Para aferir as versões integrais e autenticadas dos Pareceres contacte /

To assess the full authenticated versions please contact : bantunes@fl.ul.pt

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Ana Maria S. A. Rodrigues

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It is my pleasure to recommend Bruno Miguel Gouveia Antunes for the Scientific Employment Stimulus Individual Call 2018. I got to know Bruno through the workshop “Enlaces: Between Buddhism, Philosophy and Science” he organized last year at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon. As coordinator of the MA and PhD courses in History and Culture of Religions of the same Faculty, I am very much interested in all related activities and Bruno’s proposition of discussing the relevance and impact of this intense intercultural, interreligious and interdisciplinary dialogue caught my attention at once. Throughout the workshop, I was impressed not only by his mastery of such different fields of knowledge but also by his ability to bring in and stimulate debate between religious men and scientists of different areas.

The project he is proposing to develop in the next few years – “The Quantum Middle Way: An epistemological assessment of a fundamental problem, still unresolved, emerging from the scientific field of Quantum Physics, and its resonance with the ontological deconstructive strategies of Madhyamika Buddhism” – deepens this fruitful line of research. It concerns a historical and intercultural approach, anchored in philosophy, confronting a school of Oriental thought that goes back to Antiquity with a discipline at the cutting edge of contemporary scientific research. It is thus greatly original and of major interest for Philosophy, but also brings new perspectives and new approaches to History and to the History and Culture of Religions in particular, thus promoting a salutary strategy of interdisciplinarity.

Therefore, it is my strong opinion that Bruno´s hiring by the Center of Philosophy would not only be a tremendous addition to the Center but also extremely valuable for the Master and PhD Courses in History and Culture of Religions as it would enable his collaboration in them. As so, he has my highest recommendation.

  

 

Pedro Resende

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In the academic year 2017/2018 Bruno Antunes organized a working seminar (ENLACES) at the Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa, which was devoted to the interplay of Science, Philosophy and Buddhism and met several hours per week. I was invited to give two talks in this workshop, introducing the perspective of someone whose research background is in mathematics and physics. I gave a first talk on quantum mechanics where, besides addressing the basics, I focused on the area known as "quantum foundations", which is nowadays attracting more and more researchers in physics, philosophy and mathematics. In this area many competing interpretations and modifications of quantum theory exist, one of them being the orthodox (or Copenhagen) interpretation, whose pragmatic character is still favored by many "working physicists", but which has always brought about complaints due to its reliance on the insuficiently understood notion of measurement. This, in fact, led von Neumann, in the 1930s, to propose that measurements must depend on the subjective perception of an observer. However, due to the lack of understanding of the phenomenon of consciousness from a physical perspective, this idea has remained unappealing to physicists, often being regarded as being anthropocentric (due to a probably erroneous identication of consciousness with human consciousness), and solipsist. During the initial very active years in which particle physics developed, the research devoted to foundations of quantum theory lay relatively dormant, but eventually it was slowly reignited by Everett's many-worlds interpretation (1957) | a precursor to the currently very popular theory of decoherence and in 1964 by Bell's important theorem that refutes the existence of local hidden variables. Currently, radically different interpretations or modications of quantum theory coexist, ranging from realist ones, such as theories of "spontaneous collapse", to the opposite extreme where information theoretic approaches, notably QBism (quantum Bayesianism), assign a fundamental role to the subjective expectations of observers. The question of whether, or how, consciousness relates to quantum theory remains a matter of intense debate, and there are more and more scientific meetings that address "mind and matter" topics. My second talk at ENLACES was devoted specically to the latter aspect, in particular focusing on work in progress where I am trying to provide a mathematical formulation of the philosophical theory of qualia and concepts of C.I. Lewis (1929) in a way that relates quite directly to quantum theory.

Apart from giving these two talks I also participated in a few more sessions where I attended talks by other speakers on subjects within the general themes of ENLACES. My overall impression was quite positive, in particular regarding the way in which Bruno weaved the various topics together. He showed thoughtfulness and scientific preparation, and there were preliminary suggestions of research cooperation between participants of the workshop, me included.

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Paulo Alexandre Esteves Borges

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In what concerns the candidate, the project demonstrates a notably profound and updated knowledge of the state of the art, as well as a clear vision of the aims and the scientific framework for the undertaken investigation. He is now a valuable associate member of the CFUL where he has been carrying out a wide encompassing research on the relationships between Buddhism, Philosophy and Science. In international cooperation with the Humboldt University of Berlin, and with its financial support, from April to August 2018, he proficiently coordinated the international interdisciplinary workshop ENLACES in the context of the Permanent Seminary Vita Contemplativa – Contemplative Traditions and Contemporary Culture, of which I am the Director. Two sessions (3h and 6h long) took place weekly in the seminary rooms of the Department of Philosophy in the FLUL, bringing together researchers from different scientific areas as well as several international guests. I consider of the greatest significance and relevance for the Center of Philosophy of the University of Lisbon that this workshop be relaunched on a regular basis in the future, as it is intended in the project’s outline design. The candidate’s professional and academic course, his intellectual qualities, and his capabilit y for rigorous work make him particularly fit for accomplishing this endeavor with great success. For all these reasons, I firmly advocate that the necessary institutional funding be accorded, for which the candidate’s applying, that is indispensable for the fulfillment of this promising research project and to allow him to further his valuable contributions to the CFUL, hired as a fully incorporated member. I am convinced that this will be a major contribute for the development in Portugal of a research area that still doesn’t receive, among us, the emphasis it should have and that it growingly manifests at the international level.

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Albin Hamard

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Mr. Antunes follows well in the footsteps of M. Merleau-Ponty, M. Mauss, M. Foucault, F. Varela and P. Hadot as someone who is ready to blaze new trails. He is one of the few scholars who is truly developing a transdisciplinary perspective on Buddhist philosophy and its “technology”, a necessary approach that aims to bridge the gap between academic research, Buddhism, mindfulness-awareness practices, science and living experience.
On these bases, Mr. Antunes was able to successfully lead and coordinate the seminar Enlaces, a dynamic and innovative series of workshops that encouraged scientists to share their work, collaborate, and deepen their comprehension. Presenting my work on The Western Appropriation of Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Practices (Cognitive Anthropology) in this very interdisciplinary context allowed me to widen my perspective, strengthen the presentation of my work, and see its value in a larger context. Bruno Antunes is a hardworking and inspired researcher, whose clear ethics and engaging manner are greatly appreciated in the world of contemplative science and cultural studies. His interdisciplinary point of view and pioneering mindset would undoubtedly be an asset to the CFUL, and help it to contribute to an authentic intercultural dialogue between Science and Buddhism, Eastern and Western philosophy, theory and practice.

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