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Making Sense of Suffering: Insights from Buddhism and Critical Social Science

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World Suffering and Quality of Life

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 56))

Abstract

In order to enrich our analytical framework for the study and alleviation of suffering, this chapter argues that there are good reasons to encourage a dialogue between Buddhism and critical social science (CSS). Although both traditions hold the reduction of suffering as fundamental, they provide different causal understandings of and recommendations for healing suffering. CSS is good at criticizing social sources of suffering, but arguably requires a constant engagement with a variety of normative discourses in order to regain clarity as to its motivations and purposes. On the other hand, although Buddhism stresses personal liberation and provides tools for addressing existential suffering, it has nevertheless historically neglected social causes of suffering. Thus, there are spaces for mutual enrichment and synthesis, as well as areas of disagreement that could potentially spur further dialogue, critique, self-critique, and reflexivity.

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Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Ron Anderson, Patrick Brown, Katja Bruisch, Ryan Burg, Letta Wren Page, Lili Di Puppo, and Sandy Ross for very useful comments and criticism. All the shortcomings of the text are entirely the author’s responsibility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Social Sciences, National Research University – Higher School of Economics, 20 Myasnitskaya Ulitsa, Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation

    Ruben Flores

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  1. Ruben Flores
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Correspondence to Ruben Flores .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Emeritus Faculty of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Ronald E. Anderson

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Flores, R. (2015). Making Sense of Suffering: Insights from Buddhism and Critical Social Science. In: Anderson, R. (eds) World Suffering and Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 56. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9670-5_5

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