Doing Philosophy Comparatively (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781780938394)

Critics have argued that comparative philosophy is inherently flawed or even impossible. What standards can we use to describe and evaluate different cultures' philosophies? How do we avoid projecting our own ways of thinking onto others? Can we overcome the vast divergences in history, language, and ways of organizing reality that we find in China, India, Africa, and the West?

Doing Philosophy Comparatively is the first comprehensive introduction to the foundations, problems, and methods of comparative philosophy. It is divided into three parts:

- A wide-ranging examination of the basic concepts of comparative philosophy, including "philosophy+?, "comparison+?, "tradition+?, and "culture+?
- A discussion of the central problems that arise in extending philosophy across cultural boundaries: linguistic, justificatory, and evaluative incommensurability; projection and asymmetry; and the validity of cultural generalizations
- A critical look at the dominant contemporary approaches to comparative philosophy.

Presenting a basic tool-kit for doing philosophy at the cross-cultural level, this textbook draws on many examples from the past and present of comparative philosophy and engages readers in sustained reflection on how to think comparatively.

Author: Tim Connolly
ISBN-10: 178093839X
ISBN-13: 9781780938394
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Language: English
Published: 08/13/2015
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.80d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2016