Parliament – despite Tamils being about only 12% of the Population.

The mind of a Tamil would influence the mind of a Sinhalese to demote a particular Government – when both become victims of that Government – and neither on its own has  the ability to punish that Government. This pathway is more easily accessed under a Unitary structure in a Subjective system where the minds are fluid. When the minds are independent – they would bypass the other’s mind and relate to outcomes - directly through laws and principles as per each person’s group’s interpretations. Money rich nations like Australia – are better able to work the Objective system of Democracy while People rich nations like India are better able to work the Subjective system – filling the ‘ gap’ with ‘acts of God’.

In America as well as India’s Tamil Nadu – Politics is closely linked to Cinema / TV due to the money returns in that industry. Therefore those seeking higher order, need to find their independent pathways to self-governance. 

That which is completed by one system cannot be investigated by another system. Henc Saint Yoga Swami’s declaration ‘Eppavoh Mudintha Kaariyam’ – the matter  has already been concluded. The Lord takes care of the rest through the system of Karma.