Embodied Perspectives, Affective Bias, and Some Norms of Attention

November 5, 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Mānoa Campus, 2530 Dole St., Sakamaki Hall, Honolulu, HI 96822

Professor Sean M. Smith, of the UHM Philosophy Department, will present this colloquium. For details, see the abstract below. NOTE: This colloquium will take place over Zoom. Please register here: https://hawaii.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAvc-yoqTwsGNxyIJzpOTmrEnwrstb9Lqin *After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Abstract: In this talk I present an argument that the pervasiveness of affective bias on our conscious attention makes our attention normatively accessible in various ways. My view is inspired by Buddhaghosa (5th-6th CE), a South-Asian Buddhist scholar monk whose commentarial works in Pāli form the backbone of Theravāda Buddhism. This paper addresses how attention is dealt with normatively in Buddhaghosa’s thinking; specifically, I will analyze how wholesome forms of empathetic attention can go wrong. The thesis of this paper is that our embodied first-person perspective on our environment is massively affectively biased and our attention is normatively assessable in various ways in light of this bias.


Ticket Information
Free and open to the public.

Event Sponsor
Philosophy, Mānoa Campus

More Information
(808) 956-5754

Share by email