Owen Flanagan is a philosopher who focuses on the philosophy of mind. A specific area of focus of his work is consciousness. He uses this idea to understand the idea of human flourishing.
Flanagan views consciousness from a physicalist perspective (Flanagan, 1992). That is, consciousness is the product of physical processes that occur within the brain. By extension, Flanagan has a very materialistic view of the world, meaning he believes that our world is grounded in physical substance. Typically, in a material world, a sense of meaning and purpose arises from human creativity, fulfilling relationships, and a desire to learn. Flanagan ultimately reasons that in order for humans to flourish, they have to balance their individual desires with responsibilities at the social level (Seok, 2019).
Flanagan's work has important implications for our lives. Not only does his work imply that humans lead a balanced life, but it also indicates that we should understand ourselves from a materialist perspective. It also suggests that researchers should continue to look at consciousness from a physicalist perspective. Overall, Flanagan provides a detailed insight into how humans flourish using his understanding of consciousness.
References:
Flanagan, O. (1992). Consciousness Reconsidered.
Seok, B. (Ed.). (2019). Naturalism, Human Flourishing, and Asian Philosophy: Owen Flanagan and Beyond (1st edition). Routledge.
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