Introduction to World Philosophy: A Multicultural Reader

by Daniel Bonevac, Stephen Phillips

Overview

Featuring selections from around the globe, Introduction to World Philosophy: A Multicultural Reader provides a diverse and engaging introduction to five key areas of philosophy: ethics, philosophy of mind and self, epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophical theology. The editors have arranged these topics according to their increasing complexity—from the most concrete (ethics) to the most theoretical (philosophical theology)—making the material as accessible as possible for students. Organized both chronologically and geographically, the anthology's five parts include readings from Indian, Chinese, Greek, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Spanish, Latin-American, and African traditions, as well as selections from early modern, Kantian, and post-Kantian philosophy.
Introduction to World Philosophy contains 136 selections (24 by women), organized into 25 chapters; these chapters are divided into 93 sections, each of which opens with a detailed introduction that prepares students for the readings that follow. The parts and chapters can be used in any order and in any combination. The text's unique modular structure gives instructors great flexibility in designing and teaching introduction to philosophy courses. T

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195152319
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/07/2009
Pages:	624
Sales rank:	695,110
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

, Preface, TimelinePart I: Ethics1. Ethics in the Philosophical Traditions of India1.1. Karma and Dharma in Hindu thought1.1.1. From the Bhagavad Gita1.2. The Bhakti Movement1.2.1. Akka Mahadevi1.2.2. Janabai1.2.3. Lalla1.2.4. Mirabai1.3. Early Buddhism1.3.1. The Buddha, from The First Sermon1.3.2. From The Dhammapada1.4. Songs of the Buddhist Nuns1.4.1. From Psalms of the Sisters1.5. Buddhist Virtues1.5.1. From The Lankavatara Sutra1.6. Jainism1.6.1. From the Acaranga Sutra1.7. The Skepticism and Materialism of Charvaka1.7.1. From Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha2. Chinese Ethics2.1. The Virtue Ethics of Confucius2.1.1. Confucius, from The Analects2.2. The Intuitionism of Mencius2.2.1. From Mencius2.3. Xunzi's Pessimistic View of Human Nature2.3.1. Xunzi, from "That the Nature is Evil"2.4. Confucian and Neo-Confucian Women Writers2.4.1. Ban Zhao, from Lessons for My Daughters2.4.2. Ban Zhao, "Traveling Eastward"2.4.3. Li Qingzhao, from Hou Hsu2.4.4. Li Qingzhao, from Complete Poems2.5. The Virtue Ethics of Daoism2.5.1. Laozi, from Dao-de-Jing2.6. Daoist Women Writers2.6.1. Yu Xuanji, from Poems2.6.2. Sun Bu-er, from Poems3. Ancient Greek Ethics3.1. Socrates on Virtue3.1.1. Plato, from Laches3.2. Plato's Conception of Virtue3.2.1. Plato, from the Republic3.3. Aristotle on Virtue3.3.1. Aristotle, from Nicomachean Ethics4. Medieval Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Ethics4.1. The Ethics of the Fathers4.1.1. From the Babylonian Talmud4.2. Augustine on Weakness of Will4.2.1. Augustine, from Confessions4.2.2. Augustine, from On the Trinity4.3. Al-Farabi on Happiness4.3.1. Al-Farabi, from The Attainment of Happiness4.4. Maimonides on Happiness and Virtue4.4.1. Moses Maimonides, from Guide of the Perplexed4.5. Aquinas on Law and Virtue4.5.1. St. Thomas Aquinas, from Summa Theologica4.6. St. Catherine of Siena on the Paradoxes of Wisdom4.6.1. Letter to Monna Alessa Dei Saracini4.6.2. Letter to the Venerable Religious Brother Antonio of Nizza, of the Order of the Hermit Brothers of St. Augustine at the Wood of the Lake4.7. Christine de Pizan's Feminism4.7.1. Christine de Pizan, from The Treasury of the City of Ladies4.8. Virtue in St. Teresa of Ávila4.8.1. St. Teresa of Ávila, from The Ways of Perfection5. Ethics in Modern Philosophy5.1. Princess Elizabeth's Critique of Reason in Ethics5.1.1. Elizabeth to Descartes—The Hague, August 16, 16455.1.2. Elizabeth to Descartes—The Hague, September 13, 16455.1.3. Elizabeth to Descartes—Riswyck, September 30, 16455.1.4. Elizabeth to Descartes—The Hague, April 25, 16465.2. Hume's Empiricist Ethics: From Is to Ought 5.2.1. David Hume, from A Treatise of Human Nature5.3. Kant's Deontology5.3.1. Immanuel Kant, from Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals5.4. Madame de Staël on the Passions5.4.1. Madame de Staël, from Influence of the Passions upon the Happiness of Individuals and of Nations5.5. Utilitarianism5.5.1. John Stuart Mill, from Utilitarianism6. African Ethics6.1. The Ethiopian Enlightenment6.1.1. Zera Yacob, from The Treatise of Zera Yacob6.2. The Communitarian Utilitarianism of the Akan6.2.1. Kwame Gyekye, from An Essay in African Philosophy: The Akan Conceptual Scheme6.3. East African Islamic Ethics6.3.1. Kai Kresse, from Philosophising in MombasaPart II: Philosophy of Mind and Self7. The Self in Indian Philosophy7.1. The Upanishads on a Higher Self7.1.1. From the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad7.1.2. From the Chandogya Upanishad 7.1.3. From the Mundaka Upanishad 7.1.4. From the Svetasvatara Upanishad7.1.5. From the Maitri Upanishad 7.1.6. From the Taittiriya Upanishad7.1.7. From the Katha Upanishad 7.2. Vedanta, Samkhya, and Yoga: Hindu Paths to Self-Awareness7.2.1. Shankara, from the Brahmasutra Commentary7.2.2. Ishvarakrishna, from Verses on the Analysis of Nature (Samkhyakarika)7.2.3. From The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali7.3. Indian Buddhism: No-Self, Bundle Self, and Impermanence7.3.1. From Questions to King Milinda7.4. Exegesis, Logic, and Materialism: The Everyday Self7.4.1. Kumarila, from Notes on the Verses7.4.2. Madhava, from Compendium of Philosophy7.4.3 From the Nyaya Sutra7.4.4. Udayana, from Atmatattvaviveka8. The Self in Chinese Buddhism8.1. Chinese Buddhism: The Consciousness-Only School8.1.1. Xuanzang, from The Treatise on the Establishment of the Doctrine of Consciousness-Only8.2. Tibetan Buddhism: The Self as Transcendent8.2.1. Yeshe Tsogyal, from Autobiography8.3. Zen Buddhism: The Self as Empty8.3.1. From the Heart Sutra8.3.2. From The Recorded Conversations of Zen Master Yixuan9. Ancient Greek Philosophy of Mind9.1. Plato: The Eternal, Tripartite Soul9.1.1. Plato, from Phaedo9.1.2. Plato, from Phaedrus9.2. Aristotle on the Self and Human Function9.2.1. Aristotle, from De Anima10. Mind and Body in Early Modern Philosophy10.1. Descartes's Dualism of Mind and Body10.1.1. René Descartes, from Meditations on First Philosophy10.2. Princess Elizabeth's Critique of Descartes's Dualism10.2.1. Princess Elizabeth, Letter to Descartes—The Hague, May 16, 164310.2.2. Princess Elizabeth, Letter to Descartes—The Hague, June 20, 164310.2.3. Princess Elizabeth, Letter to Descartes—The Hague, July 1, 164310.2.4. Princess Elizabeth, Letter to Descartes—The Hague, April 25, 164610.3. Locke on Criteria of Personal Identity10.3.1. John Locke, from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding10.4. Hume: The Constructed Self10.4.1. David Hume, from A Treatise of Human Nature11. African Philosophy of Mind11.1. Amo's Critique of Descartes11.1.1. Anton Wilhelm Amo, from The Apatheia of the Human Mind 11.2. The Akan Conception of Mind and Self11.2.1. Kwasi Wiredu, from "The Concept of Mind"11.2.2. N. K. Dzobo, from "The Image of Man in Africa"11.3. African Perspectives on Personal Identity11.3.1. Leke Adeofe, from "Personal Identity in African Metaphysics"Part III: Epistemology12. Indian Theories of Knowledge12.1. Indian Realism: Nyaya and Vaisheshika12.1.1. From the Nyaya Sutra, with Commentary by Vatsyayana12.2. Nagarjuna's Skeptical Regress12.2.1. Nagarjuna, from Averting the Arguments12.3. New Logic Responses to Skepticism12.3.1. Ganghesa, from The Jewel of Thought about Epistemology13. Chinese Theories of Knowledge13.1. Daoist Skepticism13.1.1. From Zhuangzi13.2. The Empiricism of Wang Chong13.2.1. Wang Chong, from Balanced Enquiries14. Ancient Greek Theories of Knowledge14.1. Plato's Internalism14.1.1. Plato, from Meno14.1.2. Plato, from Theaetetus14.2. Aristotle on Thought and Inference14.2.1. Aristotle, from On the Soul14.3. Sextus Empiricus's Skepticism14.3.1. Sextus Empiricus, from Outlines of Pyrrhonism15. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Theories of Knowledge15.1. The Skepticism of Philo of Alexandria15.1.1. Philo, from On Drunkenness15.2. Augustine's Foundationalism15.2.1. Augustine, from Answer to Skeptics15.2.2. Augustine, The City of God 15.3. Avicenna (ibn Sina) on Logic and Science15.3.1. Avicenna, from A Treatise on Logic15.3.2. Avicenna, from The Book of Healing15.3.3. Avicenna, from On the Soul16. Modern Theories of Knowledge16.1. Descartes's Foundationalism16.1.1. René Descartes, from Meditations on First Philosophy16.2. John Locke's Empiricism16.2.1. John Locke, from Essay Concerning Human Understanding16.3. Leibniz's Rationalism16.3.1. G. W. Leibniz, from New Essays Concerning Human Understanding16.4. Hume's Empiricism16.4.1. David Hume, from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding17. Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Theories of Knowledge17.1. The Skepticism of Francisco Sanches17.1.1. Francisco Sanches, from That Nothing is Known17.2. The Contextualism of Unamuno17.2.1. Miguel de Unamuno, from The Tragic Sense of LifePart IV: Metaphysics18. Classical Indian Metaphysics18.1. Classical Realist Ontology18.1.1. From the Vaisheshika Sutras of Kanada18.2. Hindu Idealism18.2.1. Shankara, from the Brahmasutra Commentary18.3. Buddhist Idealism18.3.1. Dignaga, from the Investigation of the Object of Awareness18.4. Jainist Perspectivism18.4.1. Vadi Devasuri, from Ornament Illuminating the Means and Principles of Awareness19. Ancient Greek Metaphysics19.1. Plato's Forms (Universals)19.1.1. Plato, from Republic19.2. Aristotle: Categories and Causes19.2.1. Aristotle, from Categories19.2.2. Aristotle, from Metaphysics19.2.3. Aristotle, from Physics20. Metaphysics in Early Modern Philosophy20.1. Primary and Secondary Qualities20.1.1. René Descartes, from Meditations on First Philosophy20.1.2. John Locke, from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding20.2. The Idealism of Berkeley and Hume20.2.1. George Berkeley, from Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous20.2.2. George Berkeley, from Principles of Human Knowledge20.2.3. David Hume, from A Treatise of Human Nature21. Metaphysics in Kant and Post-Kantian Philosophy21.1. Kant's Copernican Revolution21.1.1. Immanuel Kant, from Critique of Pure Reason21.2. Hegel's Historicism21.2.1. G. W. F. Hegel, from Phenomenology of Mind 21.3. Peirce's Pragmatism21.3.1. Charles Sanders Peirce, from "How to Make Our Ideas Clear"21.4. Nietzsche's Perspectivism21.4.1. Friedrich Nietzsche, from Human, All Too Human21.4.2. Friedrich Nietzsche, from The Cheerful Science21.5. Russell's Rejection of Idealism21.5.1. Bertrand Russell, from Problems of Philosophy22. Spanish and Latin American Metaphysics22.1. The Logic of Peter of Spain22.1.1. Peter of Spain, Tractatus22.2. The Perspectivism of Ortega y Gasset22.2.1. José Ortega y Gasset, from The Modern Theme22.3. The Metaphysical Labyrinths of Jorge Luis Borges22.3.1. Jorge Luis Borges, from "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"Part V: Philosophical Theology23. Classical Christian Theology23.1. Augustine23.1.1. Augustine, from Confessions23.1.2. Augustine, from Enchiridion23.2. Anselm's Ontological Arguments23.2.1. Anselm, from Proslogion23.3. The Cosmological Arguments of St. Thomas Aquinas23.3.1. Thomas Aquinas, from Summa Theologica23.4. The Christian Mysticism of Julian of Norwich23.4.1. Julian of Norwich, from Revelations of Divine Love24. Medieval Islamic Theology24.1. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) on the Existence of God24.1.1. Avicenna, from On the Nature of God24.2. Al-Ghazali's Critique of Theology, and Averroes' Defense24.2.1. Averroes, from The Incoherence of the Incoherence; Al-Ghazali, from The Incoherence of the Philosophers24.3. Sufi Mysticism24.3.1. Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya, from Readings from the Mystics of Islam24.3.2. Zeb-un-Nissa, from Poetry from the Hidden One25. Modern Theology25.1. Descartes's Arguments for God's Existence25.1.1. René Descartes, from Meditations on First Philosophy25.2. Pascal's Wager25.2.1. Blaise Pascal, from Thoughts25.3. Leibniz and the Problem of Evil25.3.1. G. W. Leibniz, from Theodicy25.4. Paley's Argument from Design25.4.1. William Paley, from Natural Theology25.5. Hume's Counterarguments and Refutations25.5.1. David Hume, from Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

Editorial Reviews

"Bonevac and Phillips are among the most respected anthologists in the profession, and their introductions to the selections are among the most impressive I've encountered. Each selection is clearly and fully introduced, with concise summaries of even the most complex arguments. Their ability to synthesize material from widely different cultures and eras is truly amazing."—Frank X. Ryan, Kent State University

"The coverage of non-Western traditions is broad and balanced, and the selections from Western sources represent the breadth of the philosophical tradition. Bonevac and Phillips are to be commended for interweaving the different traditions in such a way as to make side-by-side comparisons very easy."—Mark Owen Webb, Texas Tech University

"Bonevac and Phillips' introductions are concise and relevant, providing definitions and pertinent information for students to begin approaching new philosophical material. This is an important and timely work and one of the most comprehensive sourcebooks I have seen."—Donna M. Giancola,Suffolk University

From the Publisher