Transparency and the Mindfulness Opacity Hypothesis
Victor Lange, Thor Grünbaum
The Philosophical Quarterly October 20, 2023 DOI: 10.1093/pq/pqad098 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Argues that the 'Mindfulness Opacity Hypothesis' is empirically and theoretically well motivated: mindfulness practice may allow introspective access to experience itself, challenging the philosophical Transparency Thesis. The authors develop the hypothesis by describing a shift in experiential perspective, the scope of introspectable qualities, and the level of skill involved, and defend it against philosophical objections. |
Abstract
Abstract Many philosophers endorse the Transparency Thesis, the claim that by introspection one cannot become aware of one's experience. Recently, some authors have suggested that the Transparency Thesis is challenged by introspective states reached under mindfulness. We label this the Mindfulness Opacity Hypothesis. The present paper develops the hypothesis in important new ways. First, we motivate the hypothesis by drawing on recent clinical psychology and cognitive science of mindfulness. Secondly, we develop the hypothesis by describing the implied shift in experiential perspective, the scope of introspectable qualities, and the level of skill. Thirdly, we defend the hypothesis against various philosophical arguments. We conclude that the Mindfulness Opacity Hypothesis is empirically and theoretically well motivated and supported.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- A Reductive Account of Mindfulness as Metacognitive Control Review of Philosophy and Psychology February 3, 2025
- Experiencing timelessness and the phenomenology of temporal flow Philosophical Psychology December 19, 2024
- Reconnecting with the Self and Fetus through Mindfulness: Supporting Inner Balance and Bonding during Pregnancy Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar April 14, 2026
Cites 22
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Ten Problems of Consciousness The MIT Press eBooks November 17, 1995
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
and 17 more in the library