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Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy 4/2005

01-12-2005

Mindfulness, learning and the brain

Auteur: Guy Claxton

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy | Uitgave 4/2005

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Abstract

I have tried to sketch an approach to the complex phenomena that go by the name of ‘mindfulness’ that both does justice to this complexity and depth, and also offers a way of thinking about mindfulness in evolutionary, ecosocial and neural terms: terms that enable us to ask questions like: where did mindfulness come from? What kind of consciousness is it? What was it for, before it was co-opted by spiritual and therapeutic kinds of discourse and practice? And how do brains do it? In essence, I am suggesting that human brains seem to have developed, for good evolutionary reasons, a degree of facility with imaginative empathy and as-if identification; and that mindfulness capitalises on this to create what is probably a uniquely human form of learning—or rather unlearning.
Voetnoten
1
To illustrate the differences of opinion on such issues, I’d like to quote Susan Blackmore’s reaction to this paragraph. ‘I disagree with you... the usual idea of consciousness entails someone who is experiencing a stream of conscious experiences, and this is false; people only think it must be that way because they have language. Without language, consciousness is totally different.’ I agree that the quality of consciousness is significantly conditioned by beliefs that have been conveyed through language; but all I am asserting here is the self-evident truth that phenomenal awareness is not itself necessarily linguistic.
 
2
People who suffer from serious (‘clinical’) mental and emotional problems tend to be those who feel they have to fight most desperately against their own waywardness. See Bentall (2004).
 
3
Both evolutionarily and developmentally.
 
Literatuur
go back to reference Bentall R., (2004). Madness explained. London: Penguin Bentall R., (2004). Madness explained. London: Penguin
go back to reference Gray J., (2004). Consciousness: Creeping up on the hard problem, Oxford: Oxford University Press Gray J., (2004). Consciousness: Creeping up on the hard problem, Oxford: Oxford University Press
go back to reference Humphrey N., (1986). The inner eye.London: Faber & Faber Humphrey N., (1986). The inner eye.London: Faber & Faber
go back to reference Parfit D., (1987). Divided minds and the nature of persons. In C. Blakemore, S. Greenfield, (Eds.), Mindwaves: Thoughts on intelligence, identity and consciousness. Oxford: Blackwell Parfit D., (1987). Divided minds and the nature of persons. In C. Blakemore, S. Greenfield, (Eds.), Mindwaves: Thoughts on intelligence, identity and consciousness. Oxford: Blackwell
go back to reference Thompson E., (2001). Empathy and consciousness Journal of Consciousness Studies, 8:1–32 Thompson E., (2001). Empathy and consciousness Journal of Consciousness Studies, 8:1–32
Metagegevens
Titel
Mindfulness, learning and the brain
Auteur
Guy Claxton
Publicatiedatum
01-12-2005
Uitgeverij
Springer US
Gepubliceerd in
Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy / Uitgave 4/2005
Print ISSN: 0894-9085
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-6563
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-005-0016-8

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OriginalPaper

INTRODUCTION