Is consciousness merely an epiphenomenal event? What is the relationship between emotional experience, thought, and action? Ancient Buddhist thinkers thought these were important questions and so do many contemporary philosophers and neuroscientists.
Buddhist scholar William S. Waldron will open this panel with a presentation of his essay, “Buddhist Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Thinking about ‘Thoughts without a Thinker.’” Particular attention will be paid to the Experientialist School (Yogācāra) and their theory of a subliminal cognitive process called (ālaya-vijñāna), as well as the idea of “circular causality” (wherein the effects of former thoughts and actions provide the causal basis for future ones).
Evan Thompson (philosophy of mind), Joseph LeDoux (neuroscience), and Robert Van Gulick (philosophy of mind), will offer their reactions and thoughts on phenomenological theories for mind and embodied experience. Their discussion will be moderated by professor of philosophy Mark Siderits.ༀ
Panelist Essays & Presentations:
• William Waldron’s target essay.
(see also the extended online version here).
• Joseph LeDoux’s PowerPoint presentation.
• Evan Thompson’s response paper.
Web:
• “Mastery of Emotions” an interesting look at the work of Joseph LeDoux in Sci Am Mind.
• Read more on Yogacara in Buddhism—The E-book(scroll down)
• Thompson & Varela’s essay, “Radical Embodiment. . .”
• Van Gulick’s JCS commentary on Thompson & Noë’s essay, “Are There Neural Correlates of Consciousness?”
• Van Gulick’s entry on Consciousness in the SEP.
• Read Siderits’ review of Waldron’s book, The Buddhist Unconscious: The Alaya-vijana in the Context of Indian Buddhist Thought.
source: Philosophy East and West, April 1, 2005.
via: 
HighBeam™ Research
COPYRIGHT 2005 University of Hawaii Press
Blogs:
• Jeff’s Space and Time,“Unjust Causes”
• Cognitive Daily, “What Causes What? Depends on . . .”
※ And please visit the Mind & Reality website for details on the Symposium and audio webcast.
