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Werken van Dr. Charles Fisher

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The core question Fisher explores here is, how do the teachings of the Buddha apply to brains/minds of various types. Fisher looks at animals, at humans along their evolution from more ordinary primates through hunter-gatherer to modern global civilization. Fisher also asks about diseased brains/minds.

His examination addresses a crucial puzzle of our time. It's not just a matter of integrating Buddhism into the modern world. Even the notion of sustainability is paradoxical. Darwin pictures the world as one of constant conflict and change. Sustainability is generally envisioned as a steady peace. Perhaps some higher perspective can reconcile these, or perhaps there is some realistic middle way. In any case, Fisher is definitely probing important material.

Fisher asks whether the effectiveness of meditation can be measured. This reminds me of the program outlined by E. O. Wilson in his book Conscilience. Wilson paints a bolder picture and makes the paradox more apparent: have scientists worked out a system to reveal the true structure of reality - or are scientists just another odd fruit of the evolutionary process, their complex song just a clever strategy to promote propagation of their selfish genes?

WIthout a crisp definition of science as a foundation, one cannot build any secure structure of inferences. But it seems clear enough that science essentially involves a clear distinction between observer and observed, between controller and controlled. Mind is the observer, brain is the observed. The essential nature of science prevents it from ever elucidating the nature of the connection that it requires itself to ignore.

While the importance of the questions that Fisher addresses is clear, the book doesn't make much headway in the exploration. Fisher seems sincere enough and has long relevant experience. But the book is a kind of rambling memoir. He doesn't push hard in any direction. Perhaps - in the last chapter he is a bit critical of Tibetan Buddhism, favoring instead Zen. But here Fisher has written a big book full of ideas. If one decides to discuss profound topics, perhaps all that analytical machinery cultivated by the Tibetans turns out to be worthwhile!

Frankly, it was a bit of a slog to get through this book. With such important questions being probed, I kept hoping that maybe some good analysis would be coming, but it never really arrived. Perhaps in two or three places Fisher did manage to ring the bell loud and clear. He described the value of mediation - having described several modes of operation of the brain / mind, maybe meditation trains these to work together, the strength of each mode shoring up the weakness of the others.

No doubt some good editing could get the prose moving in a steadier flow. But at this point one can easily accumulate a few shelves full of books on these topics. Andy Clark's Being There comes to mind, or James Austin's Zen and the Brain. A broader scope of ideas and deeper analysis are called for than what Fisher gives us here.
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kukulaj | Nov 4, 2010 |

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Werken
1
Leden
29
Populariteit
#460,290
Waardering
½ 2.5
Besprekingen
1
ISBNs
2