1st Edition
Hindu and Buddhist Ideas in Dialogue Self and No-Self
The debates between various Buddhist and Hindu philosophical systems about the existence, definition and nature of self, occupy a central place in the history of Indian philosophy and religion. These debates concern various issues: what 'self' means, whether the self can be said to exist at all, arguments that can substantiate any position on this question, how the ordinary reality of individual persons can be explained, and the consequences of each position. At a time when comparable issues are at the forefront of contemporary Western philosophy, in both analytic and continental traditions (as well as in their interaction), these classical and medieval Indian debates widen and globalise such discussions. This book brings to a wider audience the sophisticated range of positions held by various systems of thought in classical India.
Biography
Dr. Kuznetsova, Lancaster University, UK; Prof. Ganeri, University of Sussex, UK; Prof. Ram-Prasad, Lancaster University, UK.
'...this book is the most systematic and philosophically adept comparative text from a Hindu perspective that this reviewer has ever read... This important volume is indispensable for those wanting an in-depth look at the diverse notions of self within the classical Hindu traditions, and the relations they have to Buddhist thought. It is also necessary reading for those studying notions of self from a Western philosophical perspective. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above.' Choice 'This important book breaks new ground in cross-cultural philosophy. Over many centuries, Hindu and Buddhist philosophers engaged in sophisticated debates about the existence and nature of the self. These debates are highly relevant to contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science, for they contain rich analyses of memory, self-consciousness, embodiment, agency, and emotion. For anyone wanting to understand the Indian debates about selfhood and consciousness, and their significance for philosophy and cognitive science today, this book is essential reading.' Evan Thompson, University of Toronto, Canada ’This is perhaps the most important work to emerge in recent times on Hindu and Buddhist understandings of the self (or of its absence!) not only for the range and sophistication of its treatment but also as a study to which exponents of Western philosophy must return again and again if they wish to engage in dialogue with the subtle, complex and instructive notions of self and personal identity offered by Indian thought. With this publication, the dialogue can now come of age.’ Julius Lipner, University of Cambridge, UK '[This volume has] intricate and erudite content [...] which, alongside earlier work by scholars such as Claus Oetke and Alex Watson, provide an outstanding contribution to scholarship on the atman debate... [A] landmark publication.' Journal of Hindu Studies
