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I'm glad we had a 3000 year old spiritual tradition that is sacred to millions just lying around, waiting to be plumbed for names that are exotic-sounding to We

I'm glad we had a 3000 year old spiritual tradition that is sacred to millions just lying around, waiting to be plumbed for names that are exotic-sounding to Western ears. It just wouldn't do to call your OS "Salvation" or "Revelation" would it? I'm sure some would interpret this as admiration; is it really admiration to take sacred concepts and redefine them to have profoundly dull associations? And, is it admiration for the people who devote their lives to pursuing these concepts, or for idealized representations of Eastern spiritual traditions? (written as an atheist, FYI) EDIT: From /about.html: "Bodhi comes from the Buddhist term for 'enlightenment'. It is also a type of sacred tree, thus the leaf used in our logo."

res0nat0r 16y ago
Oh, I just thought this was named after Patrick Swayzes' character from Point Break.
andrewvc 16y ago
Well, since it uses 'Enlightenment' as a WM it makes sense. I'll tell you what, as an Atheist, if any Christians want to name their next bible reading app Secular Humanism v3.0 it'll be fine with me.
- jessedhillon 16y ago
  I haven't seen anything that suggests the Enlightenment WM is named after the Buddhist concept. The Bodhi distro could easily be called Locke or Descartes if you consider that the WM could be named after the age of enlightenment in Western philosophy instead. And if it is named after the Buddhist concept, then my question still stands: why can the names of significant concepts from other cultures be appropriated and applied to utterly mundane notions like software packages and OSes? How is this different than when people who know zero Japanese or Chinese get tattoos of CJK characters -- I think most people can see how that is an example of shallow fetishization of a culture, appropriating superficial symbols and detaching them from the significant context and value that they are assigned in other cultures. If it's a serious comment, witness the sibling to your comment where a person thought that the only significance of "Bodhi" is the name of a character from a movie.
  - tree_of_item 16y ago
    The other comment was a joke, and I think you're taking this way too seriously. Software does naming like this all the time: "Gee, our WM is called 'Enlightenment'? What words related to that concept can we use?" It doesn't matter which "enlightenment" the WM is referring to, as that's the nature of word play. Why does it matter that this distro is named Bodhi? It's just a word. >And if it is named after the Buddhist concept, then my question still stands: why can the names of significant concepts from other cultures be appropriated and applied to utterly mundane notions like software packages and OSes? Why can they do this? Because there's no one stopping them. It's some text on a website. > How is this different than when people who know zero Japanese or Chinese get tattoos of CJK characters -- I think most people can see how that is an example of shallow fetishization of a culture, appropriating superficial symbols and detaching them from the significant context and value that they are assigned in other cultures. It's not different. And neither are a big deal. I don't see what's shallow about it: "I like the way this character looks (and perhaps like what it means) so I'll use it." You think it's shallow, but how deep does aesthetic desire need to be to be valid? The culture police aren't going to come and arrest someone for appropriating a concept.
    - jessedhillon 16y ago
      > And neither are a big deal. To you. You're assuming that it's not a big deal to people who invest in those concepts too. Or worse, you're presuming to tell other people what they should and shouldn't value, and how much they should value them. This passage from the Wikipedia article on cultural appropriation says it better than I can: "A common sort of cultural appropriation is the adoption of the iconography of another culture. Examples include sports teams using Native American tribal names, tattoos of Polynesian tribal iconography, Chinese characters, or Celtic bands worn by people who have no interest in, or understanding of, their original cultural significance. When these artifacts are regarded as objects that merely 'look cool', or when they are mass produced cheaply as consumer kitsch, people who venerate and wish to preserve their indigenous cultural traditions may be offended." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation
tree_of_item 16y ago
http://god.rubyforge.org/ http://god.rubyforge.org/
zavulon 16y ago
If it wasn't for that about.html, I would've thought it was named after a Baldur's Gate II character, and was prepared to make a joke about sucking blood..
Estragon 16y ago
Speaking as a practitioner of Buddhist meditation, get off your high horse, Jesse. It's just a name. "Buddhist" is just an identity, and a core goal of the practice is to bring an end to such things.
- jessedhillon 16y ago
  Get off my high horse? People value elements of their culture and would like them not to be debased or conflated with the mundane. I'm glad you were able to glean something valuable from an ages-old culture. Try giving back some time. > "Buddhist" is just an identity, and a core goal of the practice is to bring an end to such things. First, this is not even the point of the comment. Second, this is so inane, and a typical attitude of Western admirers of Eastern traditions. Like somehow, Buddhism couldn't manage itself until you came along and told everyone what it really meant. Try this: go to India, go stop at Bodh Gaya and urinate on the Bodhi tree. Before the monks who tend the tree beat you up, let them know that they're mistakenly identifying with concepts like "trees" and "cleanliness." But never fear, you have come to set them free and let them know the true meaning of Buddhism, by bringing an end to identities!

res0nat0r 16y ago

Oh, I just thought this was named after Patrick Swayzes' character from Point Break.

andrewvc 16y ago

Well, since it uses 'Enlightenment' as a WM it makes sense. I'll tell you what, as an Atheist, if any Christians want to name their next bible reading app Secular Humanism v3.0 it'll be fine with me.

jessedhillon 16y ago
I haven't seen anything that suggests the Enlightenment WM is named after the Buddhist concept. The Bodhi distro could easily be called Locke or Descartes if you consider that the WM could be named after the age of enlightenment in Western philosophy instead. And if it is named after the Buddhist concept, then my question still stands: why can the names of significant concepts from other cultures be appropriated and applied to utterly mundane notions like software packages and OSes? How is this different than when people who know zero Japanese or Chinese get tattoos of CJK characters -- I think most people can see how that is an example of shallow fetishization of a culture, appropriating superficial symbols and detaching them from the significant context and value that they are assigned in other cultures. If it's a serious comment, witness the sibling to your comment where a person thought that the only significance of "Bodhi" is the name of a character from a movie.
- tree_of_item 16y ago
  The other comment was a joke, and I think you're taking this way too seriously. Software does naming like this all the time: "Gee, our WM is called 'Enlightenment'? What words related to that concept can we use?" It doesn't matter which "enlightenment" the WM is referring to, as that's the nature of word play. Why does it matter that this distro is named Bodhi? It's just a word. >And if it is named after the Buddhist concept, then my question still stands: why can the names of significant concepts from other cultures be appropriated and applied to utterly mundane notions like software packages and OSes? Why can they do this? Because there's no one stopping them. It's some text on a website. > How is this different than when people who know zero Japanese or Chinese get tattoos of CJK characters -- I think most people can see how that is an example of shallow fetishization of a culture, appropriating superficial symbols and detaching them from the significant context and value that they are assigned in other cultures. It's not different. And neither are a big deal. I don't see what's shallow about it: "I like the way this character looks (and perhaps like what it means) so I'll use it." You think it's shallow, but how deep does aesthetic desire need to be to be valid? The culture police aren't going to come and arrest someone for appropriating a concept.
  - jessedhillon 16y ago
    > And neither are a big deal. To you. You're assuming that it's not a big deal to people who invest in those concepts too. Or worse, you're presuming to tell other people what they should and shouldn't value, and how much they should value them. This passage from the Wikipedia article on cultural appropriation says it better than I can: "A common sort of cultural appropriation is the adoption of the iconography of another culture. Examples include sports teams using Native American tribal names, tattoos of Polynesian tribal iconography, Chinese characters, or Celtic bands worn by people who have no interest in, or understanding of, their original cultural significance. When these artifacts are regarded as objects that merely 'look cool', or when they are mass produced cheaply as consumer kitsch, people who venerate and wish to preserve their indigenous cultural traditions may be offended." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation

tree_of_item 16y ago

http://god.rubyforge.org/ http://god.rubyforge.org/

zavulon 16y ago

If it wasn't for that about.html, I would've thought it was named after a Baldur's Gate II character, and was prepared to make a joke about sucking blood..

Estragon 16y ago

Speaking as a practitioner of Buddhist meditation, get off your high horse, Jesse. It's just a name. "Buddhist" is just an identity, and a core goal of the practice is to bring an end to such things.

jessedhillon 16y ago
Get off my high horse? People value elements of their culture and would like them not to be debased or conflated with the mundane. I'm glad you were able to glean something valuable from an ages-old culture. Try giving back some time. > "Buddhist" is just an identity, and a core goal of the practice is to bring an end to such things. First, this is not even the point of the comment. Second, this is so inane, and a typical attitude of Western admirers of Eastern traditions. Like somehow, Buddhism couldn't manage itself until you came along and told everyone what it really meant. Try this: go to India, go stop at Bodh Gaya and urinate on the Bodhi tree. Before the monks who tend the tree beat you up, let them know that they're mistakenly identifying with concepts like "trees" and "cleanliness." But never fear, you have come to set them free and let them know the true meaning of Buddhism, by bringing an end to identities!