Is meditation the royal road that leads to pure consciousness?

Summary

The article critiques the idea that meditation is the optimal method for studying pure consciousness, a concept highlighted by Thomas Metzinger in his Royal Road Thesis. It analyzes meditation and contrasts it with non-meditative experiences, ultimately arguing that Metzinger's assertion about minimal phenomenal experience lacking mystical qualities is flawed. The conclusion suggests that the Royal Road Thesis is overly simplistic and advocates for a more complex understanding of consciousness and spirituality.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, there has been an increasing scientific and philosophical attention to what contemplative and spiritual traditions for millennia have known as pure consciousness, free from concrete empirical content and egoic self-awareness. The article addresses whether meditation is the best candidate for the research of pure consciousness, as Thomas Metzinger claims in his book The Elephant and the Blind. The article calls this the Royal Road Thesis (RRT). The article first critically analyzes the concept of meditation, then uses descriptions of non-meditation to further deconstruct the concept of meditation. A section is devoted to an analysis of Metzinger?s claim that minimal phenomenal experience (and pure consciousness) is not mystical in itself, and finally, this is all interpreted in the context of consciousness culture and spirituality. The article concludes that RRT is very problematic and should be replaced by a more nuanced approach.

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