The Philosophical Foundations of Mindfulness

Mindfulness has become a familiar part of contemporary secular life, having moved from Buddhist monasteries into neuroscience labs, corporate boardrooms, and smartphone apps. But what exactly is mindfulness? And how should we understand its central claims?
Professor in philosophy Dan Zahavi and post-doctoral fellow Odysseus Stone examines key features of contemporary mindfulness: the focus on the present moment, the cultivation of non-judgmental awareness, and the idea that we should treat our thoughts as mental events rather than as direct reflections of reality. To explore and critically assess these ideas, we turn to phenomenology: a philosophical tradition often seen as closely aligned with mindfulness. We suggest, however, that phenomenology offers a rather different picture.
This is event is the second in the series Psychedelics, mindfulness and we relations: Can the self change?
In three talks, researchers affiliated with the Center for Subjectivity Research will discuss whether psychedelics, mindfulness, and togetherness can change the boundaries of the self and shape how we experience ourselves, others, and the world.