World Philosophies / Edition 2

by Ninian Smart, Oliver Leaman

Overview

World Philosophies presents in one volume a superb introduction to all the world’s major philosophical and religious traditions. Covering all corners of the globe, Ninian Smart’s work offers a comprehensive and global philosophical and religious picture.

In this revised and expanded second edition, a team of distinguished scholars, assembled by the editor Oliver Leaman, have brought Ninian Smart’s masterpiece up to date for the twenty-first century. Chapters have been revised by experts in the field to include recent philosophical developments, and the book includes a new bibliographic guide to resources in world philosophies. A brand new introduction which celebrates the career and writings of Ninian Smart, and his contribution to the study of world religions, helps set the work in context.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415411882
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/27/2008
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	6.88(w) x 9.69(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ninian Smart (1927 - 2001) was Emeritus Professor of Comparative Religion and of Religious Studies at the Universites of California and Lancaster. He was recognised as one of the world's foremost scholars in religious studies and was President of the American Academy of Religion for the year 2000. He authored many acclaimed books, including The Religious Experience, Dimensions of the Sacred and The World's Religions.

Oliver Leaman is Zanker Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky. He has written and edited numerous books, including Key Concepts in Eastern Philosphy (Routledge, 1999) and the Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (2001).

Table of Contents

Preface 1. The History of the World and our Philosophical Inheritance (Donald Wiebe) 2. South Asian Philosophies (Chris Bartley) 3. Chinese Philosophies (Sor-hoon Tan) 4. Korean Philosophies (Oliver Leaman) 5. Japanese Philosophies (Gereon Kopf) 6. Philosophies of Greece, Rome and the Near East (David Bradshaw) 7. Islamic Philosophies (Oliver Leaman) 8. Jewish Philosophies (Aaron Hughes) 9. Europe (Oliver Leaman) 10. North America (Cynthia Gayman) 11. Latin America (Susanna Nuccetelli) 12. Modern Islam (Muhammad Kamal) 13. Modern South and South-East Asia (Chris Bartley) 14. China, Korea and Japan in Modern Times (Geron Kopf, Sor-hoon Tan) 15. African Philosophies (Safro Kwame) 16. Concluding Reflections Bibliography (Patrick O' Donnell) Index

Editorial Reviews

Smart (The World's Religions, LJ 11/1/98) presents a narrative history arranged geographically. After an introductory outline chapter, the concepts that arose on the ancient subcontinent of India, in Chinese antiquity, and so on, are developed culture by culture and epoch by epoch. Smart weaves an explanation of religious developments among Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and Christians into nearly as thorough a tapestry as his presentation of secular thought. This seems wholly appropriate, given how religious ideas traditionally suffuse philosophical ones, but, in many cases, the author's interest in religious nuance downplays the distinction between religion and philosophy. Most troubling in this large and academic text is the complete lack of quotation and, too often, the absence of particular vocabulary developed by the philosophers and movements under discussion. The exhaustive chapter-by-chapter bibliographies range widely to include reference works, primary sources, and popular works. For academic collections.--Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., CA

Library Journal

'Both the scholarly world and the general public owe a huge debt of gratitude to Oliver Leaman and his team for bringing the revised version up to date. This book is conceived on a typically grand scale and should both provoke and inspire the reader at the same time. This is a welcome new edition.'- John R. Hinnells, Robinson College, Cambridge

From the Publisher