Experience and Prediction

[ancient_paztriot]

Syamasundara dasa: Dewey felt that the desirable course of action should meet certain conditions subject to prediction, and should be based on judgments or appraisals that might serve as guidelines to future activity.

 

Srila Prabhupada: This is predictable. You say “I don’t want to die.” I say, “Come to this position, and you will not die.”

 

Syamasundara dasa: Is there some experience that shows this to be a predictable result?

 

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. You might not have the experience, but your superiors do.

 

abrahma-bhuvanal lokah

punar avartino ’rjuna

mam upetya tu kaunteya

punar janma na vidyate

 

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Bg. 8.16) If we go to Krsna, we will never come back to this material world again. Who can excel Krsna's experience? Since He knows past, present, and future, it is to our good to accept His instructions.

 

Syamasundara dasa: Dewey would recommend basing our judgements on personal experience.

 

Srila Prabhupada: We may not have personal experience, but we can take the advice of a person who does. Such experience is as good as our own You may not have gone to New York, but because others have purchased tickets there and gone and returned, you can take advantage of their experience and learn something about that place.

 

Syamasundara dasa: Dewey claims that value exists only where there is satisfaction.

 

Srila Prabhupada: Unless you have faith in a person, how you can be satisfied? You should find a person in whom you can place your faith. Who can be a better person than Krsna?