Nico Silins – The Lamp that Lights Itself: Consciousness and Inner Awareness

On behalf of the University of Montreal philosophy department, you are invited to a talk on thursday, March 21, 1-3 pm, in room 422, 2910 boul Édouard-Montpetit:

Nico Silins (Cornell University, Philosophy)

Title:
The Lamp that Lights Itself: Consciousness and Inner Awareness


Abstract:

According to an ancient and controversial metaphor in Buddhist philosophy, consciousness is a lamp that lights itself.  To put the point in contemporary terms, consciousness is 🔥.

I aim to unpack the Buddhist metaphor with its most philosophically rich and defensible reading.  Here I offer exegetical options to interpreters of classical Indian and Tibetan philosophy, as well as theoretical options to investigators of consciousness in any tradition.  On the interpretation I defend, you are always aware of a conscious mental state whenever you are in one, and the conscious character of the mental state is what makes you have awareness of it. 

I first spell out and clarify my reading of the metaphor of consciousness as a lamp that lights itself.  I then contrast my reading with rival takes on the explanatory relation between consciousness and inner awareness, and to defend it against those rivals.  In particular, I oppose higher-order theories of consciousness that maintain the explanatory priority of inner awareness over consciousness.  I close by responding to several important objections to my own position.

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inquiries to

jonathan.simon@umontreal.ca