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Consciousness as the Supreme Nature
Harrison, V. S.
2019-06-01
Conference NameConsciousness: East and West
Source PublicationConsciousness and Fundamental Reality: Lessons from East Asian Philosophy
Conference Date2019
Conference PlaceSun Yat-sen University
Abstract

The typical western conception of God, held by theists and atheists alike, is of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient being. As power, goodness, and knowledge are properties of persons, and persons are typically self-conscious, the omni-God of western theism is commonly assumed to be a personal self-conscious being. This package of assumptions is rarely challenged, and philosophical argument targets the question of whether or not there are good reasons to think that such a being exists. Reassessing the connection between consciousness and personhood underlying the omni-God conception will revitalize the philosophy of religion by re-opening the question: What is God? This exercise will lead down a conceptual path barely travelled by western philosophers of religion; a monist path emphasizing the simplicity, aseity, and immutability, of what Anselm of Canterbury refers to as the Supreme Nature. In striking contrast to their comparative neglect in western philosophies, philosophical monisms have been extensively explored by Asian thinkers from the Yogācāra, neo-Confucian, and Advaita Vedānta traditions. In the spirit of fusion philosophy, I will use insights and arguments from these traditions, particularly Advaita Vedānta, to develop a philosophical account of the Supreme Nature as Consciousness that is consistent with key elements of western religious thought, yet which does not give a central place to an omni-God.

KeywordConsciousness Personhood God Monism
Language英語English
The Source to ArticlePB_Publication
Document TypeConference paper
CollectionDEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Corresponding AuthorHarrison, V. S.
AffiliationUniversity of Macau
First Author AffilicationUniversity of Macau
Corresponding Author AffilicationUniversity of Macau
Recommended Citation
GB/T 7714
Harrison, V. S.. Consciousness as the Supreme Nature[C], 2019.
APA Harrison, V. S..(2019). Consciousness as the Supreme Nature. Consciousness and Fundamental Reality: Lessons from East Asian Philosophy.
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