Deborah Orr - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Deborah Orr

Research paper thumbnail of In A Mindful Moral Voice: Mindful Compassion, The Ethic of Care and Education

Research Articles

This paper argues that Carol Gilligan’s Ethic of Care has strong affinities with the Buddhist con... more This paper argues that Carol Gilligan’s Ethic of Care has strong affinities with the Buddhist concept of karuna (compassion) which, Jay Garfield has argued, is the necessary foundation of rights theory. Its central argument is that both moral compassion and thus rights theory are grounded in the natural compassionate care a mother exercises in order to promote the flourishing of her child without which children, and consequently adult society, would not survive in any form. Wittgenstein’s concept of language-games is brought to bear on Buddhist philosophy to foreground the rootedness of human experience in connection and empathy. This further supports the naturalness of compassionate care, the Ethic of Care and karuna. Finally, mindfulness meditation is proposed as a practice appropriate for the educational context for the development of karuna as a moral resource for personal, civil and professional life.

Research paper thumbnail of On Logic and Moral Voice

Informal Logic, 1995

This paper explores some aspects of the concept 'logic' and its relation to moral voice, ... more This paper explores some aspects of the concept 'logic' and its relation to moral voice, and argues that Menssen uses it too narrowly in her respone to Orr's "Just the Facts. Ma'am" and the work of Carol Gilligan. Grounded in the work of the later Wittgenstein, it is argued that formalized logic misses much of natural logic: the concept of 'moral talk' is developed to theorize Gilligan's ethic of care; it is argued that this form of moral deliberation is not argumentation in the formal sense; and the relationship between logic and epistemology is explored through the consideration of moral talk as a language-game which is woven into gendered forms of life. Finally, it is argued that the notion of a universal logic is the product of an oppressivc patriarchal culture and should not be defended by feminists.

Research paper thumbnail of Just the Facts Ma'am: Informal Logic, Gender and Pedagogy

Research paper thumbnail of Giving Up Our Cultural Addiction

Religions, 2021

This article will begin with an overview of the sources of our cultural addiction to patriarchal ... more This article will begin with an overview of the sources of our cultural addiction to patriarchal culture and its values in Western cultures. Of particular importance to this was the development of the daughter languages of Sanskrit with their dualistic structure. A further major source lies in the Biblical Genesis creation text and subsequent Western philosophy and theology. These things together supported the delusional consciousness which led to individual suffering and the exploitation of others and the earth. The article will then look briefly at some of this addiction’s manifestations and their effects and then explain how Buddhist practice can help with the withdrawal process and foster a ‘new’ way of life although it must be acknowledged that there are real questions as to whether Buddhist practice will be used extensively enough to do so in time to save us from ourselves.

Research paper thumbnail of Thinking Outside the Academic Box: An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation for Education1

This paper focuses on uses of contemplative practices drawn primarily from the Vipassana and Zen ... more This paper focuses on uses of contemplative practices drawn primarily from the Vipassana and Zen traditions to develop learning in three areas: to enhance students' learning, address oppressive discourses, and develop a worldview grounded in non-essentialism and interconnectedness. The philosophical work of Nagarjuna, which is foundational to thought across the Buddhist traditions, is used to explore key Buddhist concepts. This is supplemented by Wittgenstein's mature work on language-games to provide an holistic understanding of the person who engages in these practices, thus developing an understanding of why they "work" not only on cognition but in the areas of emotion, somatic experience and praxis as well.

Research paper thumbnail of Thinking Outside the Academic Box: An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation for Education

Other Education, Dec 10, 2012

This paper focuses on uses of contemplative practices drawn primarily from the Vipassana and Zen ... more This paper focuses on uses of contemplative practices drawn primarily from the Vipassana and Zen traditions to develop learning in three areas: to enhance students' learning, address oppressive discourses, and develop a worldview grounded in non-essentialism and interconnectedness. The philosophical work of Nagarjuna, which is foundational to thought across the Buddhist traditions, is used to explore key Buddhist concepts. This is supplemented by Wittgenstein's mature work on language-games to provide an holistic understanding of the person who engages in these practices, thus developing an understanding of why they "work" not only on cognition but in the areas of emotion, somatic experience and praxis as well.

Research paper thumbnail of Meditating with Wittgenstein: Constructing and Deconstructing the Language Games of Masculinity

Through the example of ideological masculinity , this chapter examines pain language games to rev... more Through the example of ideological masculinity , this chapter examines pain language games to reveal some of the ways in which the capacity for empathy in which they are grounded is shaped by those games. Wittgenstein and the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna are in philosophical agreement about the nature of the human form of life. It is argued that “the change in the way people live” that Wittgenstein calls for can be most fully achieved through the use of Mindfulness meditation practice which incorporates philosophical study. David Forbes’ work with high school boys illustrates the power of this practice .

Research paper thumbnail of In A Mindful Moral Voice: Mindful Compassion, The Ethic of Care and Education

Research Articles

This paper argues that Carol Gilligan’s Ethic of Care has strong affinities with the Buddhist con... more This paper argues that Carol Gilligan’s Ethic of Care has strong affinities with the Buddhist concept of karuna (compassion) which, Jay Garfield has argued, is the necessary foundation of rights theory. Its central argument is that both moral compassion and thus rights theory are grounded in the natural compassionate care a mother exercises in order to promote the flourishing of her child without which children, and consequently adult society, would not survive in any form. Wittgenstein’s concept of language-games is brought to bear on Buddhist philosophy to foreground the rootedness of human experience in connection and empathy. This further supports the naturalness of compassionate care, the Ethic of Care and karuna. Finally, mindfulness meditation is proposed as a practice appropriate for the educational context for the development of karuna as a moral resource for personal, civil and professional life.

Research paper thumbnail of On Logic and Moral Voice

Informal Logic, 1995

This paper explores some aspects of the concept 'logic' and its relation to moral voice, ... more This paper explores some aspects of the concept 'logic' and its relation to moral voice, and argues that Menssen uses it too narrowly in her respone to Orr's "Just the Facts. Ma'am" and the work of Carol Gilligan. Grounded in the work of the later Wittgenstein, it is argued that formalized logic misses much of natural logic: the concept of 'moral talk' is developed to theorize Gilligan's ethic of care; it is argued that this form of moral deliberation is not argumentation in the formal sense; and the relationship between logic and epistemology is explored through the consideration of moral talk as a language-game which is woven into gendered forms of life. Finally, it is argued that the notion of a universal logic is the product of an oppressivc patriarchal culture and should not be defended by feminists.

Research paper thumbnail of Just the Facts Ma'am: Informal Logic, Gender and Pedagogy

Research paper thumbnail of Giving Up Our Cultural Addiction

Religions, 2021

This article will begin with an overview of the sources of our cultural addiction to patriarchal ... more This article will begin with an overview of the sources of our cultural addiction to patriarchal culture and its values in Western cultures. Of particular importance to this was the development of the daughter languages of Sanskrit with their dualistic structure. A further major source lies in the Biblical Genesis creation text and subsequent Western philosophy and theology. These things together supported the delusional consciousness which led to individual suffering and the exploitation of others and the earth. The article will then look briefly at some of this addiction’s manifestations and their effects and then explain how Buddhist practice can help with the withdrawal process and foster a ‘new’ way of life although it must be acknowledged that there are real questions as to whether Buddhist practice will be used extensively enough to do so in time to save us from ourselves.

Research paper thumbnail of Thinking Outside the Academic Box: An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation for Education1

This paper focuses on uses of contemplative practices drawn primarily from the Vipassana and Zen ... more This paper focuses on uses of contemplative practices drawn primarily from the Vipassana and Zen traditions to develop learning in three areas: to enhance students' learning, address oppressive discourses, and develop a worldview grounded in non-essentialism and interconnectedness. The philosophical work of Nagarjuna, which is foundational to thought across the Buddhist traditions, is used to explore key Buddhist concepts. This is supplemented by Wittgenstein's mature work on language-games to provide an holistic understanding of the person who engages in these practices, thus developing an understanding of why they "work" not only on cognition but in the areas of emotion, somatic experience and praxis as well.

Research paper thumbnail of Thinking Outside the Academic Box: An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation for Education

Other Education, Dec 10, 2012

This paper focuses on uses of contemplative practices drawn primarily from the Vipassana and Zen ... more This paper focuses on uses of contemplative practices drawn primarily from the Vipassana and Zen traditions to develop learning in three areas: to enhance students' learning, address oppressive discourses, and develop a worldview grounded in non-essentialism and interconnectedness. The philosophical work of Nagarjuna, which is foundational to thought across the Buddhist traditions, is used to explore key Buddhist concepts. This is supplemented by Wittgenstein's mature work on language-games to provide an holistic understanding of the person who engages in these practices, thus developing an understanding of why they "work" not only on cognition but in the areas of emotion, somatic experience and praxis as well.

Research paper thumbnail of Meditating with Wittgenstein: Constructing and Deconstructing the Language Games of Masculinity

Through the example of ideological masculinity , this chapter examines pain language games to rev... more Through the example of ideological masculinity , this chapter examines pain language games to reveal some of the ways in which the capacity for empathy in which they are grounded is shaped by those games. Wittgenstein and the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna are in philosophical agreement about the nature of the human form of life. It is argued that “the change in the way people live” that Wittgenstein calls for can be most fully achieved through the use of Mindfulness meditation practice which incorporates philosophical study. David Forbes’ work with high school boys illustrates the power of this practice .