Emily McRae, professor of philosophy at the University of New Mexico, offers an overview of Buddhist philosophy. In particular, we discuss the different traditions within Buddhism - Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan, and Zen - the doctrine of emptiness, the Four Noble Truths, and the ontology of Nirvana: annihilation, eternal bliss, or a state of mind in the here and now?
Video of this interview is available on YouTube.
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EPISODE CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:55 Moral ignorance in Buddhist philosophy
00:06:47 What drew Emily to Buddhist philosophy?
00:10:36 Analytic philosophy vs. Buddhist philosophy
00:13:41 What kind of ethical theory is Buddhism?
00:21:26 Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy?
00:24:37 The major schools of Buddhism
00:29:56 Emptiness and the Buddhist theory of the self
00:37:47 Why the Buddha refused to answer some questions
00:43:02 The Four Noble Truths
00:46:01 The first Noble Truth: suffering
00:51:04 The second Noble Truth: the causes of suffering
00:53:43 The third Noble Truth: the end of suffering
00:56:10 What is nirvana?
01:00:14 Does Buddhism ultimately teach annihilation?
01:07:15 Buddhism vs. Christianity on desire
01:12:18 The fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path
01:16:16 What reason is there to believe Buddhism is true?
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