著者
冲永 宜司
出版者
宗教哲学会
雑誌
宗教哲学研究 (ISSN:02897105)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.35, pp.13-27, 2018-03-31 (Released:2018-05-11)

Neuroscience is almost able to estimate and control our states of consciousness. It is close to controlling even our spiritual pain or fear of death, which has been addressed by religion. This is almost an attempt to repeat the experience of transcendence by using scientific technology. In this paper, we examine where the transcendent dimension will be, as neuroscience develops.Then, we examine the views of modern science, which finds fundamentally different qualities in consciousness from those of classical science, whose purpose was to control nature regularly and repeatedly. One of the theories of modern science is neurotheology, which examines the possibility of reality affecting not only consciousness but also brain state. Another is quantum brain theory, which finds experience and will in the quantum state of superposition to which the classical laws of physics cannot apply. Both of these views find reality not only in subjectivity, but also in action and spontaneity, instead of finding reality only in objective material.Next, concerning the absence of the transcendent, we examine a religious belief that finds transcendence in our life experiences. As for this thought, the place of transcendence is nothing other than this world presented to us without abstraction, and transcendence to another world is no longer needed. There, spontaneity and purpose acquire their realities again.
著者
冲永 宜司
出版者
日本イギリス哲学会
雑誌
イギリス哲学研究 (ISSN:03877450)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.27, pp.55-69, 2004-03-20 (Released:2018-04-25)

William James's concept “stream of thought” has mainly two backgrounds to build up its original style. The first is the difference between material state and inner state of vital phenomena, and the second is the impossibility to associate plural ideas without transcendental subject. The first is influenced by an issue in the theory of evolution. That is a question, on which point in evolution the inner state of life has emerged. This is the principal impossibility which is contrary to the emergence of vital phenomena as material body. For this problem James reexamines “mind-stuff theory”, and he approves its one aspect which assumes inner state from the beginning of evolution, but rejects its another aspect which affirms association. The problem of the latter aspect has something to do with the second background. To overcome this problem, James attained to “stream” after examining “several another hypotheses”.