Denis:
>Lost paradise or Paradise lost ?

Oops... I wish I were, say, half as proficient in English as you, Mr dpeyrat.

> Ok but if we don't praise  Reason, and if we quit  Ego, we 'll have nothing
> left to rely on. Since we cannot rely on an "ego-less" man to quit  the
> cooking habit by himself , our only hope of improving the common lot is to
> appeal to the reason of our fellow human beings. In principle buddhism is
> not opposed to resorting to  science as a guide to human conduct.
> Nevertheless  we have to acknowledge the fact that, were it only for the
> buddhists, our knowledge of nutritional sciences would be...well I don't
> really know what it would be...
> This is just to say christianity, for all its shortcomings, is probably the
> most meaningful framework for a scholarly  discussion  on instinct  and
> temperance during the past centuries.

Buddhist societies have never had a developed science; maybe its
principles are incompatible with a Cartesian reasoning. However,
Chinese acupuncture and phytotherapy are extremely complex and
efficient, even though the underlying "theory" (Chi circulation, Five
Elements,...) seem rather mystic to a Westerner.

I don't think that science is necessary to understand the concept of
instinct; maybe on the contrary... Animals do not need biology to
practice instincto-nutrition. Of course, for an educated man like you,
Mr. PEYRAT, scientific arguments are more convincing than
pseudo-theories, but think about the laymen (laypersons?), tired of
being manipulated by too powerful scientists. Many people seek refuge
in non-conventional medicines, Oriental religions or esoteric
practices. The modern human is unbalanced, because of his emotional
atrophy, compared to the hypertrophy of his reason. The Dalai-Lama has
laughed and shed tears in public many times. Maybe a more
contemplative attitude could help restore the balance between
intuition and reason.

> You seem to be dreaming to live forever. I think the day will come  when all
> my friends will have disappeared, and I will be looking forward to die.
> There's no reason to be sad or scared about death.

Isn't it everybody's dream? In all religions, there is a life after
death; think about all the legends that relate magic properties of
substances supposed to provide eternal youth (tree's fruits,
fountains' water, etc...). Many people are fascinated by the Hounza,
the Villacamba inhabitants, or by Jeanne Calmant (121 yrs). Scare
about death is "instinctive" too, otherwise our species would
disappear...


Best,

Jean-Louis