Lulu Buy | My Lulu | Community | Help Log In | View Cart
CONSCIOUSNESS:
AN ENQUIRY INTO THE METAPHYSICS OF THE SELF
BY HANE HTUT MAUNG
CONSCIOUSNESS: AN ENQUIRY INTO THE METAPHYSICS OF THE SELF

CONSCIOUSNESS: AN ENQUIRY INTO THE METAPHYSICS OF THE SELFCONSCIOUSNESS: AN ENQUIRY INTO THE METAPHYSICS OF THE SELF (book)

Print: $17.50

Download: $7.23

The phenomenon of consciousness is something that is intimate to all of us, for it is the crux of our subjective being. Most of us have, at some point, pondered its nature and existence. This book provides a philosophical analysis of the mind-body problem and the nature of consciousness. In the face of contemporary dogma, it argues against physicalism, and instead proposes a position called idealistic dualism, which acknowledges consciousness for what it is: our very existence.

Blurb

In his new book on consciousness, Hane Maung addresses some of the deepest issues in the philosophy of mind. When we form beliefs about the outside world, we always run the risk of error. Things could seem one way but be another way, as illusions and hallucinations illustrate. By contrast, when it comes to the way things seem we are apparently secure: it is for example very difficult to see how someone could be mistaken in thinking they are having a sensory experience. But this still leaves two deep mysteries. The first is the relation between subjective experience and physical brain. On the one hand, to say that the experiences are not physical is spooky; on the other, to say that they are physical states of the brain is difficult to grasp. The second mystery concerns not the nature of thought, but the nature of the thinker. For even though our experiences seem immediately available to us, the nature of the thinker is stubbornly elusive. As the great 18th century Scottish philosopher David Hume observed, every time he tried to direct his inward gaze towards himself, he just bumped into one of his thoughts instead. Maung is squaring up to this challenge, exploring the nature of the self and its bearing on many other topics, including our knowledge of the external world, our free will, and the question of our mortality. These topics are riveting, and Maung's discussion is honest, clear and engaging.

~ PROFESSOR PETER LIPTON

Acknowledgements

This book is dedicated to my parents.

Special thanks go to the late Professor Peter Lipton, whose input, inspiration, and encouragement were invaluable in the production of this work. Professor Lipton died on 25th November 2007, one year after the publication of this book. No other person has had such a profound influence on my intellectual development. He encouraged my ideas, refined my thought, and broadened my vision. It is to him I owe my greatest philosophical debt.

While this book was in progress, I encountered a number of people from a diverse range of disciplines, all of whom left their impression: neurophysiologist Roger Carpenter, philosopher Neil Manson, psychiatrist Simon Dein, and Buddhist monk Venerable Nandapala. Thanks go to all of them.

Many friends have supported and motivated me along the way. I send them all my love.

HHM
CAMBRIDGE, 2007

Author Biography

DR HANE HTUT MAUNG, MB BCHIR, BA HONS (CANTAB), was born on 30th July, 1984 in Rangoon, Burma, the son of Zor Thin Maung and Cho Cho Aye. He moved with his family to England in his childhood, and attended the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne. He read medicine and history and philosophy of science at King's College, University of Cambridge, after which he continued his medical studies at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge. He graduated in 2008, and has since worked as a foundation doctor at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, England. Maung's philosophical interests include metaphysics, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind. He was raised with a Buddhist background, and this has had an important influence on his ideas. His book, Consciousness: An Enquiry into the Metaphysics of the Self, was published in 2006. Maung is also a pianist and composer, with a musical interest that spans both classical and jazz genres. He currently lives in Cambridge with his partner, Shuna Emily Gould.

Publications


Books
  • Maung HH (2006). Consciousness: An Enquiry into the Metaphysics of the Self. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press. ISBN 978-1-84728-758-8.
Articles
  • Maung HH (2006). "In Defence of van Fraassen: A Critique of Superempirical Virtues as Indicators of Objective Truth in the Selection of Scientific Theories". Symposia. Available online.
  • Maung HH (2006). "The Darwin of the Mind: To what Extent does Freud’s Theory of the Psychical Apparatus Reflect his Evolutionary Thinking?" Symposia. Available online.
  • Maung HH (2006). "The Use of Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia". HypnoGenesis. Available online.
  • Maung HH (2007). "Buddhism and the Self". BuddhaZine. Available online. Also in The Urban Dharma Newsletter, 29th May 2007. Available online.
  • Maung HH (2007). "Freud's Unconscious: A Concept or a Rhetorical Device?" Symposia. Available online.
  • Maung HH (2007). "Stamp Collecting in Science". Symposia. Available online.
  • Maung HH (2008). "Norovirus Infection: An Underestimated Danger". Cambridge Medicine 22:2. Available online.
Dissertations
  • Maung HH (2005). "Recent Arguments for Dualism: Why Physicalism Fails to Account for Consciousness". Unpublished History and Philosophy of Science Part II project supervised by Professor Peter Lipton, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge. PDF available.