[Buddha-l] Re: book: _Personal Identity and Buddhist Philosophy_

[Mr Michael A. La Torra]

Thanks for that information, Richard. 

I wasn't expecting the book to offer any specific aids to my practice, 
but I am interested in the thoughts of a competent analytic philosopher 
who also understands Buddhist no-self doctrine. Unfortunately, I myself 
probably lack sufficient competency in the technical aspects of 
philosophy to glean much from Siderits work. 

So I will content myself with the double delight of reading the 
summaries provided by you and the reviewers, and saving $79.95.

 

Richard Hayes <rhayes at unm.edu> wrote:
>I used several chapters of it in a combined graduate and upper-level 
>undergraduate course in the philosophy department. I think it is an 
excellent 
>and thought-provoking study of an important issue in Buddhist 
philosophy. The 
>upper-level undergraduate students found it difficult, because it does 
>presuppose quite a bit of familiarity with both Western and Indian 
>philosophy. The graduate students liked it quite a bit, although I 
think it's 
>accurate to report that the consensus was that it is a little overly 
>technical for what it has to say. 
>
>The book has attracted a lot of attention. The American Philosophical 
>Association devoted a newsletter to it in the Fall of 2006, with 
reflections 
>by Jay Garfield, John Taber and Dan Arnold. A review of the book 
appeared 
>just today on the H-BUDDHISM academic discussion list. I think it will 
prove 
>to be one of the really important books in Buddhist philosophy of this 
>generation. Siderits is a very capable thinker and a good textual 
scholar, 
>and he has a very broad education in philosophical issues. He is one of 
a 
>growing handful of people now taking Asian philosophy quite seriously, 
by 
>which I mean he thinks Asian philosophers have something important to 
>contribute to the field of philosophy in general, and he thinks Asian 
>thinkers are important enough to be read with a tough critical mind.
>
>In general I'd say Siderits's book is very much worth reading if one is 
a 
>philosopher and likes reading and thinking about fairly difficult 
material. 
>If one is looking for insights that might be useful in one's Buddhist 
>meditation practice, it might be disappointing. So I leave it to you to 
>decide whether it's worth $79.95 to you. (I doubt that any of the 
mythical 
>creatures that Curt is always warning us about, namely, those lazy 
Protestant 
>Buddhists who want nothing but a quick effortless giggle and a Club Med 
>cruise to Nirvana and back, would be interested in this book.)
>
>-- 
>Richard P. Hayes
>Department of Philosophy
>University of New Mexico
>http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes


---------------------------
Regards,
Michael LaTorra
mlatorra at nmsu.edu
Department of English
New Mexico State University
MSC 3E, PO Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003