Psychotherapy in dealing with grief in Antiquity - strategies for contemporary society. Death and aging pose a major cultural as well as economic problem for contemporary society. They are problematic in how we deal with them and a financial strain on society. By viewing grief as a universal human issue this project explores what contribution the ancient tradition can make to modern strategies. Ancient philosophical writings offer well-considered reflections on how to work through grief, while m ....Psychotherapy in dealing with grief in Antiquity - strategies for contemporary society. Death and aging pose a major cultural as well as economic problem for contemporary society. They are problematic in how we deal with them and a financial strain on society. By viewing grief as a universal human issue this project explores what contribution the ancient tradition can make to modern strategies. Ancient philosophical writings offer well-considered reflections on how to work through grief, while many literary expressions provide a further opportunity for empathy and recognition. Thus the project will investigate whether the classical arguments and various experience-based accounts offer both a rational and empathic source of consolation.Read moreRead less
The Intellectual Construction of Confucianism in Contemporary China and Taiwan. Since the 1980s China and Taiwan have witnessed the most sustained resurgence of intellectual interest in Confucianism of the twentieth century. This project will provide the first critical analysis of that revival by addressing the complex interaction of institutional, philosophical and ideological factors, rather than study one or the other in isolation. This will enable us to understand the processes by which Chi ....The Intellectual Construction of Confucianism in Contemporary China and Taiwan. Since the 1980s China and Taiwan have witnessed the most sustained resurgence of intellectual interest in Confucianism of the twentieth century. This project will provide the first critical analysis of that revival by addressing the complex interaction of institutional, philosophical and ideological factors, rather than study one or the other in isolation. This will enable us to understand the processes by which Chinese intellectuals have sought to make Confucianism a viable philosophical and cultural resource in the modern world; and to evaluate how successful they have been in achieving these goals.
Results: One monograph; one edited volume; several essays.
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Analytic and Continental: Arguments on the Methods and Value of Philosophy. This project is of great significance to the international academic philosophical community, as there has been no sustained and coordinated treatment of the methodological differences between analytic and continental philosophers anywhere in the world. While both analytic and continental philosophers of Australia have a strong reputation that this project will further, by bringing international philosophers of both tradi ....Analytic and Continental: Arguments on the Methods and Value of Philosophy. This project is of great significance to the international academic philosophical community, as there has been no sustained and coordinated treatment of the methodological differences between analytic and continental philosophers anywhere in the world. While both analytic and continental philosophers of Australia have a strong reputation that this project will further, by bringing international philosophers of both traditions to Australia, and staging at least two pluralist conferences on their respective methodologies, this research will assist in breaking down the oppositional thinking that subtly pervades the Australian philosophical community, and, in different ways, the humanities and social sciences at large.
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A Buddhist Debate and Its Contemporary Relevance. The aim of this project is to engage with one of the central debates in Tibetan philosophy concerning truth, realism and epistemic justification. It plans to explore the implications of this debate for subsequent Tibetan thought and for contemporary Western analytic philosophy. The project plans to analyse previously unstudied texts and demonstrate the fecundity of a traditional method of collaborative cross-cultural philosophy today in which Tib ....A Buddhist Debate and Its Contemporary Relevance. The aim of this project is to engage with one of the central debates in Tibetan philosophy concerning truth, realism and epistemic justification. It plans to explore the implications of this debate for subsequent Tibetan thought and for contemporary Western analytic philosophy. The project plans to analyse previously unstudied texts and demonstrate the fecundity of a traditional method of collaborative cross-cultural philosophy today in which Tibetan and Western scholars work together to develop joint analyses. It may also demonstrate that the metaphysical and epistemological ideas and arguments developed in these debates can contribute to Western philosophy.Read moreRead less
Mindful things: cross-cultural perspectives on the criteria for intelligence. This project will bring contemporary theories on artificial intelligence into conversation with ancient Greek and Indian philosophy. Turing proposed that a machine that could imitate a human's conversational abilities would count as thinking. The ancient Greeks and Indians supposed that there were mindful things, like the cosmos as a whole, that would not pass such a test. Why is there such disagreement? We will learn ....Mindful things: cross-cultural perspectives on the criteria for intelligence. This project will bring contemporary theories on artificial intelligence into conversation with ancient Greek and Indian philosophy. Turing proposed that a machine that could imitate a human's conversational abilities would count as thinking. The ancient Greeks and Indians supposed that there were mindful things, like the cosmos as a whole, that would not pass such a test. Why is there such disagreement? We will learn something about our own conception of the mind by examining their reasons for supposing that such things had minds. One objective is to question the degree to which the idea of a mind is culturally constructed.Read moreRead less
The Formation and Development of Chinese Philosophy as an Academic Discipline in Twentieth Century China. It is in Australia's national interest to pay close attention to the orientation of intellectual and political currents in China and to how these currents are increasingly merging and interacting. This project will enhance our capacity to interpret and engage with our regional environment by contributing to a clearer understanding of the changing relationship between Chinese intellectual tra ....The Formation and Development of Chinese Philosophy as an Academic Discipline in Twentieth Century China. It is in Australia's national interest to pay close attention to the orientation of intellectual and political currents in China and to how these currents are increasingly merging and interacting. This project will enhance our capacity to interpret and engage with our regional environment by contributing to a clearer understanding of the changing relationship between Chinese intellectual traditions and cultural identity. A commitment to understanding what Chinese philosophy means to China's educated elite also demonstrates a willingness to foster dialogue and communication that is sensitive to the intellectual and cultural traditions which are a source of pride and identity for several of our major regional partners. Read moreRead less
The Awakening of Faith and New Confucian Philosophy. This project aims to provide a new understanding of how New Confucian philosophy was constructed in modern China. It proposes to debunk the prevailing myth that modern Chinese philosophy owes its identity as a continuation of Confucianism, to the exclusion of the fundamentally ‘foreign’ influence of Buddhism. It is anticipated that this project will substantially advance the knowledge base of Chinese philosophy both in Australia and internatio ....The Awakening of Faith and New Confucian Philosophy. This project aims to provide a new understanding of how New Confucian philosophy was constructed in modern China. It proposes to debunk the prevailing myth that modern Chinese philosophy owes its identity as a continuation of Confucianism, to the exclusion of the fundamentally ‘foreign’ influence of Buddhism. It is anticipated that this project will substantially advance the knowledge base of Chinese philosophy both in Australia and internationally, and will also contribute to a more informed understanding of the philosophical and religious traditions our neighbours use to define national and cultural identity.Read moreRead less
Minds in skilled performance: Explanatory framework and comparative study. This project aims to develop an explanatory framework to characterise states of mind necessary for skilled performance, and show how intelligence and emotion affect performance. The theoretical grounding of skilled performance is controversial. This project will use and refine core ideas from enactivist approaches to embodied cognition to address philosophical challenges that block understanding of its basis. The project ....Minds in skilled performance: Explanatory framework and comparative study. This project aims to develop an explanatory framework to characterise states of mind necessary for skilled performance, and show how intelligence and emotion affect performance. The theoretical grounding of skilled performance is controversial. This project will use and refine core ideas from enactivist approaches to embodied cognition to address philosophical challenges that block understanding of its basis. The project will draw on Phenomenology, Pragmatism and Japanese "do". clarifying and recontextualising what they have to offer to contemporary thinking about skilled performance.Read moreRead less
Selfless Minds: A cross-cultural theory with relevance for mindfulness . This project aims to provide a comprehensive philosophical and cognitive model of the sense of self. The project combines Abhidharma-Buddhist philosophy and cognitive sciences to propose a new model of subjectivity and agency, without postulating the existence of subjects or agents. The expected outcome is a new understanding of the mind as the locus of agency and moral responsibility. In addition, this projects opens up ne ....Selfless Minds: A cross-cultural theory with relevance for mindfulness . This project aims to provide a comprehensive philosophical and cognitive model of the sense of self. The project combines Abhidharma-Buddhist philosophy and cognitive sciences to propose a new model of subjectivity and agency, without postulating the existence of subjects or agents. The expected outcome is a new understanding of the mind as the locus of agency and moral responsibility. In addition, this projects opens up new opportunities for enhanced cross-cultural capacity and cross-institutional collaboration. The anticipated benefit is cross-cultural research training and providing a new theoretical foundation for the widespread practice of mindfulness meditation.
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