An update on the direction\/structure of the thesis itself:<\/p>\n
The thesis will seek to show that our self-understanding (in a metaphysical sense) is very important to how we relate to the environment<\/span>, and I will propose three practical ways for people to move toward a more \u2018ecologically correct\u2019 self-understanding<\/span>. It will begin with an examination of the metaphysics of the self, mainly in Descartes and Sartre (but through them briefly looking at other important western thinkers), with the supposition that the Cartesian notion of the self as a disembodied spirit substance is 1) the understanding of the \u2018man on the street\u2019 today 2) incorrect, and 3) an obstacle to a sustainable environmental ethic. Sartre\u2019s critique of Cartesian Dualism provides mainly a foil through which to examine other western conceptions of the self and I believe Sartre\u2019s own conclusions are very nearly correct. That will conclude the strictly \u2018philosophical\u2019 enterprise. The next section will draw from cognitive science<\/span> (much of the stuff Christopher Preston used for his \u201cGrounding Knowledge\u201d) to reframe the self and move into Buddhism<\/a>. From there I\u2019ll move to develop practical methods of deconstructing the dualistic self, one using Buddhist meditation<\/a>, one drawing from wilderness-immersion experience and deep ecology, and one based on Preston\u2019s idea of eco-cognitive travel<\/span>. All three of these serve to reinforce our embodied nature and it is from the stance of our body that we are going to make more meaningful and sustained efforts to preserve and restore our natural environment.<\/p>\n My initial reading list includes Christopher Preston\u2019s \u201cGrounding Knowledge\u201d<\/a> book, Francisco J. Varela\u2019s very short, \u201cEthical Know-How: Action, Wisdom, And Cognition.\u201d<\/a> It is an excellent pithy introduction to the contemporary move to post-Cartesian epistemology via Cognitive Science. I\u2019m also reviewing a Sartre paper I wrote a year ago (which I hope to co-opt into this thesis nearly whole). I\u2019ll get that online soon, along with the one I wrote on David Bohm and quantum physics and my Hegel one too for that matter. <\/p>\n \u2018Till then, smile and tell someone you love them, \u2019cause it\u2019s a crazy world and ya just never know. Six days since my initial thesis meeting\u2026 After a palpable rise in stress and anxiety and a shortening temper at work, I\u2019ve decided to push back my thesis deadline. I\u2019ll aim to have a solid proposal by August\/September and then come back to defend a final version next summer. Sounds crazy, I know (finish one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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