In Philosophy these are the three great questions of Plato\u2019s dialogues, where we find Socrates marveling and infuriating his interlocutors as he pushes them to justify their claims to truth, goodness (justice), <\/span>and beauty<\/span>. Later, and a bit closer to my heart, is Kant\u2019s three great books: Critique of Pure Reason<\/span> (dealing with Truth<\/span>), Critique of Practical Reason<\/span> (Goodness<\/span>), and Critique of Judgment<\/span> (Beauty<\/span>, aesthetics). But we also have philosophers claiming to reduce<\/span> two of these to the third, or to elevate one above <\/span>the others: materialists<\/span> privilege the truth <\/span><\/span>of science, theologians<\/span> privilege the goodness<\/span> of exemplary persons, romantics<\/span> privilege the beauty <\/span>of nature or poetry.<\/p>\n It is best, I think, if we read all of these partisans as parts of a greater whole, pointing out a deficiency or an excess in one area or another. We are fools indeed if we take the claims of any one<\/span> part of our magic triad as the whole of life. Each will have its charms for us, depending on where we are in life. I was a child of the romantic Montana wilderness, a materialist adolescent, and a (still-young) man admiring exemplary persons. Now I\u2019m trying to bring these all together to discover them, again, in who I am \u2013 today.<\/p>\n Now, with the world in its three principle dimensions gathered up, I can move forward with integrity<\/span>, knowing no excess, seeking sublime eternal balance, living fully<\/span>. We need all of these three. Somehow Dharma<\/span>, Truth<\/span>, or God <\/span>alone is just an empty word; so too with the others, alone.<\/p>\n There is something magical about the number \u20183\u2019. We all know of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) of Catholicism and the Three Refuges (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) in Buddhism. But also in Philosophy this \u20183\u2019 comes up in The True, the Good, and the Beautiful. What is it about \u20183\u2019 that holds us all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/7907151-113514840865079683?l=americanbuddhist.blogspot.com\")