Key Concepts in World Philosophies: A Toolkit for Philosophers

Description

Crossing continents and running across centuries, Key Concepts in World Philosophies brings together the 45 core ideas associated with major Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Islamic, African, Ancient Greek, Indigenous and modern European philosophers. The universal theme of self-cultivation and transformation connects each concept. Each one seeks to change our understanding the world or the life we are living. From Chinese xin and karma in Buddhist traditions to okwu in African philosophy, equity in Islamic thought and the good life in Aztec philosophy, an international team of philosophers cover a diverse set of ideas and theories originating from thinkers such as Confucius, Buddha, Dogen, Nezahualcoyotl, Nietzsche and Zhuangzi. Organised around the major themes of knowledge, metaphysics and aesthetics, each short chapter provides an introductory overview supported by a glossary. This is a one-of-a-kind toolkit that allows you to read philosophical texts from all over the world and learn how their ideas can be applied to your own life.

Sarah Flavel is Reader in Asian and Comparative Philosophy at Bath Spa University, UK, and President of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy. Chiara Robbiano is Associate Professor of Philosophy, Honours Director and Chair of the Diversity Committee at University College Utrecht, the Netherlands. She was also a Visiting Professor in the Graduate School of Arts and Letters Tohoku University, Japan.

This is a brilliantly conceived volume, aimed at encouraging recognition of the diversity of philosophical ideas across the various world traditions. Dipping into just a few of the chapters should convince anyone that there are no grounds whatsoever for philosophers to ignore key ideas outside their own cultural traditions. * Michael Beaney, Regius Professor of Logic, University of Aberdeen, UK, and Professor of History of Analytic Philosophy, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany * Can there be a better way to "take the world as the world" in philosophy than recruiting a cadre of the very best scholars across the subfields of global philosophy with each writing a substantial piece on a concept usually associated with their own careers? Sarah Flavel and Chiara Robbiano at the helm of this great ship are indeed taking world philosophy towards the boundless horizon of Nietzsche's open sea. * Roger T. Ames, Humanities Chair Professor, Peking University, China * Contemporary Anglo-European philosophy often appears to be nothing but a temple to the achievements of dead white men. Key Concepts in World Philosophies, by Sarah Flavel and Chiara Robbiano, is a powerful antidote to philosophical ethnocentrism. This anthology is like a philosophical box of chocolates, with wide selections of delicious, "bite-sized" chapters that broaden our philosophical horizons and expand our conceptual toolkits. It is useful for both the timid beginner and the jaded cosmopolitan. * Bryan W. Van Norden, James Monroe Taylor Chair in Philosophy, Vassar College, USA *