Rubens Turci

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José RUBENS TURCI Júnior (born 1957) is a specialist in the Bhagavad Gìtà. After quitting his position as a Chemical Engineer at Monsanto (1986), he received a Bachelor of Education, a Bachelor of Philosophy (magna cum laude), and a Master of Philosophy from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). In 2007 he earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies in the Asian Field from the McMaster University.

He is currently involved with three main projects: The Dialectics of the Sacred, Ecophilosophy, and Integral Activism. As an Associate Researcher of the Faculty of Business and Administration (FACC/UFRJ), he is also in the committee responsible for the conception and development of a Center of Indian Studies at the Brazilian Federal University in Rio de Janeiro – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

“Dialectics of the Sacred” is a by-product of Turci’s PhD thesis “Shraddhà in the Bhagavad Gìtà, and supposes the understanding of philosophy and theology as an unified field. Based in Bhagavad-Gìtà chapter 17, verse 3, where it is stated that whatever our shraddhà is, that we become, it claims that whatever is done with shraddhà is to be understood as a part of the dialectics of the sacred. The experience called shraddhà would bring forth a positive and thoroughly ethical attitude toward life, allowing us to relate to the the kind of experience people have, when they state that their ‘spiritual’ experiences make them lose their sense of ‘I’ and ‘feel’ one with the universe.

“Ecophilosophy” is a project developed together with Dr. Cássia Curan Turci, who, besides being Rubens’s wife is a prominent Environmental Researcher. As a team they work Peter Kropotkin´s idea that “Nature is the first ethical teacher of man,” and Mircea Eliade view that “The religious behavior of man contributes to maintaining the sanctity of the world.” The socio-environmentalism they both stand for advances and deepens the paradigm shift that occurred in the sixties in perception, values, and lifestyles, and advocates the redirecting of the ecologically destructive path of modern capitalists and their big corporations. One can understand their socio-environmental philosophy in terms of the work of one of the leading figures in this field: the Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess, which very closely mirrors the Gìtà's philosophy of oneness.

“Integral Practice” is a small community based project based on the idea that there is but one Earth to share and care, and that it is up to each of us to become the change we want to see in the world. Following the main strategy of thinking globally and acting locally, it seeks to develop the humane ability to use the heart as a kind of metaphysical magnetic needle, capable of helping reason to overcome its inherent mechanical logicism. In doing so, it seeks to interfere in a positive way in the environment. Considering that small actions, when done with the heart, help us all to grow alive from the ashes, the aim of this project is to raise awereness toward the sacred balance that rules over the distinct variety of life forms of the planet.

Sources:

http://digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca/dissertations/AAINR36089/ http://www.socsci.mcmaster.ca/relstud/graduate/ourphdstudents.cfm http://www.butterflyway.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=9 http://buscatextual.cnpq.br/buscatextual/index.jsp http://www.adtevento.com.br/intercom/2007/pro_listadetalhesessao.asp?atvid=359