The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast · Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, Rose de Castellane, Gregory Mill

Episode 149, 'The Philosophy of Jainism' with Marie-Hélène Gorisse (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)

November 30, 2025·36 min·3 clips

Marie-Hélène reveals why Jains worship liberated beings as gods, but with one crucial difference from traditional deities.

The question begins with God. Marie-Hélène says Jains do not treat the world as something made by one consciousness. The world just is. That modest starting point leads into the bigger metaphysical puzzle: in a tradition often described as not believing in God or gods in the usual sense, is there still anything godlike left? The answer moves to souls. They are not creator gods, but liberated souls are godlike: permanent, omniscient, and blissful. Common sense carries a lot of weight here. In this excerpt, Jaina philosophy starts with ordinary reality and asks what can fairly be inferred from it. Karma is more than moral bookkeeping. It belongs to a larger picture of rebirth, conduct, and the slow work of getting free from ordinary existence. Liberation sits far off. Marie-Hélène notes that seeking liberation in this life is not required, and may even be technically impossible in this cosmic area. Better karma still matters. Wanting a better next life is treated as a real achievement, not a weak consolation prize. Then the mood tightens. A joke about being reborn as a man turns into a direct question about women and liberation. The host asks it plainly. If some Jains deny women liberation, is that philosophy, scripture, or traditional misogyny and patriarchy? Marie-Hélène does not dress up the answer. For her, it is traditional misogyny, even if debates and arguments have grown around it. The example lands awkwardly on purpose. She mentions claims about a woman's period destroying forms of life and disturbing discipline, reasoning she calls outrageous before the discussion moves on. The episode works because it stays conversational without going soft. It respects Jain categories, but it also notices when an argument has become morally embarrassing. Even the ending keeps the panel feel: thanks to the Global Philosophy of Religion Project II and the John Templeton Foundation sit next to stray jokes about Mary Poppins and the coming 150th Christmas special.

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