Reasons and Empty Persons: Mind, Metaphysics, and Morality: Essays in Honor of Mark Siderits

Best known for his groundbreaking and influential work in Buddhist philosophy, Mark Siderits is the pioneer of ＂fusion＂ or ＂confluence philosophy＂, a boldly systematic approach to doing philosophy premised on the idea that rational reconstruction of positions in one tradition in light of another can sometimes help address perennial problems and often lead to new and valuable insights.

Exemplifying the many virtues of the confluence approach, this collection of essays covers all core areas of Buddhist philosophy, as well as topics and disputes in contemporary Western philosophy relevant to its study. They consider in particular the ways in which questions concerning personal identity figure in debates about agency, cognition, causality, ontological foundations, foundational truths, and moral cultivation. Most of these essays engage Siderits’ work directly, building on his pathbreaking ideas and interpretations. Manydeal with issues that have become a common staple in philosophical engagements with traditions outside the West. Their variety and breadth bear testimony to the legacy of Siderits’ impact in shaping the contemporary conversation in Buddhist philosophy and its reverberations in mainstream philosophy, giving readers a clear sense of the remarkable scope of his work.

Christian Coseru works in the fields of philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and cross-cultural philosophy, especially Indian and Buddhist philosophy in dialogue with Western (classical and contemporary) philosophy and cognitive science. He is also interested in issues in moral psychology concerning empathy and evolution, and agency and responsibility. Author of Perceiving Reality: Consciousness, Intentionality, and Cognition in Buddhist Philosophy (OUP, 2012), his research has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Australian Research Council. He is currently Lightsey Humanities Chair and Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy at the College of Charleston, and Associate Faculty in the Asian Studies and Religious Studies Programs.