Buddhism in Forbes Magazine: Buddhism Helps Us Understand the Mind

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David Weisman notes an interesting overlap between modern findings in neuroscience and ancient notions of Buddhism. Namely, the idea that our perception that we are one, unified self is flawed. The truth of the matter is that the the physical nature of the brain means that we are, in a very real sense, fragmented, interlocking parts, which combine to form the “illusion” of one singular self. As Weisman notes:

Our feeling of unity and control is a post-hoc confabulation and is easily fractured into separate parts. As revealed by scientific inquiry, what we call a mind (or a self, or a soul) is actually something that changes so much and is so uncertain that our pre-scientific language struggles to find meaning.

Buddhists say pretty much the same thing. They believe in an impermanent and illusory self made of shifting parts. They’ve even come up with language to address the problem between perception and belief. Their word for self is anatta, which is usually translated as ‘non self.’ One might try to refer to the self, but the word cleverly reminds one’s self that there is no such thing.

Now, I’m not completely convinced, as Weisman is, that the self is a complete illusion. To analogize, you can have parts as diverse as rubber tires, computer circuits, hollow metal tubes, plastic and metal panels, leather, and a variety of fluids — and end up with a car. And the parts of that car can break down to the point that the car doesn’t function in the same way that it used to.

Still, I think it’s important to remember that we’re still just barely scratching the surface of neuroscience, and the Buddhist reminder that we’re connected to nature, and that our “self” is the sum of many parts can be a critical concept to keep in mind. This is especially the case when faced with the rather fantastic promises of transhumanists and AI enthusiasts. Don’t get me wrong — I think that there’s enormous promise to enhance the human condition using technology. But right now we’re barely starting to understand what that condition is and what it means. If we can’t even quite figure out what the mind is, how can it be designed? If we’re still learning how we learn, think, remember, feel, and dream, how can we possibly transpose those qualities to a machine?

We are still a long, long way from that.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2011/03/22/buddhism-helps-us-understand-the-mind/