not japan, originally uploaded by MisterMeta.
The shot above was taken at the Montreal botanical gardens, in the Japan section, next to a memorial to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I have been reading one of Brad Warner's books on Zen and how it sees morality as a consequence of cause and effect, and how that contrasts with some religions that postulate absolute codes, let's describe the difference as the axiomatic view versus the existential one.
Then I stumbled on this wonderful article about Terry Eagleton in the Guardian, and his currently unpopular views. In a nutshell, he is fighting Martin Amis and Christopher Hitchens' polarizing views with arguments based on cultural studies: Cultures defend themselves and the definition of good and bad is relative to the values that help of hurt their survival.
Of course there is the layer of good and evil that can be overlaid on this, based on humanism in a broader sense, but cultures are inherently divisive, us and them, and religion is a derivative of this thinking.
There are many ways to slice this pie, but Eagleton is interesting in that he somehow reconciles his religious beliefs and upbringing as a Catholic with this broader understanding of conflict between cultures.
The hard part is that this can be seen as appeasement, and in times of cultural stress polarization is the natural reaction instead. Good versus evil.
