WAYS TO SOLVING THE EASY PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM
V.V. Vorobyov
BUDDHIST STUDIES 2024 DOI: 10.30792/2949-5768-2024-8-186-198 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that neither the third-person approach to consciousness, associated with the Western scientific tradition and physical correlates such as neural activity and behavior, nor the first-person approach traced to Descartes and centered on subjective experience is sufficient on its own. Proposes that combining both approaches, alongside Theravada Buddhist philosophy's account of subjective experience as an objective continuous stream of moments, is needed to better understand consciousness and address difficult problems such as qualia and free will. |
Abstract
The article is devoted to analyzing two main approaches to the study of consciousness proposed by philosopher David Chalmers: the third-person approach and the first-person approach. The first approach, characteristic of the Western scientific tradition, views consciousness through objective observation and physical correlates such as neural activity and behavior. The second approach, proposed by Descartes, explores consciousness through subjective experience and internal states. Theravada Buddhist philosophy, which offers an alternative view of the nature of consciousness where subjective experience is explained through an objective continuous stream of moments, is also considered. The article emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive study of consciousness that combines both approaches to better understand its nature and to explain difficult problems of consciousness, such as qualia and free will.
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 |