How would a buddhist respond to the following arguments that critcize the no-self thesis of buddhism?
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While going across literature pertaining to buddhism, I came across the following write-up named '*Logical Criticism of Buddhist doctrines*' where the author has Criticized various aspects of Buddhist Philosophy.
The question however is meant specifically towards the writer's criticism of the buddhist 'no-self' concept and defense of the soul theory.
While Interested readers might look up chapter 17 (Page 303-326) , for brevity's sake I am summarizing the gist of their main points against the no-self concept and highlighting them for ease of reading.
> **Just as one would not look for visual phenomena with one’s hearing
> faculty or for auditory phenomena with one’s visual faculty, so it is
> absurd to look for spiritual things (the soul, and its many acts of
> consciousness, will and valuation) with one’s senses or by observing
> mental phenomena**. Each kind of appearance has its appropriate organ(s)
> of knowledge. For spiritual things, only intuition (or apperception)
> is appropriate.
>
>
> **To understand how the soul can exist apparently in midst of the body
> and mind (i.e. of bodily and mental phenomena) and yet be invisible,
> inaudible, etc. (i.e. non- phenomenal), just imagine a
> three-dimensional space (see illustration below). Say that two
> dimensions represent matter and mind and the third applies to spirit.
> Obviously, the phenomena of mind will not be found in the matter
> dimension, or vice versa**. Similarly, the soul cannot be found in the
> dimensions of matter and/or mind, irrespective of how much you look
> for it there. Why? Simply because its place is elsewhere – in the
> spiritual dimension, which is perpendicular to the other two.
> **The truth is that it is impossible to formulate a credible theory of
> the human psyche without admitting the existence of a soul at its
> center.** **Someone has to be suffering and wanting to escape from
> suffering. A machine-like entity cannot suffer and cannot engage in
> spiritual practices to overcome suffering. Spiritual practice means,
> and can only mean, practice by a spiritual entity, i.e. a soul with
> powers of cognition, volition and valuation**. These powers cannot be
> equated electrical signals in the brain, or to events in the skandhas.
> They are sui generis, very miraculous and mysterious things, not
> reducible to mechanical processes. Cognition without consciousness by
> a subject (a cognizing entity) is a contradiction in terms; volition
> without a freely willing agent (an actor or doer) is a contradiction
> in terms; valuation without someone at risk (who stands to gain or
> lose something) is a contradiction in terms. This is not mere grammar;
> it is logic.
>
> As already mentioned, **a soul is not an essence, but a core
> (spiritual) entity. It therefore cannot be viewed as one of the five
> skandhas, nor as the sum of those skandhas, as the Buddhists rightly
> insist. It can, however, contrary to Buddhist dogma, be viewed as one
> of the parts of the complete person, namely the spiritual part; but
> more precisely, it should be viewed as the core entity, i.e. as the
> specific part that exclusively gives the whole a personality, or
> selfhood.** This is especially true if we start wondering where our soul
> came from when we were born, whether it continues to exist after we
> die, where it goes if it does endure, whether it is perishable, and so
> forth.
How would a buddhist respond to this critique of the no-self theory?

Asked by user28572
Jan 29, 2025, 10:23 AM
Last activity: Jan 29, 2025, 07:08 PM
Last activity: Jan 29, 2025, 07:08 PM