Attention, Not Self
The Philosophical Review July 1, 2019 Monima Chadha 1 citation
A review of Jonardon Ganeri's book argues that attention, rather than a self, performs the roles traditionally attributed to the self in perception, thought, action, and personal identity. The reviewer contends that Ganeri's interpretation of Buddhaghosa's no-self doctrine is too narrow, focusing only on an "Authorship view" while ignoring evidence for no-subject or no-ownership views in the texts. The reviewer suggests Ganeri avoids broader interpretations to maintain attention's explanatory priority and to align with modern political values. Despite this critique, the book is praised for its novel translation of 'nāma-rūpa' as 'minded body' and its cross-cultural translation of Pāli Buddhist concepts into contemporary analytic and phenomenological philosophy of mind.