Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Buddhism and Cognitive Science (postponed)

(Note: this seminar has been postponed until further notice due to a scheduling conflict)

CBS is honored to announce a time intensive seminar with Dr. Georges Dreyfus (Williams College) from October 12-23, 2009.

What Can Buddhism Contribute to Cognitive Science?

The course examines some of the ideas and practices that buddhism might contribute to the contemporary discussions about the mind among mind scientists. We will start by examining some of the assumptions and main views of contemporary cognitive sciences. Then we will examine a few topics such as consciousness, the self, embodiment and emotions, and discuss the standpoint that modern buddhist thinkers might adopt on these difficult topics. In doing so, we will examine some of the buddhist ideas but we will mostly focus on the contemporary discussions and see to which degree some modern views, particularly those belonging to husserl's phenomenological tradition and varela's enactive approach, might be compatible with Buddhist views.

Georges Dreyfus was a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for many years, and eventually became the first Westerner to obtain the degree of Geshey Lharampa. He currently teaches at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA.

For more information and to register, contact: admin@shedra.org