Owen Flanagan

Life

• Born: 1949 in New York, USA.
• Education: Earned a PhD in Philosophy from Boston University in 1977.
• Career: Taught at Wellesley College and Duke University, specializing in philosophy of mind, ethics, and comparative philosophy.
• Key Positions: James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University.

People Who Influenced Their Thought

• William James: Influenced Flanagan's pragmatist approach to philosophy of mind and ethics.
• Thomas Nagel: Shaped his views on consciousness and subjectivity.
• Buddhist Philosophers: Inspired his work on comparative philosophy and naturalized ethics.

Main Ideas and Publications

• The Science of the Mind (1984): Explored the intersection of neuroscience and philosophy of mind.
• Consciousness Reconsidered (1992): Argued for a naturalistic account of consciousness.
• The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized (2011): Examined Buddhism through the lens of cognitive science and philosophy.

Controversies

• Naturalizing Consciousness: Critics argued that Flanagan's naturalistic approach overlooked the "hard problem" of consciousness (e.g., David Chalmers).
• Buddhism Naturalized: Some scholars contested his secular interpretation of Buddhist ethics, claiming it stripped away essential spiritual dimensions.

Key People Influenced by Their Thought

• Patricia Churchland: Shared his naturalistic approach to philosophy of mind.
• Evan Thompson: Built on Flanagan's work in comparative philosophy and cognitive science.
• Owen Flanagan: His interdisciplinary methods inspired younger philosophers bridging science and humanities.

Legacy

Owen Flanagan advanced naturalistic philosophy of mind and ethics while bridging Western and Eastern thought, particularly through his work on Buddhism and consciousness.