CLASS NOTES: Modular Theory of Mind and the Non-Self (Buddhism and Modern Psychology )

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Notes on video lecture:

Modular Theory of Mind and the Non-Self

Buddhism and Modern Psychology

Robert Wright, Princeton University

Notes taken by Edward Tanguay on May 31, 2016 (go to class or lectures)

Choose from these words to fill the blanks below:

feelings, module, equilibrium, Buddhist, coherently, meditate, clever, interpretations, everyday, bid, influence, friendships, offended, default, executive, traction, selves, external, essence, quiet, end, activation, enemies, nature, solution, concentration, triggered

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modular view of the mind

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there is no chief in your brain

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but many modules that take turns exerting dominant on your thought and behavior

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this corresponds with the idea of the self

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that there is no self at the core that persists through time

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Buddhist mediation

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can the module view of the mind help in meditation and help explain what is going on in people's minds when they

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jealous state of mind

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a modular mechanism that coordinates various thoughts and perceptions to a specific

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mechanisms bubbling up and down in different levels of

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" mode network"

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gets activated when the mind isn't engaged in anything in particular

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gets quiet during meditation

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often doesn't get easily

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can be seen as a collection of modules trying to get your attention

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e.g. affiliative module: "I wonder if I that person yesterday"

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responsible for maintaining and navigating the social landscape

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e.g. mate-attraction module: "that person was quite attractive, I wonder if they would go out to eat with me, what things could I say?"

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these examples don't always suggest that information in the immediate environment the module

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quieting of the default mode network

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meditation

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particularly effective in quieting the default mode network

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once you establish the concentration and , you head up in a different path from the concentration mediator

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mindfulness meditation

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looking at things in your mind with

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more objectivity

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less attachment

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then carrying this view into life

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your feelings

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you view them in a new way

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they don't get the same kind of they used to have

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are what trigger modules

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show a scary movie, it activates a different module than seeing a romantic movie

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jealous triggers a certain set of modular operations

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there are always feelings associated with modules

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modules for your attention with feelings

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e.g. "did I offend that person"

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you make it go away by finding a

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e.g. I will send an e-mail to that person

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the modular has done its work

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feelings are things that give modules power over you

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you can read feelings as signs which modules are vying for your attention

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is this a useful way of talking about modules which are introduced by feelings over and above simply talking about the feelings themselves

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e.g. hatred

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a feeling that defines

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you can be angry as someone who is a friend, but if you hate them, they are an enemy

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natural select has seemed to given the human being particular ways to deal with enemies and particular ways to deal with friends

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when our friends do something good, we attribute it to their inner

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if they do something bad, we attribute it to some factor, some circumstance

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similar to our own behavior

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with our enemies it is the opposite

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when they do something bad, we explain it as their

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when they do something good, it is a result of some external circumstance

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it's in our interest to undermine our enemies, the people who can do us harm

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this is a kind of propaganda tool, but to spread the propaganda more effectively, we actually believe this

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the not-self doctrine

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the Buddhist theme on the not-self is open to differing

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one less ambitious interpretation

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there is no part of your mind that has to be a part of yourself

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there is no feeling you have to own, no thought you have to own

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you can choose which things to let go of

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to translate this into terms

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there is no module you have to be

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each module is trying to become the self for awhile

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this is why they are referred to as sub-

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there are people who have had meditative experiences who claim to have seen the absence of a self in themselves, I guess I should put that last selves in quotes perhaps, but they have experientially come to know the doctrine of the not-self.

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how does the modular view of the mind help us to understand these experiences

Spelling Corrections:

essense ⇒ essence

absense ⇒ absence

Ideas and Concepts:

On the convincing nature of hatred, via tonight's Buddhism and Modern Psychology class:

"Hatred is a feeling that defines enemies. You can be angry at someone who is a friend, but if you hate them, they are your enemy. The human mind has built into it particular ways to deal with enemies and particular ways to deal with friends.

When our friends do something good, we attribute it to their inner essence, their character, their inner intentions. If they do something bad, we attribute it to some external factor, some exterior circumstance that caused them to act this way.

With our enemies, it is the opposite:When they do something bad, we explain it as their inner nature, their character, their intentions. When they do something good, it is a result of some external circumstance, some ulterior motive that made them act good in a particular situation. People who we feel may do us harm we define as our enemies, and once defined as enemies, no amount of evidence will convince us otherwise, since our minds understand their bad behavior as their nature, and their good behavior as some anomaly caused by some exterior circumstance.

This is a kind of propaganda tool that our minds have developed to protect us and keep us safe, and to spread the propaganda even more effectively, our minds encourage us to actually believe it."

Insights through irony, via this morning's Buddhism and Modern Psychology class: "There are people who have had meditative experiences who claim to have seen the absence of a self in themselves, I should put that last selves in quotes perhaps, but they have experientially come to know the doctrine of the not-self."