Gentle Bridges : Conversations with the Dalai Lama on the Sciences of Mind

Scientific Method And Validation / Jeremy W. Hayward -- Questions Of Method : A Conversation -- Perception And The Brain / Francisco J. Varela -- Sentient Beings : A Conversation -- Cognitive Psychology / Eleanor Rosch -- Self, Selflessness, And Sense Consciousness : A Conversation -- Artificial Intelligence / Newcomb Greenleaf -- Consciousness, Gross And Subtle : A Conversation -- Development Of The Human Brain / Robert B. Livingston -- Perception And Consciousness : A Conversation -- Evolution Of Life / Francisco J. Varela And Luigi Luisi -- Evolution, Karma, And Compassion : A Conversation. Edited By Jeremy W. Hayward And Francisco J. Varela. Includes Index. This collection of essays provides a handbook of Jungian thought on the destructive apsects of human nature, as well as an introduction to the use of archetypal fairy tale motifs in psychoanalytic practice. The cursed maiden, the bewitched princess, the sadistic husband and the wicked witch are among the figures that embody anger, aggression and other familiar behaviour patterns that block or destroy human relationships. The authors show how fairy tales can help us to recognize and deal with these forms of evil in our lives. The first part summarizes the basic approaches to fairy-tale interpretation taken by Jungian psychology and the second part presents and interprets specific tales from the Grimms' and other European collections. What is the essence of the mind? Could computers ever have consciousness? Can compassion be learned? When does consciousness enter the human embryo? These are just some of the many questions that were discussed during a historic meeting that took place between several prominent Western scientists and the Dalai Lama. Gentle Bridges is a chronicle of this extraordinary exchange of ideas. I believe that those few people who have been trained as scientists and also have studied some Buddhism view Buddhism and science as having a great deal in common in their view and methods of inquiry. A group of scientists and the Dalai Lama discuss the interface between cognitive sciences and Buddhist philosophy covering such topics as artificial intelligence, the brain, and the self