Machine Learning, Plant Learning, and the Destabilization of Buddhist Psychology
Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies October 1, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.15239/hijbs.03.02.03 via OpenAlex
Summary
New findings in artificial intelligence and plant learning challenge Buddhist philosophy of mind and ethics. The empirical evidence suggests that mind may be more widespread than premodern South Asian and Tibetan Buddhists accepted, which questions the rational basis for certain Buddhist moral positions. The article examines these two types of challenges.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Empirical results on AI and plant learning extend the reach of mind beyond what premodern Buddhists allowed, challenging Buddhist moral commitments. |
Abstract
Recent developments in artificial intelligence and the nascent scientific literature on 'plant learning' pose serious challenges to Buddhist philosophy of mind and to Buddhist practical ethics. These challenges are of two general types. First, the empirical results threaten to extend the reach of mind more broadly than premodern South Asian and Tibetan Buddhists were willing to allow, calling into question the rational defensibility of a range of Buddhist moral commitments.