The Reflexive Nature of Awareness

The Reflexive Nature of Awareness

Author: Paul Williams

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-12-16

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 1136810528

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Places the controversy initiated by the Tibetan Tsong kha pa - who elaborated on one of the eight difficult points in understanding Madhyamaka philosophy - in its Indian and Tibetan context.


The Reflexive Nature of Awareness

The Reflexive Nature of Awareness

Author: Paul Williams

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-12-16

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1136810455

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Places the controversy initiated by the Tibetan Tsong kha pa - who elaborated on one of the eight difficult points in understanding Madhyamaka philosophy - in its Indian and Tibetan context.


The Reflexive Nature of Consciousness

The Reflexive Nature of Consciousness

Author: Greg Janzen

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 9789027252081

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Combining phenomenological insights from Brentano and Sartre, but also drawing on recent work on consciousness by analytic philosophers, this book defends the view that conscious states are reflexive, and necessarily so, i.e., that they have a built-in, “implicit” awareness of their own occurrence, such that the subject of a conscious state has an immediate, non-objectual acquaintance with it. As part of this investigation, the book also explores the relationship between reflexivity and the phenomenal, or “what-it-is-like,” dimension of conscious experience, defending the innovative thesis that phenomenal character is constituted by the implicit self-awareness built into every conscious state. This account stands in marked contrast to most influential extant theories of phenomenal character, including qualia theories, according to which phenomenal character is a matter of having phenomenal sensations, and representationalism, according to which phenomenal character is constituted by representational content. (Series A)


Pre-reflective Consciousness

Pre-reflective Consciousness

Author: Sofia Miguens

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-10-16

Total Pages: 533

ISBN-13: 1317399285

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Pre-reflective Consciousness: Sartre and Contemporary Philosophy of Mind delves into the relationship between the current analytical debates on consciousness and the debates that took place within continental philosophy in the twentieth century and in particular around the time of Sartre and within his seminal works. Examining the return of the problem of subjectivity in philosophy of mind and the idea that phenomenal consciousness could not be reduced to functional or cognitive properties, this volume includes twenty-two unique contributions from leading scholars in the field. Asking questions such as: Why we should think that self-consciousness is non-reflective? Is subjectivity first-personal? Does consciousness necessitate self-awareness? Do we need pre-reflective self-consciousness? Are ego-disorders in psychosis a dysfunction of pre-reflective self-awareness? How does the Cartesian duality between body and mind fit into Sartre’s conceptions of consciousness?


Self, No Self?

Self, No Self?

Author: Mark Siderits

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2013-01-31

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 0191668303

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The nature and reality of self is a subject of increasing prominence among Western philosophers of mind and cognitive scientists. It has also been central to Indian and Tibetan philosophical traditions for over two thousand years. It is time to bring the rich resources of these traditions into the contemporary debate about the nature of self. This volume is the first of its kind. Leading philosophical scholars of the Indian and Tibetan traditions join with leading Western philosophers of mind and phenomenologists to explore issues about consciousness and selfhood from these multiple perspectives. Self, No Self? is not a collection of historical or comparative essays. It takes problem-solving and conceptual and phenomenological analysis as central to philosophy. The essays mobilize the argumentative resources of diverse philosophical traditions to address issues about the self in the context of contemporary philosophy and cognitive science. Self, No Self? will be essential reading for philosophers and cognitive scientists interested in the nature of the self and consciousness, and will offer a valuable way into the subject for students.


Losing Ourselves

Losing Ourselves

Author: Jay L. Garfield

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2023-11-14

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 0691220573

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Why you don’t have a self—and why that’s a good thing In Losing Ourselves, Jay Garfield, a leading expert on Buddhist philosophy, offers a brief and radically clear account of an idea that at first might seem frightening but that promises to liberate us and improve our lives, our relationships, and the world. Drawing on Indian and East Asian Buddhism, Daoism, Western philosophy, and cognitive neuroscience, Garfield shows why it is perfectly natural to think you have a self—and why it actually makes no sense at all and is even dangerous. Most importantly, he explains why shedding the illusion that you have a self can make you a better person. Examining a wide range of arguments for and against the existence of the self, Losing Ourselves makes the case that there are not only good philosophical and scientific reasons to deny the reality of the self, but that we can lead healthier social and moral lives if we understand that we are selfless persons. The book describes why the Buddhist idea of no-self is so powerful and why it has immense practical benefits, helping us to abandon egoism, act more morally and ethically, be more spontaneous, perform more expertly, and navigate ordinary life more skillfully. Getting over the self-illusion also means escaping the isolation of self-identity and becoming a person who participates with others in the shared enterprise of life. The result is a transformative book about why we have nothing to lose—and everything to gain—by losing our selves.


Indian Perspectives on Consciousness, Language and Self

Indian Perspectives on Consciousness, Language and Self

Author: Marco Ferrante

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-08-31

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 1000176231

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This book examines the theory of consciousness developed by the school of Recognition, an Indian philosophical tradition that thrived around the tenth c. CE in Kashmir, and argues that consciousness has a linguistic nature. It situates the doctrines of the tradition within the broader Indian philosophical context and establishes connections with the contemporary analytic debate. The book focuses on Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta (tenth c. CE), two Hindu intellectuals belonging to the school of Recognition, Pratyabhijñā in Sanskrit. It argues that these authors promoted ideas that bear a strong resemblance with contemporary ‘higher–order theories’ of consciousness. In addition, the book explores the relationship between the thinkers of the school of Recognition and the thought of the grammarian/philosopher Bhartṛhari (fifth c. CE). The book bridges a gap that still exists between scholars engaged with Western traditions and Sanskrit specialists focused on textual materials. In doing so, the author uses concepts from contemporary philosophy of mind to illustrate the Indian arguments and an interdisciplinary approach with abundant reference to the original sources. Offering fresh information to historians of Indian thought, the book will also be of interest to academics working on Non-Western Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, Religion, Hinduism, Tantric Studies and South Asian Studies.


Madhyamaka and Yogacara

Madhyamaka and Yogacara

Author: Jay L. Garfield

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2015-04-06

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 0190266430

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Madhyamaka and Yogacara are the two principal schools of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. While Madhyamaka asserts the ultimate emptiness and conventional reality of all phenomena, Yogacara is usually considered to be idealistic. This collection of essays addresses the degree to which these philosophical approaches are consistent or complementary. Indian and Tibetan doxographies often take these two schools to be philosophical rivals. They are grounded in distinct bodies of sutra literature and adopt what appear to be very different positions regarding the analysis of emptiness and the status of mind. Madhyamaka-Yogacara polemics abound in Indian Buddhist literature, and Tibetan doxographies regard them as distinct systems. Nonetheless, scholars have tried to synthesize the two positions for centuries. This volume offers new essays by prominent experts on both these traditions, who address the question of the degree to which these philosophical approaches should be seen as rivals or as allies. In answering the question of whether Madhyamaka and Yogacara can be considered compatible, contributors engage with a broad range of canonical literature, and relate the texts to contemporary philosophical problems.


On the Nature of Intention and Reflexes of Consciousness with Special Reference to Vedanta and Phenomenology

On the Nature of Intention and Reflexes of Consciousness with Special Reference to Vedanta and Phenomenology

Author: Chakraborty Munmun

Publisher: Seeken

Published: 2022-12-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781805454007

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The dilemma that has been pointed out by M.K. Bhadra in his article, On Mohanty's Conception of Intentionality, regarding Mohanty‟s attempt to derive reflexivity of consciousness from intentionality, is one of the most provocative issues that may compel anyone to indulge into consciousness studies. The necessity to carry out the present inquiry has emerged significantly from the same source. Over the times, both Husserlian phenomenology and Advaita Vedānta, have ventured exceedingly to work out the nature and fundamental features of consciousness. However, the debate among them became vibrant due to the intervention of contemporary scholars, noticeably the renowned phenomenologist J.N. Mohanty who in the true sense has made the problem to reinforce. The age-old questions that continue to poke the Indian scholars especially the Advaitins and the phenomenologists of different times can be stated as - "What is the nature of consciousness?‟ "Is consciousness by nature intentional or self-luminous (reflexive)?‟ Precisely, the purpose of this study is to evaluate these two well-known theories, namely, "the theory of reflexivity or sva-prakāśa of consciousness‟ as specifically advocated by Śaṅkara and "the theory of intentionality‟ as propounded by Husserl in a new light. In addition, the study aims to examine whether the derivation of reflexivity is logical to detain intentionality. Does intentionality occur prior to make consciousness self-aware? In other words, does reflexivity presuppose previous act of intentionality? Lastly, the present study aims to clarify whether the nature of consciousness permits any real reconciliation between these two theories or not


The Buddhist Theory of Self-Cognition

The Buddhist Theory of Self-Cognition

Author: Zhihua Yao

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2012-09-10

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1134287461

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This highly original work explores the concept of self-awareness or self-consciousness in Buddhist thought. Its central thesis is that the Buddhist theory of self-cognition originated in a soteriological discussion of omniscience among the Mahasamghikas, and then evolved into a topic of epistemological inquiry among the Yogacarins. To illustrate this central theme, this book explores a large body of primary sources in Chinese, Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan, most of which are presented to an English readership for the first time. It makes available important resources for the study of the Buddhist philosophy of mind.