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Craig Martin On Jainism

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Craig Martin stated, “The world is not just there for us to find and discover – rather, we make the world what it is through our use of language.” (21). This further expands on the notion that human beings are the makers of social constructs and social roles; we make these categories that we place ourselves and others in to give each other a sense of identity. Human beings like to be in control of their world and everything in it. Anything that tries to disrupt that or is outside of their control brings a sense of chaos.
In the words of Craig Martin, a meritocracy is defined as “a society in which people get what they earn, deserve or merit” (72). Religions area generally known to be fair and peaceful for all to be welcome and equal, which
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Jainism was founded two thousand and five years ago so it can be classified as an ancient Indian religion. Jainism centers on the belief that there is a soul but no god; Jainism is historically characterized by fundamental principle called ahimsa, which means non-violence, non-injury or absence of desire to harm any life forms, they are the exemplars in India on how to live a non-violent life. It is generalized that Jains are the most non-violent people in the world; they do not eat meat or roots that do not grow into the ground, in fact Jain monks do not wear clothing because clothing is made from fibres, which also entails killing plants. They walk around with masks covering their noses so as not to accidentally inhale any insects. Many Jains are prosperous in India because they are merchants and they work in fields that do not require anything that they would consider violent. Starving or fasting until ones death so as not to bring about any more violence as you transition into the next phase of your existence characterizes the end of a Jain monks or nuns life The goal of a Jains life is to become a tirthankara, which is an enlightened…show more content…
Aidan Rankin a researcher wrote a book titled Jainism and ethical finance drawing global awareness to the culture of Jainism and it’s ability to sustain those that practice it for years. The article stated, “Jains make one of the largest per capita communities of accountants, financiers and entrepreneurs in the world – yet they operate quietly and simply, that is why they remain unnoticed. Finance has been in their DNA for centuries.” This further expatiates on when the short video classified Jains as prosperous merchants in India. This raises some ethical questions on how Jains have been able to be prosperous without any support of violence in their careers. Jainism seems to be a religion that can only be realistic in India because it is recognized as a major religion there and they have lived there for so long they have been able to build a community that supports and encourages their practices culturally and environmentally. A question that may be raised is what is the definition of prosperity, is it defined my money, which is made from paper that comes from trees? Also the fact that a book also made from several trees was written to support and maybe convert those that read it into the practice is a bit ironic. The last ethical issue that what could the Jain merchants possibly be selling that is a result of non violence of any animal or plants that can bring about so much prosperity that it is news worthy. Jainism seems to a very
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