A Comparative History of World Philosophy: From the Upanishads to KantA 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. |
Contents
The Beginnings of Metaphysical Philosophy | 55 |
The Beginnings of Moral Philosophy | 79 |
Early Logical Relativism Skepticism | 113 |
Early Rational Synthesis | 145 |
Early Varieties of Atomism | 171 |
Hierarchical Idealism | 205 |
Developed Skepticism | 233 |
ReligioPhilosophical Synthesis | 275 |
LogicSensitized Methodological Metaphysics | 329 |
ImmanentTranscendent Holism | 367 |
Perceptual Analysis Realistic and Idealistic | 407 |
Fideistic NeoSkepticism | 467 |
Afterword | 517 |
Notes | 531 |
Bibliography | 655 |
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Common terms and phrases
al-Farabi answers Aquinas argues argument Aristotelian Aristotle Aristotle's Asanga atoms Avicenna awareness Banarsidass believe Bhartrihari body Brahman Buddha Buddhist Cambridge University Press causal cause chap Chinese Philosophy Chu Hsi Chuang-tzu cognition commentary concepts Confucian Confucius consciousness contradiction debate Delhi Descartes Dharmakirti Dignaga doctrine dream Ethics everything existence experience explain external fire Gangesha grasp Greek History of Indian Hsün-tzu human Hume Ibid ideal ideas Indian Philosophy individual inference infinite intellectual interpretation intuition Kant kind knowledge Leibniz logic London Madhyamaka Maimonides Matilal means Mencius metaphysical mind moral Nagarjuna nature Neoplatonic Nyaya object Oxford University Press Parmenides particular perceived perception person philoso Plato Plotinus possible Princeton principle proof reality reason relation says sense Sextus Shankara Shriharsha skepticism Socrates soul Spinoza Stcherbatsky Sutras theory things thought tion tradition trans translation truth Udayana Uddalaka understanding Upanishad Vakyapadiya Vasubandhu verse words Xunzi York