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The Bodhisattva's Brain : Buddhism Naturalized (2011)

by Owen Flanagan(Favorite Author)

3.65 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0262016044 (ISBN13: 9780262016049)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

MIT Press

review 1: It's good: A dispassionate analysis of Buddhist philosophy and practice and its connection (or not) to happiness; this requires, of course, extensive discussion both of Buddhism and of "happiness." The book does get tedious, even for someone with an academic background in philosophy; I admit that I read some lengthy chunks of it but just skimmed my way through long sections, as well. The author's conclusion is that the practice of Buddhism, shorn of supernatural claptrap, certainly can (but does not necessarily) lead to a good life, eudaimonia, flourishing, and/or "happiness" as conventionally conceived. It's a fairly long walk through the woods to get to this equivocal conclusion, but I enjoyed it.
review 2: This is a book by an analytic philosopher, one who w... moreould generally be expected to be unsympathetic to Buddhist spirituality, who nonethless finds much that is philosophically interesting in Buddhism. (I also teach philosophy and agree with this.) Flanagan makes clear that he has no interest in the superstitious side of Buddhism (e.g., the gods and goddesses of Tibetan Buddhism) but shows that even if one dismisses those elements, Buddhism has much to teach Western philosophers.I recommend this book for those interested in philosophy (real philosophy, not what is popularly called philosophy) and also wants to explore Buddhism. Or perhaps someone steeped in Buddhism who wants to see how it relates to mainstream Western philosophical issues. less

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