REL 288
Embodiment and Consciousness: A Cross-Cultural Exploration Fall 2022
Division II
Cross-listed PHIL 288
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

This course examines some of the central questions raised by the study of the consciousness: the place of intentionality, the role of emotions, the relation with the body, the nature of subjectivity, the scope of reflexivity, the nature of perceptual presence, etc. In confronting these difficult questions, we do not proceed purely theoretically but consider the contributions of various observation-based traditions, from Buddhist psychology and meditative practices to phenomenology to neurosciences. We begin by examining some of the central concepts of Buddhist psychology, its treatment of the mind as a selfless stream of consciousness, its examination of the variety of mental factors and its accounts of the relation between cognition and affects. We also introduce the practice of meditation as a way to observe the mind and raise questions concerning the place of its study in the mind-sciences. We pursue this reflection by examining the views of James, Husserl, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty, particularly as they concern the methods for the study of the mind and the relation between consciousness, reflexivity and the body. In this way, we develop a rich array of analytical tools and observational practices to further our understanding of the mind. But we also question the value of these tools based on first person approaches by relating them to the third person studies of the mind. In this way, we come to appreciate the importance of considering the biology on which mental processes are based and the light that this approach throws on the nature of consciousness. We conclude by considering the relation between first and third person studies of the mind, focusing on the concept of the embodied mind as a fruitful bridge between these different traditions.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 18
Expected: 18
Class#: 1364
Grading: yes pass/fail option, no fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: regular practice of meditation, a class presentation, a short essay (6-pages); a long final research paper (15 pages)
Prerequisites: any introduction to philosophy and at least two upper level courses in PHIL, at least one of which meets the Contemporary Metaphysics or Epistemology distribution requirement for the major, no exceptions;
Enrollment Preferences: Religion and Philosophy majors
Unit Notes: there is no need to email the professor in advance to indicate interest in the course
Distributions: Division II
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
PHIL 288 Division II REL 288 Division II
Attributes: COGS Interdepartmental Electives
PHIL Contemp Metaphysics + Epistemology Courses

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