Im a friend and fan of mega-pundit Robert Wright. Were obsessed with the same ridiculously big questions: What is the meaning of life? Does God exist? What is human nature? How constrained are we by our biology? What hope is there for us?In The Moral Animal, Nonzero and The Evolution of God, Wright explores these riddles with such crisp, assured intelligence that its hard figuringout where he goes wrong. But I try to rise to the challenge.

Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment, which just hit the bestseller lists, is Wrights most ambitious book. Guided by evolutionary psychology (his intellectual lodestar) and Buddhism, he diagnoses humanitys ills and prescribes a treatment:

We are prone to excessive emotions, like desire, fear andanger,and to self-deception, which were instilled in us by natural selection. But we can overcome these harmful tendencies through meditation, which helps us gain insight into and control over ourselves. As Wright says in a Wall Street Journal essay, The Meditation Cure, meditation turns out to be one of the best ways to deal with the anxieties and appetites bequeathed to us by our evolutionary history.

He suggests that meditation might help us achieve the state of supreme serenity and insight known as enlightenment. And if enough of us meditate, we might overcome the tribalism that causes war and other harmful behaviors. I think the salvation of the world can be secured via the cultivation of calm, clear minds and the wisdom they allow, Wright declares. Italics added.

Wright and I just batted this thesis around on Bloggingheads.tv, his online discussion platform. Below are a few concerns I raised in our dialogue, some of which I have mentioned in previous posts (see Further Reading).

*Meditation isnt that effective. A 2014 review by theJohns Hopkins University Evidence-Based Practice Centerexamines 17,801 papers on meditations psychotherapeutic benefits and found 41 relatively high-quality studies involving 2,993 subjects. The review concludes that meditation programs reduce multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress. But benefits are low to moderate, and there is no evidence that meditation programs were superior to any specific therapies they were compared with, including exercise, muscle relaxation and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

*Meditation is morally neutral. Wright argues that meditation makes you nicer. But you can meditate to be a more effective corporate raider. Throughout history, warriors have meditated or prayed before battle so they can fight more effectively. Today,many U.S. soldiers are taught mindfulness meditation, which presumably will help them feel better about carrying out violent U.S. policies. Moreover, a disturbing number of meditation teachers have behaved more like sociopaths than saints.

*Enlightenment is a bad idea. Also called liberation, awakening or nirvana, enlightenment is a state in which you see through the illusory nature of things, and you feel really, really good. Wright treats the concept with too much credulity. People are so desperate for enlightenment that they become vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous meditation teachers. Even when viewed as an unattainable ideal, the concept of enlightenment does more harm than goodand should be abandoned.

*We don't need to meditate to achieve world peace. Wright argues that mindfulness can bring about a Metacognitive Revolution that helps us overcome our violent tribal tendencies, which often culminate in war. But to end war, we dont need to meditate and recognize the formlessness of things. We need to recognize that war is stupid and wrong and take steps to eradicate it. I fear that when intellectuals call for a revolution that can bring about world peace, they make itseem even more unattainable.

*Save us from our saviors. The idea that humanity is fundamentally flawed and needs saving--whether by Buddha, Moses, Christ, Mohammed, Marx or L. Ron Hubbard--has done more harm than good. We should reject once and for all the idea that life is a problem for which there is a single, true solution.

Thats enough nits. Let me emphasize that I enjoyed Why Buddhism Is True, even when Idisagreed with it. I especially likeWright'sinterweaving ofphilosophical rumination onBuddhistdoctrines such as emptiness withvivid descriptions of his own meditativeexperiences. I'm guessing hisbookwill become the go-to explicationof Buddhism formodern western seekers, just as The Moral Animal remains the go-to explication ofevolutionary psychology. Bob, because of his mindfulness practice, doesnt care about suchworldly things any more, but I hope his book remains on the bestseller lists for a long time to come.

Further Reading:

Meta-Meditation: A Skeptic Meditates on Meditation

Why I Don't Dig Buddhism.

Does Evolution Have a "Higher Purpose"?

Research on TM and Other Forms of Meditation Stinks.

Do All Cults, Like All Psychotherapies, Exploit the Placebo Effect?

Cybertherapy, placebos and the dodo effect: Why psychotherapies never get better.

What Should We Do With Our Visions of Heaven and Hell?

My Modest Proposal for Solving the Meaning of Life Problemand Reducing Global Conflict.

Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment.

Read this article:

Can Buddhism Save Us? - Scientific American (blog)