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PHIL565 ASIAN PHILOSOPHIES
(22396)
THE CONSTRUCTED SELF:
THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY
AND COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Sandra A. Wawrytko, Department of Philosophy
M
4:00pm-6:40pm
SH-127
Course Description
WHO ARE YOU? What could be more obvious or more intimate than one’s own sense of
identity? Through time and across cultures, the ontological existence of self, ātman, soul,
psyche, etc., has been deemed indisputable. But does the experience of consciousness or
awareness require an underlying self? Twenty-five hundred years ago Gotama Siddharta
(aka the Buddha) claimed to have awakened to the truth—that this presumably
independent, separate identity was in fact a construct, an epiphenomenon. Cognitive
scientists have come to strikingly similar conclusions.
There are at least three responses to the question, “Is self a construct?” 1) We can accept
the self as an ontological reality, 2) see it as a necessary social construct or evolutionary
imperative, or 3) recognize it as a concept that needs to be deconstructed as a source of
dysfunctional delusions. The scientific method will be applied in scrutinizing these
claims—
1. identify the problem posed by self identity,
2. devise a hypothesis or theorem to explain the event or phenomenon of self,
3. identify a lemma or assumption implied by the hypothesis,
4. perform the test to acquire confirming or contrary evidence,
5. accept or reject the hypothesis or theorem.
Students will be tasked with developing their own experiments within the laboratory of the
mind to test the evidence for arguments that the self is a construct.
Resources will include classic philosophical views of the self across cultures. Contemporary
research from evolutionary biologists, psychologists, sociologists, and cognitive scientists
also will be surveyed. The development of self identity from biological necessity to political
imperative also will be explored. George Orwell offers chilling projections of ways in which
the state manipulates one’s sense of identity as a form of thought control.
We will focus on the Buddhist analysis of self to consider the beneficial consequences of
deconstructing the self. In terms of social relationships, the non-discriminating mind
removes the basis for gender discrimination, ethnic tensions, religious conflict, and
competing nationalistic claims. On a global scale it supports environmental stability by
reversing the deleterious effects of anthropocentrism and species-ism.
PHIL 565, SPRING 2014
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Required Texts
Guy Newland, Introduction to Emptiness: Tsong-kha-pa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of the
Path, Snow Lion, 2009.
Anam Thubten, No Self No Problem, Dharmata Press, 2013.
B. Alan Wallace, Meditations of a Buddhist Skeptic: A Manifesto for the Mind Sciences and
Contemplative Practice, Columbia University Press, 2012.
Online Texts
Natalie Angier, “Evolutionary Necessity or Glorious Accident? Biologists Ponder the Self,”
New York Times, April 22, 1997.
Arthur J. Deikman, “I=Awareness,” Journal of Consciousness Studies, 3 (4), 1996, pp. 350-6.
Thomas Nagel, “What is it like to be a bat?,” The Philosophical Review, 83:4 (October 1974),
35-50.
Kerri Smith, “Taking Aim at Free Will,” Nature, Sept 2011 (277), 23-25.
Optional Texts
Iain McGilchrist, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the
Western World (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009)
Jill Bolte Taylor Ph.D., My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, Plume, 2009.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Nothing to Do, Nowhere to Go: Waking Up to Who You Are, Parallax Press,
2007. [Linji]
Ramachandran, The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us Human, W.
W. Norton, 2011.
Roderick Tweedy, The God of the Left Hemisphere: Blake, Bolte Taylor and the Myth of
Creation, Karnac Books. 2013.
B. Alan Wallace, Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge,
Columbia University Press, 2007.
Instructional formats
application of the scientific method to the core question of self
brainstorming sessions to refine hypotheses, lemmas, questionnaires
interactive presentation of results, incorporating student critiques in final report
Activities
student design and implementation of questionnaire to compile data on assumptions about
self
student interviews with expert witnesses in fields of religion, science, philosophy,
Buddhism, etc.
participation in Mind and Life Research Network (MLRN), a project of the Mind & Life
Institute
meditation training at local Buddhist centers
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online exchanges with students at Fo Guang University, a Buddhist campus in Taiwan
Learning Outcomes
1. Investigate and analyze interdisciplinary approaches to questions of self-identity and
consciousness drawn from multiple cultures
2. Assess data on consciousness derived from the sciences and Buddhism
3. Evaluate the evidence garnered from various disciplines by proposing and testing a
hypothesis/theorem concerning identity
4. Explore the personal and global consequences of our assumptions about identity as they
engender conflicts or facilitate conflict resolution
COURSE OUTLINE
OVERVIEW
Jan 27
Intro
Is Identity a Construct? possible responses
NO
YES, but a necessary/useful one
biological necessity
political imperative
YES, and it must be deconstructed
Basic Terminology
MIND VS. BRAIN; CONSCIOUSNESS
Carl Zimmer, “In the Human Brain, Size Really Isn’t Everything,” NYTimes, Dec 26, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/science/in-the-human-brain-size-really-isnteverything.html
James Gorman, “A Search for Self in a Brain Scan,” NYTimes, January 7, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/science/a-search-for-self-in-a-brain-scan.html
Interview— “Why Oliver Sacks is One of the Great Modern Adventurers: The neurologist’s
latest investigations of the mind explore the mystery of hallucinations –
including his own,” Smithsonian, December 2012
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Why-Oliver-Sacks-is-One-of-the-GreatModern-Adventurers-179973641.html#ixzz2pqbCosFy
CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY—PERSON/PERSONA
“those people”; is a corporation really a person?
“Did Fire Influence the Evolution of the Human Mind?,” Smithsonian, December 2012
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http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Fire-Good-Make-Human-InspirationHappen-179730221.html#ixzz2pqXORVXW
Yascha Mounk, “German, Jewish and Neither,” NYTimes, January 3, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/04/opinion/sunday/german-jewish-and-neither.html
FROM SELF TO SELFIE
David Brooks, “What Our Words Tell Us,” NYTimes, May 21, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/opinion/brooks-what-our-words-tell-us.html
Hope Reeves, “I'm in Love with a Selfie,” NYTimes, November 24, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/11/22/magazine/mag-24OPM.html
Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster, “The Gospel According to ‘Me’,” NYTimes, June 29,
2013
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/the-gospel-according-to-me/
William Grimes, “Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Mirrored Room’ at David Zwirner Gallery, NYTimes,
December 1, 2013 (“In a ‘Mirrored Room,’ a Setting For Selfies Worth Waiting For”)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/arts/design/yayoi-kusamas-mirrored-room-atdavid-zwirner-gallery.html?pagewanted=all
THE ETHICAL ‘I’ AS MORAL AGENT
Alina Tugend, “In Life and Business, Learning to Be Ethical,” NYTimes, January 10, 2014, B5
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/11/your-money/in-life-and-business-learning-to-beethical.html
Martin Fackler, “Defying Japan, Rancher Saves Fukushima’s Radioactive Cows,” NYTimes,
January 11, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/12/world/asia/defying-japan-rancher-savesfukushimas-radioactive-cows.html?hp&_r=0
BASELINE
Feb 3
Arthur J. Deikman, “I=Awareness”
Nagel, “What is it like to be a bat?”
Feb 10
Buddha, Anatta-lakkhana Sutta: The Discourse on the Not-self Characteristic
Anam Thubten, No Self No Problem
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Feb 17
Wallace, Meditations of a Buddhist Skeptic: A Manifesto for the Mind Sciences and
Contemplative Practice
questions distributed for take-home essay 1—due March 3
Feb 24
Newland, Introduction to Emptiness: Tsong-kha-pa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path
WISDOM
March 3
STRATEGIZING—presentation of student projects in process
1. provisional hypothesis/ theorem to explain the phenomenon of self
2. test assumption/lemma
data collection
survey of philosophical sources
Plato, Aquinas, Nietzsche, Heidegger
survey of scientific sources
Crick, The Astonishing Hypothesis
Smith, “Taking Aim at Free Will”
Angier, “Evolutionary Necessity or Glorious Accident?”
James Gorman, “The Brain, in Exquisite Detail,” NYTimes, Jan 7, 2014
social and political imperatives
Meng Zi, Xun Zi, Hobbes, Orwell
questionnaires
general population groups (parents, fellow students, etc.)
interviews of student selected expert witnesses
3. entering the laboratory of the mind to acquire evidence that confirms or undermines the
lemmas and hypotheses
Descartes, Hume, Chan Master Linji
Wallace, Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge
meditation training at local centers—Dharma Bums, Deer Park
4. accepting or rejecting the original hypothesis/theorem
individual presentations of tentative results and class critiques
COMPASSION
the practical consequences of deconstructing self-identity
unstuck from limiting self-identity as the Tathagata (Thus Come, Thus Gone) and the Crazy
Clouds (yun-shui, 雲水)
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March 10, 17, 24
how realization of the non-discriminating mind impacts
gender discrimination
generational divides
ethnic tensions
religious conflict
nationalism
anthropocentrism and species-ism
leadership
Spring Break March 31-April 4
April 7, 14, 21
discussion of contemporary conflicts based on divisive identity assumptions, such as
violence against women in India
ongoing tensions in the Middle East
religious fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
partisan gridlock in Washington DC
the threat of nationalism in China and North Korea
America’s gun culture and incidence of mass shootings
April 28, May 5
presentation of penultimate conclusions
group discussions and challenges will allow you to hone final report on your hypothesis,
due May 12
May 12, 4-6, Final Exam
written response to the initial question, “Is self a construct?”; present a reasoned argument
drawing on the full scope of class texts and discussions along with individual research,
including the most persuasive evidence for identity as a construct and for it not being a
construct.
“life is a continuous theater and the self is simply a performance designed to impress
other people . . . The self has been captured by the Other, by society and its demands”
Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
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Potential Resources for Student Explorations
James H. Austin, Selfless Insight: Zen and the Meditative Transformations of Consciousness,
MIT Press.
Chan Oxherding Poems/Pictures
Francis Crick, The Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul
Rene Descartes, Meditations
Martin Heidegger, What is Called Thinking?
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
David Hume, Treatise on Human Nature
Meng Zi, Meng Zi
Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo
George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-four
Plato, Phaedo
Tsong-kha-pa, Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path
Xun Zi, Xun Zi
Wawrytko, “American Identity and American Gun Culture: A Buddhist Deconstruction,”
Culture and Dialogue, volume 3, number 2, 2013
Wawrytko, “The Self Deconstructed: Daoist, Buddhist, and Chan Perspectives”
brain death
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/health/the-science-behind-brain-death.html?hp
online identities— immortality through technology?
dating profiles
Facebook entries
avatars
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PHIL 565, SPRING 2014
CONTACTS
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
office AL428; 619-594-5455 ;TTH 12:30-1:30; TH 3:30-4; M 3:3:30
or by appointment
email wawrytko@mail.sdsu.edu
EMAIL ETIQUETTE: include your official NAME as it appears in
class records, the CLASS in which you are enrolled, the SEMESTER
enrolled; DO NOT expect a long response
regular attendance
READ TEXTS PRIOR TO CLASS MEETINGS
written assignments
weekly commentaries on readings (100 points)
take-home essay exam, due March 3 (200 points)
project proposal, due March 10 (100 points)
presentation of penultimate report, April 28 or May 5 (100 points)
final report on individual hypothesis, due May 12 (300 points)
final examination, in-class May 12 (200 points)
ORGANIZATIONAL
RATIONALE
MATERIALS AND
RESOURCES
OVERVIEW OF
VENUES,
ENVIRONMENTS,
MEDIA
The course is designed to confront the perennial question of identity,
by testing our assumptions and unexamined conclusions in the light
of the Buddhist philosophy of an-atman and its convergence with
scientific research. Each student will pursue a rigorous exploration of
a self-selected hypothesis, delving into its underlying assumptions
through wide-ranging research.
online resources
materials will be posted on BLACKBOARD periodically (Course
Documents for class notes and other new materials; Assignments for
exams). Online forums also can be set up as required. If internet
access is a problem alert the instructor!
The first five weeks will provide a shared foundation in competing
views of identity, including guided thought experiments. However
our main focus will be on developing and testing hypotheses
concerning identity from a variety of perspectives. Students are
encouraged and in fact required to share their resources toward the
end of creating an online database on identity, to be posted at the end
of the semester.
Free writing exercises on assigned readings will be incorporated on a
weekly basis. Class attendance is assessed based on these in class
exercises. Questions for the essay exams will be distributed at least
two weeks prior to the due date.
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PHIL565, SPRING 2014
ASSESSMENT
AND GRADING
Evaluative Criteria for Essay Examinations
D D+ C- C C+ B -B B+ A- A
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10
1# nearly non-existent// 5 # average// 10 # exceptional
C—you came to class and took adequate notes (secondary sources)
(you tell me what I told you)
B—you came to class, took adequate notes and demonstrate
comprehension of the class materials (primary sources)
A—you came to class, took adequate notes, demonstrate
comprehension, and show evidence of original thinking
COMPREHENSIVENESS
did you answer the question?
the whole question?
and nothing but the question?
CLARITY
have you expressed yourself clearly?
how well have you communicated your points?
TEXTUAL SUPPORT
have you demonstrated that you have read
and understand class readings and other materials?
CREATIVE INSIGHT
have you gone beyond class discussions,
contributing your own original thought?
STRUCTURE/ORGANIZATION
have you planned out your discussion?
have you offered logical arguments for your views?
have you included evidence from the texts?
ACCURACY/ANALYSIS
have you given a faithful
presentation of class material?
PHYSICAL PRESENTATION
have you checked your spelling, grammar, syntax? is your paper
readable and orderly? does it reflect you and your efforts adequately?
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SUBMISSIONS
The ability to express oneself clearly and persuasively in the English is a
very valuable marketable skill, especially since so few people possess such
an ability. Constant practice and refinement is required to acquire such a
skill.
PROCEDURE going paperless to respect the environment!!!
1. online submission preferred, submit a SINGLE file
2. The file name should include ONLY your surname followed by the
course number and the number of the exam.
3. Format—Microsoft XP or rich text
CONTENTS
1. Label responses using the number of the question being answered.
2. Include page references for your text citations.
3. A 300 level class is considered upper division and has corresponding
expectations of effort and competence. INCLUDE A COMPLETED
EVALUATION FORM AT THE END OF THE EXAM
THIS IS NOT A CORRESPONDENCE CLASS! Papers dropped off at the
beginning of class by students who subsequently leave will be consigned to
the waste basket. Papers left in the instructor's departmental box or office
will be similarly disposed of, registering as a grade of F. Using class time to
complete your assignment is a sign of poor planning, so do not show up at
the end of class beaming with your just completed your assignment.
EXTENSIONS Each student is entitled to ONE emergency extension of the
due date, not to exceed one week from the original due date, again by prior
arrangement with the instructor. Try to avoid contacting the instructor the
day the assignment is due. A request for an extension should be made by
the due date (one per customer) online or as a hardcopy.
RE-SUBMISSIONS In the interest of pedagogical perfection, essays may be
re-submitted for a change of grade. This policy is not intended to produce
rewrites, but is intended to allow for responses to questions raised in your
original presentation.
1. Do NOT rewrite the original essay; no change of grade will be
forthcoming if you simply correct grammatical inconsistencies and
misspellings;
2. include original essay, with corrections the instructor, with resubmission;
3. respond to points raised in the instructor's comments and supply any
additional information requested to substantiate your arguments;
4. make use of class texts as evidence for your arguments.
Prior to reworking your essay, it is recommended that you speak with the
instructor to clarify what needs to be done in your particular case. There is
no double jeopardy in force, meaning that your grade will not be lowered
(although it may remain unchanged).
Re-submissions of all essays will be accepted up until and including the last
day of classes (week 15). NO RESUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED
AFTER THAT TIME. Students are expected to keep a copy of all work, in
the unlikely event that their paper is mislaid.
PHIL565, SPRING 2014
ACCOMMODATION
FOR STUDENTS
WITH
DISABILITIES
SUPPORT FOR
GENERAL
ACADEMIC
DEVELOPMENT
AND SKILLS
TRAINING
A critical
approach is the
distinguishing
mark of a
philosopher!
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If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need
accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact
Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in
the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student
Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that
accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide
accommodations based upon disability until I have received an
accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your
cooperation is appreciated.
CHECK-LIST FOR ESSAY EXAMINATIONS
This class is structured on the self-power principle!!!
If you have difficulties completing the take-home assignments
and/or are disappointed in your grade, pose the following questions
to yourself and respond candidly. If you can honestly answer “yes”
to all of the above, we have something to talk about. If not, you need
to work on your study habits.
I. Have I read the assigned articles AT LEAST once BEFORE class?
2. Did I READ and FOLLOW the various Guidelines included in
the syllabus? Did you keep in mind the Evaluative Criteria as
you constructed your essay?
3. Did I MARK places in readings that were unclear or confusing?
4. Did I ASK for clarification of these points in OR outside of class?
5. Did I REREAD the articles PRIOR TO attempting to answer
the exam questions?
6. Did I understand WHAT the exam was asking of me and
HOW to accomplish these tasks? If not, did I ASK for
clarification?
7. Did I OUTLINE my arguments prior to writing the exam?
8. Did I REVIEW and EDIT my rough draft(s) before turning in
the assignment?
9. Did I start working on the exam in a TIMELY manner?
GUIDELINES FOR READING PHILOSOPHICAL TEXTS
I. WHAT is the subject under discussion, what problem or
question is the author addressing?
2. WHY is this a problem or open question?
WHY is the author concerned with the problem/question?
3. What solution is being proposed to the problem/question?
4. HOW has the author arrived at that solution? What
arguments and evidence have been advanced?
5. Can we ACCEPT this solution? Why or why not?
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GUIDELINES FOR WRITING ESSAY EXAMINATIONS
ANSWER THE QUESTION, THE WHOLE QUESTION,
AND NOTHING BUT THE QUESTION
I SOURCES
course texts class notes
discussions/ both in and outside of class
CREATIVE THINKING!!!
Other sources, such an encyclopedias and websites, are NOT
recommended, as they tend to result in added confusion for students.
Concentrate on the class texts—these are your most reliable resources
and what I will be looking for as I read your work.
II. FORMAT
outline your material beforehand
WHAT do you want to say?
HOW can it best be stated?
WHY do you hold these views?
ORGANIZE the material in argument form:
"given these facts, X must be true".
CREDIT your sources, using page references from the text;
don't misrepresent the ideas of others as your own.
There is a word for that, PLAGIARISM!!!
III. CONTENT
There are no absolutely right or wrong answers to the questions
asked, only sound (true premises combined with validly drawn
conclusions) or unsound arguments, that is, arguments that make
varying degrees of sense and those that are nonsense. The aim of
these kinds of questions is to give students the opportunity to deal
with the theoretical and practical issues of philosophy, and in so
doing demonstrate their ability to apply their knowledge of the
subject. In short, the aim is to invite you to PHILOSOPHIZE!
ACTIVITIES AND
ASSIGNMENTS
As befits a course in Philosophy, assignments are largely oriented
toward an essay format. However questions are often phrased in
such a way as to engage the writer’s imagination and intuition along
with intellectual acumen.
You will not find the answers to such questions in a book or online—
not even in Wikipedia!
You need to stand under the course material in order to formulate
your own answer.
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STUDENT
PRIVACY AND
INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY
SOCIAL
“CONTRACT”
Every effort will be made to respect your privacy and intellectual property
in the course of the semester and beyond. Students will be asked for their
approval before any work done for the class is made available to anyone
other than the instructor. If students do not retrieve their papers, they are
kept for a period of one year and then disposed of in an ecologically friendly
manner.
THE LI OF THE CLASSROOM
A civilized means to the end of promoting efficacious interchanges in a
classroom environment, thereby maximizing your increasingly large tuition
investment as well as the likelihood that you will (a) learn something from
the class and (b) actually pass the class with a decent grade
1. ALWAYS check to be certain your CELL PHONE is disengaged and
will not disturb the class (you will be asked to submit an Accident Report
for any cell phone intrusions explaining why you should not have 50
points deducted from your class score)
2. If you must ARRIVE LATE OR LEAVE EARLY please enter or exit
the room in the least obtrusive manner, using a back entrance if possible
and keeping disruptive noise to a minimum
3. ALWAYS ask permission to TAPE CLASS LECTURES; not to do so
is a violation of the speaker’s intellectual property; if permission is
granted it is made on the assumption that the recording will be for your
personal use only
4. Avoid PERSONAL CONVERSATIONS during class time
5. Please RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO LEAVE BEFORE CLASS IS
OVER, which creates disruptions that do not allow your fellow students
to hear the instructor's closing remarks
6. Use of COMPUTERS in the classroom is highly discouraged.
Respect the right of your fellow students to be free from auditory and
visual distractions emanating from your screen.
SURFING THE NET DURING CLASS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE CLASS
ATTENDANCE.
Suggestions for additional points welcomed!
Linji’s “businessless person”: “This person has simply stopped. She is no longer caught
by anything, even theories or teachings. The businessless person is the true person
inside each one of us.” Thich Nhat Hanh, Nothing To Do Nowhere to Go: Waking Up to
Who You Are