The Buddhist Turn in Contemporary Philosophy of Mind

Contemporary philosophy of mind aims to explain the mind using scientific terms, drawing on cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience. Yet key questions persist, such as how consciousness arises from brain processes and how phenomenal properties emerge from physical bodily experiences. Some scholars now turn to Buddhist thought as an alternative framework, given its focus on the mind and perceived compatibility with modern science. This paper examines whether Buddhist thought offers insights to overcome these challenges facing the naturalization project.

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Abstract

Contemporary philosophy of mind is generally characterized by its project to naturalize the mind. Utilizing the findings of the different sciences involved in cognitive science, especially those of artificial intelligence and neuroscience, it continues to explore ways to explain the workings of the mind in purely scientific terms. But despite the rigor and sophistication of its methods, certain questions critical to its success have remained unanswered, such as how consciousness emerges from the brain's physical processes and how the phenomenal properties of our conscious experiences arise from the physical properties of our bodily experiences. This has led some scholars to seek alternative perspectives. One such perspective that is widely explored today is Buddhist thought. The centrality of the mind in Buddhist thought and its perceived compatibility with the findings of modern science make it an attractive alternative framework to carry out the naturalization project. In this paper, I aim to examine the plausibility of this strategy. In particular, I shall evaluate whether Buddhist thought provides the needed insights to overcome the challenges facing the said project.