by Jerry VM
NASHIK-MAHARASHTRA, MARCH 9, 2015: Four MPh candidates of Divyadaan Salesian Institute, Nashik successfully completed the defense of their dissertations on March 5, 2015. Submission of a research paper on a philosophical theme is one of the requirements in the fulfillment of the Masters in Philosophy. Onimon Kanai, Manoj Kumar, Nelson Mudaliar and Christopher Xavier defended their papers before a panel of three professors in the presence of other faculty members and students.
Onimon Kanai presented a paper The Concept of Freedom according to Eric Fromm. He argued that human freedom is the central characteristic of human nature. He also presented the three ways in which an individual can attempt to escape freedom through three mechanisms namely, authoritarianism, destructiveness and automaton conformity.
John D Caput
o's Post-metaphysical Religion was the theme presented by Manoj Kumar. It gave a postmodern twist to the Christian understanding of religion and God. He emphasized Caputo's understanding of religion as one of love, forgiveness, justice and service to the needy.
Attachment Theory according to John Bowlby was presented in a nutshell by Nelson Mudaliar. He presented various kinds of relationships that a person can have in his or her lifetime. The attachment theory holds that human nature is fundamentally relational, owing to a person's predisposition to exist through attachments.
The fourth paper presented by Christopher Xavier dealt with Knowledge as a Way of Living: An Enquiry into the Cognitive Enterprise of Daya Krishna. He showed that the human mind is not satisfied with what is known or what it is certain about; rather it researches for what is unknown. So this sincere desire for knowledge and truth is what gives prime importance to one's life.
Each of the candidates had fifteen minutes to present the summary of his dissertation after which the panel consisting of the guide, the reader and the moderator sought clarifications and explanations pertaining to the paper. All of them exhibited commendable mastery over their subjects in answering the questions posed to them. It was indeed a learning experience for all present as the presentations enabled them to deepen their philosophical outlook towards human life as a whole.