Buddhism and Cognitive Science: How Can the Dialogue Move Forward?
November 15, 2017 DOI: 10.31231/osf.io/bnmqa_v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that the Buddhism-cognitive science encounter should be reoriented away from prioritizing measurable meditation effects and toward philosophy, especially Buddhist philosophy, with a focus on the constitution of meaning in human experience. |
Abstract
This paper is the text of a keynote lecture for the conference "Buddhism, Mind, and Cognitive Science" at the University of California, Berkeley, April 25, 2014. The main proposition is that the Buddhism-cognitive science encounter needs to be fundamentally reoriented in order to have a chance of becoming a genuine dialogue. At present, the encounter takes its direction from scientific research on meditation and gives primacy to the measurable biological and behavioural effects of meditation practices in controlled experimental and clinical situations. Although this research is worthwhile, it is neither the same as nor sufficient for a dialogue between Buddhism and cognitive science about the mind. I argue that the Buddhism cognitive science encounter should take its direction from philosophy and give primacy to the constitution of meaning in human experience. Buddhist philosophy especially must be central to this dialogue.
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 |