無私的心靈

The sense of self seems to be a fundamental core of many everyday experiences. From perceiving to remembering, from deciding to desiring, it seems that there is an “I” who does this. But what if there is no such thing as a self? Indeed, what if even our sense of self is an illusion? This course examines the metaphysics and consequences of such a no self thesis by engaging in an in-depth reading of Monima Chadha’s recent book exploring Vasubandhu's metaphysical doctrine of radical selflessness. The radical no-self thesis presents several challenges for Abhidharma Buddhist philosophy of mind. If the sense of self is an illusion, how do we make sense of the way in which the self appears to us in in our ordinary everyday experience and thought about the world and ourselves. Further, if we grant that there are no persons, what remains of the status of our person-related concerns and interpersonal practices, including moral practices. In this course, we examine answers to these questions and see if the Abhidharma Buddhist has an answer to them.

Students are requested to come to each class with 2–3 questions for discussion, and lead the discussion in one class, and this participation in the discussions will count for 40% of the final grade. Students will be required to write a short final paper on a topic of their choice related to the primary text (3000 words, 60% of the overall grade).

Chadha (2023). Selfless Minds: A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics. Oxford University Press.

地點

online

時間

By appointment

聯絡方式

chrismccarroll@nycu.edu.tw kcheng1970@nycu.edu.tw