Philosophy Program Presents
"Buddhist Ethics for Dolphins? Grounding Ethics in Mammalian Qualities of Heart"
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Hegeman 102
Jake Davis, Ph.D.
CUNY Graduate Center
Elsewhere, I have defended an idea that lies at the heart of Buddhist ethics: that certain emotional motivations are praised by the wise and to be developed, that others are criticized by the wise and to be abandoned, and that any human being can come to discern the difference for ourselves. In the present talk I explore whether such moral judgments have application beyond the human realm, drawing on Mark Rowlands’ (2012) recent examination of moral motivation in animals. I argue that neurobiological features of emotional motivation shared among mammals makes plausible that certain experiential features are also shared; if so, these shared experiential features can ground a small set of ethical claims that apply for all mammals, from their own perspective.
Bio: Jake Davis received his doctorate in Philosophy from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, with an Interdisciplinary Concentration in Cognitive Science. His research focuses on contemporary philosophical debates about mind and value, drawing both from recent psychological research and also from his expertise in Buddhist philosophy. Jake's studies in the early Buddhist texts and Buddhist philosophical psychology were complemented by years of training as a monk in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition of Burma (Myanmar), long periods of intensive meditation practice, and a decade of work interpreting between Burmese and English for meditation masters.
Bio: Jake Davis received his doctorate in Philosophy from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, with an Interdisciplinary Concentration in Cognitive Science. His research focuses on contemporary philosophical debates about mind and value, drawing both from recent psychological research and also from his expertise in Buddhist philosophy. Jake's studies in the early Buddhist texts and Buddhist philosophical psychology were complemented by years of training as a monk in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition of Burma (Myanmar), long periods of intensive meditation practice, and a decade of work interpreting between Burmese and English for meditation masters.
For more information, call 845-758-7393, or e-mail [email protected].
Location: Hegeman 102