A Comparative History of World Philosophy, livre ebook

Breaks through the cultural barriers between Western, Indian, and Chinese philosophy and demonstrates that despite considerable differences between these three great philosophical traditions, there are fundamental resemblances in their abstract principles.

Breaks through the cultural barriers between Western, Indian, and Chinese philosophy and demonstrates that despite considerable differences between these three great philosophical traditions, there are fundamental resemblances in their abstract principles.

A Comparative History of World Philosophy presents a personal yet balanced guide through what the author argues to be the three great philosophical traditions: Chinese, European, and Indian. The book breaks through the cultural barriers between these traditions, proving that despite their considerable differences, fundamental resemblances exist in their abstract principles. Ben-Ami Scharfstein argues that Western students of philosophy will profit considerably if they study Indian and Chinese philosophy from the very beginning, along with their own.

Written with clarity and infused with an engaging narrative voice, this book is organized thematically, presenting in virtually every chapter characteristic views from each tradition that represent similar positions in the core areas of metaphysics and epistemology. At the same time, Scharfstein develops each tradition historically as the chapters unfold. He presents a great variety of philosophical positions fairly, avoiding the relativism and ethnocentrism that could easily plague a comparative presentation of Western and non-Western philosophies.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. The Three Philosophical Traditions

Chapter 2. The Beginnings of Metaphysical Philosophy Uddalaka, Yajnavalkya, Heraclitus, Parmenides

Chapter 3. The Beginnings of Moral Philosophy Confucius/Mencius, the Buddha, Socrates

Chapter 4. Early Logical Relativism, Skepticism, and Absolutism Mahavira, Chuang-tzu, Protagoras, Gorgias, Plato

Chapter 5. Early Rational Synthesis Hsün-tzu, Aristotle

Chapter 6. Early Varieties of Atomism Democritus/Epicurus/Lucretius, "Guatama," and Nameless Buddhists

Chapter 7. Hierarchical Idealism Plotinus/Proclus, Bhartrihari

Chapter 8. Developed Skepticism Sextus Empiricus, Nagarjuna, Jayarashi, Shriharsha

Chapter 9. Religio-Philosophical Synthesis Udayana, Chu Hsi, Avicenna, Maimonides, Aquinas

Chapter 10. Logic-Sensitized, Methodological Metaphysics Gangesha, Descartes, Leibniz

Chapter 11. Immanent-Transcendent Holism Shankara, Spinoza

Chapter 12. Perceptual Analysis, Realistic and Idealistic Asanga/Vasubandhu, Locke, Berkeley, Hume

Chapter 13. Fideistic Neo-Skepticism Dignaga/Dharmakirti, Kant

Afterword

Notes

Bibliography

Note on Author

Index