Buddhism and Science: (1 Volume Set): A Guide for the Perplexed (Buddhism and Modernity) - Softcover
Book 2 of 19: Buddhism and Modernity
Synopsis
Beginning in the nineteeth century and continuing to the present day, both practitioners and admirers of Buddhism have proclaimed its compatibility with science. In Buddhism and Science, Donald S. Lopez Jr. explores how and why these two seemingly disparate modes of understanding the inner and outer universe have been so persistently linked. He argues that by presenting an ancient Asian tradition as compatible with - - and even anticipating - - scientific discoveries, European enthusiasts and Asian elites have sidestepped debates on the relevance of religion in the modern world that began in the nineteenth century and that still flare today. As new discoveries continue to reshape our understanding of mind and matter, Buddhism and Science will be indispensable reading for those fascinated by religion, science, and their often vexed relation.
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Review
"The encounter that each of the major world religions has separately with natural science is more important than the encounter that any one of them has with another. The story of the Christian version of this encounter is well known, that of the comparable Buddhist version virtually unknown. In Buddhism and Science, Donald Lopez thus fills a major gap, and he does so with his trademark rigor, concision, and elan. No serious student of science-and-religion can afford to skip this book." -- Jack Miles, general editor, Norton Anthology of World Religions
“For philosophers and cognitive scientists interested in psychological and ethical improvement Lopez’s new book is must reading. Mind scientists report that Buddhists are especially happy and serene. What does this mean? Are concepts such as ‘suffering,’ ‘happiness,’ and ‘equanimity’ understood the same in Buddhism and in science? Lopez is exactly the right historian to take us on this expert tour of the Buddhism and science dialogues as they have developed over the past two centuries in the West. At a time when glib enthusiasts for Buddhism and science claim vindication through the other, Lopez is the wise historically sensitive voice who asks us to reflect on which science, which Buddhism we are talking about.”—Owen Flanagan, Duke University
--Owen Flanagan, Duke University
“This fascinating book provides a new way of understanding the various discussions of Buddhism and science that have taken place over the past 150 years. Lopez not only gives an account of the diverse claims made for the scientific credibility of Buddhism, but in the process offers deep insights into the complex relations among science, religion, and Western modernity. The science and religion field would be vastly enriched by more studies such as this.”—Peter Harrison, University of Oxford--Peter Harrison, University of Oxford
"This fascinating book provides a new way of understanding the various discussions of Buddhism and science that have taken place over the past 150 years. Lopez not only gives an account of the diverse claims made for the scientific credibility of Buddhism, but in the process offers deep insights into the complex relations among science, religion, and Western modernity. The science and religion field would be vastly enriched by more studies such as this."--Peter Harrison, University of Oxford
For philosophers and cognitive scientists interested in psychological and ethical improvement Lopez s new book is must reading. Mind scientists report that Buddhists are especially happy and serene. What does this mean? Are concepts such as suffering, happiness, and equanimity understood the same in Buddhism and in science? Lopez is exactly the right historian to take us on this expert tour of the Buddhism and science dialogues as they have developed over the past two centuries in the West. At a time when glib enthusiasts for Buddhism and science claim vindication through the other, Lopez is the wise historically sensitive voice who asks us to reflect on which science, which Buddhism we are talking about.
--Owen Flanagan, Duke University"
This fascinating book provides a new way of understanding the various discussions of Buddhism and science that have taken place over the past 150 years. Lopez not only gives an account of the diverse claims made for the scientific credibility of Buddhism, but in the process offers deep insights into the complex relations among science, religion, and Western modernity. The science and religion field would be vastly enriched by more studies such as this. --Peter Harrison, University of Oxford"
"Lopez, whose book is more a history of the discourse between Buddhism and science than an examination of how the two inform each other, makes much of the Dalai Lama's doctrinal flexibility. He suggests that this stems partly from the Tibetan leader's desire to show that his religion is not the primitive superstition that many nineteenth-century European writers--and modern Chinese communists--have described. Perhaps so, but it must also derive from the Buddhist desire to know reality and not hide behind false assumptions about the world or our own nature."--Michael Bond"Nature" (11/13/2008)
"For philosophers and cognitive scientists interested in psychological and ethical improvement Lopez's new book is must reading. Mind scientists report that Buddhists are especially happy and serene. What does this mean? Are concepts such as 'suffering, ' 'happiness, ' and 'equanimity' understood the same in Buddhism and in science? Lopez is exactly the right historian to take us on this expert tour of the Buddhism and science dialogues as they have developed over the past two centuries in the West. At a time when glib enthusiasts for Buddhism and science claim vindication through the other, Lopez is the wise historically sensitive voice who asks us to reflect on which science, which Buddhism we are talking about."
About the Author
Donald S. Lopez Jr. is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. He is the author, editor, or translator of a number of books, including The Madman's Middle Way, Critical Terms for the Study of Buddhism, Introduction to the History of Indian Buddhism, and In the Forest of Faded Wisdom: 104 Poems by Gendun Chopel, a Bilingual Edition, all published by the University of Chicago Press.
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