Calendar of Events

John Dunne
Distinguished Professor of Contemplative Humanities
Center for Healthy Minds
Chair, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Monday, February 15, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM (ET)
Webinar

Title: “Reflexivity and Conscious Experience in Buddhist Thought”

In what sense do we have “self-knowledge?” At times, it may seem that we know ourselves as something like a character within a story. In such cases, we seem to see ourselves objectively, from the outside. Buddhist epistemologists, however, maintain that there is another form of “self-knowing” that is inherent to the very structure of experience itself. This “reflexivity” is innate and relates closely to our ability to be aware of the larger context and emotional framework that informs experience. This talk explores the notion of reflexivity in the works of Buddhist epistemologists such as Dharmakīrti and examines its relevance to understanding conscious experience.

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