Deep meditation as a valid "scientific" method: A flawed argument.
Indian journal of medical ethics 2025 DOI: 10.20529/IJME.2025.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary or response article Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that the neurologist's position is contradictory because it rejects external validity for the method of gaining knowledge (deep meditation) while demanding it for testing Ayurveda therapeutics. |
Abstract
An interventional neurologist recently responded to my two-year-old article suggesting that Ayurveda should be approached in a qualia-centric manner. He questions the fundamental assumptions of what he calls "Western" science yet tries to use the same to claim that ancient Ayurveda and Yoga masters gained the knowledge of the functioning of human body through deep meditation. He appears to consider deep meditation as a valid scientific method, despite it lacking external validity. At the same time, he advocates for external validity to test Ayurveda therapeutics. I draw attention to this contradiction in his argument.