#417. Why I’m Not a Buddhist | Evan Thompson
This episode features Evan Thompson, author of the book Why I Am Not a Buddhist. Evan Thompson is a writer and professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. His work and research focuses on the nature of the mind, the self, and human experience combining cognitive science, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and cross-cultural philosophy, particularly Asian philosophical traditions.
This episode explores: Thompson’s beef with what he calls “Buddhist exceptionalism,” “Buddhist modernism,” and “neural Buddhism;” why Buddhism is so attractive in the Western world; our culture’s need for validation of meaning through science; McMindfulness and the Western obsession with individualism; the dialogue between science and Buddhism; what the Buddha meant by the word dukkha, or suffering; and Evan lays out his case for an alternative to Buddhist exceptionalism, which he calls “cosmopolitanism.”
Where to find Evan Thompson online:
Books Mentioned:
- Why I Am Not a Buddhist | Yale University Press
- Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy by Evan Thompson and Stephen Batchelor
Other Resources Mentioned:
- William Irwin Thompson
- Lindisfarne Association
- Bob Thurman
- #404. What Is Nirvana? | Robert Thurman — Ten Percent Happier
- Mind & Life Institute
- Insight Meditation Society
- Spirit Rock Meditation Center
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
- DT Suzuki | Japanese Buddhist scholar | Britannica
- Henry David Thoreau (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- William James (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Saint Thomas Aquinas
- René Descartes (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Confucius (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Stoicism
- Mahayana Buddhism - World History Encyclopedia.
- Willoughby Britton, PhD | Mindfulness Center | Brown University
- What is Metta Meditation? - Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
- The Why and How of Lojong, or Mind Training - Lion's Roar
- Adam Frank
- Marcelo Gleiser
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