The Self

In using insights from both analytic philosophy and Indian philosophy to grapple with questions about the self, students will develop the capability to draw ideas from one tradition to solve problems that arise in another.

In this course, we draw from two traditions on the questions of the self: analytic philosophy and Indian philosophy. We will study David Hume’s theory of personal identity alongside Shantideva’s version of anatman. Working with original texts, you will draw ideas from each tradition to solve problems that arise in another. This will help you develop your cross-tradition work.