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Job Announcement "Hindu Senses of the Self: Responses to Buddhist Critiques" Research Assistant for a three-year AHRC project Department of Religious Studies, Lancaster University Department of Philosophy, University of Sussex Lancaster (UK) __________________________________________________ Reference: A900 Salary: £23,002 - £26,666 Applications are invited for the post of Researcher for the three-year AHRC project, Hindu Senses of the Self: Responses to Buddhist Critiques'. This project is based on the following research challenge: The principle of a continuous conscious entity as the essence of the human being took root in Hindu thought. The Buddha challenged this idea; he argued that it was precisely the freedom from the illusion of a stable self (atman) that constituted the highest good of nirvana. This rejection of the self has been presented in contemporary Indian philosophy as a powerful naturalised account of the human person, that can explain a variety of human motivations and ends. Historically, many Hindu schools of thought responded to the Buddhist critique, drawing on a range of arguments to assert that an enduring self best explains the features of experience and the demands of ethical and psychological explanation. The purpose of these arguments in defence of the self was to establish the existence of a subject that could possess the necessary features to attain the highest good - formally called liberation (moksa) from the conditions of existence, but variously described. These arguments were initially conceived in a non-theistic context, in which the highest good was a state attained through insight into the nature of reality by the person concerned. But as a commitment to theism spread from religion into philosophy, the very conception of the highest good was re-cast by many schools in theological terms, as the attainment of some fundamental relationship with the divine (howsoever it was conceived). Consequently, the self that could attain such a relationship was itself re-interpreted. While these debates occurred long after Buddhism had ceased to be a force in India, the very notion of situating the conception of the self at the heart of any understanding of reality had been preserved. Consequently, there is a great deal of material on the different senses of the self in Indian philosophy, both theistic and non-theistic, that can be of philosophical interest both in the classical Indian and the contemporary, comparativist context. The appointed person will combine sound knowledge of Sanskrit with a commitment to the philosophical study of classical Indian texts. Her/his primary research will be on Hindu developments of the concept of self. S/he will be jointly directed by the two Project Investigators. For each of the three years s/he will be expected to undertake a limited amount of teaching for the two departments, as decided by the Project Investigators. The post will be on at Research Assistant, starting Grade 6 and the appointment aims to commence on 1st October 2007. There will be two contracts upon appointment, one for the first two years with Lancaster University, where the RA will be based in the Department of Religious Studies; and one for the third year, with University of Sussex, where s/he will be in the Department of Philosophy. To apply or receive further information, please visit: http://www.personnel.lancs.ac.uk/vacancydets.aspx?jobid=A900 Closing Date: August 17th 2007 Interview Date: Early September 2007 The successful appointment will be answerable to the two Investigators of the project, Prof Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, and Prof Jonardon Ganeri. Institute website: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/ippp/index.htm Responsibilities of the new appointment The successful applicant will be expected to: - demonstrate a strong research potential in the field; - have relevant research experience in a relevant field; - have strong organisational and administrative abilities, including a capacity to work collaboratively and cooperatively; - demonstrate a clear grasp of the remit of the research project - pursue original research within the remit of the research project Application and selection procedure Candidates should send a letter of application, including a statement of how their past experience and current research interests are relevant to the envisaged research. Short-listed candidates will also be asked to make a 20-minute presentation that outlines how they would conduct the envisaged research. For informal discussion contact either of the two Investigators: Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad [email protected] Professor Jonardon Ganeri [email protected] __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org
