Neither/nor: a pragmatic philosophy for oscillating between conceptual and experiential knowledge
Bryan Kam, Isabela Granic
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications March 13, 2026 DOI: 10.1057/s41599-026-06669-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Experiential learning Pragmatism Flourishing Holism Embodied cognition Instrumentalism Determinism Agency philosophy Ontology Epistemology Negotiation Skepticism Personal identity Cognitive science |
| Key points | Argues that neither conceptual nor experiential modes of knowing alone suffice for desirable outcomes, and proposes a framework of deliberate oscillation between them to reduce suffering and enhance inquiry. |
Abstract
Abstract This paper presents “ Neither/Nor ,” a philosophical synthesis which defines conceptual and experiential modes of knowing as complementary skills which can be deliberately trained and oscillated. The paper argues that neither theory (concepts) nor practice (experience) alone can suffice for desirable outcomes in personal flourishing or scientific inquiry. Drawing from Western and Eastern philosophical traditions—from ancient skepticism and Buddhism to modern pragmatism and cognitive science— Neither/Nor proposes that “latent Platonism,” the unconscious preference for abstract concepts over direct experience, contributes to both personal suffering and intellectual impasses. The paper begins with a concrete example of Type I diabetes management, demonstrating the constant negotiation between abstract formulas and embodied experience required by the disease, before providing five practical principles: (1) regard concepts and experience as trainable skills; (2) commit to oscillation between skills; (3) prioritize relations and processes over objects and states; (4) embrace trial-and-error learning; and (5) employ conditional historicism over linear causal thinking. The Neither/Nor framework demonstrates how these principles can reduce personal suffering, enhance scientific inquiry, and provide a methodology for evaluating diverse philosophical positions pragmatically. Neither/Nor points towards a way of living rather than merely an abstract theory, contributing to both individual flourishing and more flexible approaches to complex societal challenges.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |