The Five Principles of Middle Way Philosophy

Robert M Ellis has a Ph.D. in Philosophy and a Cambridge BA in Oriental Studies and Theology. Originally from a Christian background, he spent about 20 years practising Buddhism, including as a member of the Triratna Order. However, he now describes himself as a Middle Way practitioner without exclusive loyalty to any one religious tradition. In 2013 he founded the Middle Way Society (www.middlewaysociety.org) to develop and apply Middle Way Philosophy beyond the limitations of the Buddhist tradition, both in theory and practice. Robert has earned a living for more than 20 years as a teacher and tutor of philosophy and related subjects. He has previously published both academic and introductory books about Middle Way Philosophy, and recently a parallel book on Christianity, 'The Christian Middle Way'.

Introduction
Foreword to the Middle Way Philosphy series
Dr. Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and his Emissary, fellow of All Soul’s College, Oxford and former psychiatrist

Scepticism
Uncertainty, 'Knowledge' and Sceptical Argument
Scepticism is not Negative
Scepticism is not Impractical
Scepticism, Embodiment and Meaningfulness
Scepticism is not Selective
Scepticism does not Threaten Meaning
Scepticism Applies to Values and Facts

Provisionality
Optionality and Adaptiveness
Complexity and Antifragility
Slowness
Synthesis
Suppression
Probabilizing
Weighing Up

Incrementality
Systemic Continuity
Tipping Points
Practical Discontinuity
Continuity of Persons
Continuity of Time
Continuity of Space
Continuity of Training

Agnosticism
Wary as Serpents
Even-handedness
Strong, not Weak, Agnosticism
Awareness of Appropriation and Lumping
Awareness of Sceptical Slippage
Awareness of Unholy Alliances
Agnosticism and Psychological Development

Integration
Recognizing Conflict
Reframing
Responses to Intractability
Integration of Desire, Meaning and Belief
Individual and Group Integration
Temporary Integration
Asymmetrical Integration

Practice
The Middle Way as a Framework of Practices
The Threefold Practice
Individual Integration of Desire Practices
Socio-political Integration of Desire Practices
Individual Integration of Meaning Practices
Socio-political Integration of Meaning Practices
Individual Integration of Belief Practices
Socio-political Integration of Belief Practices