Exam 11: Non-Western Philosophy

Arjuna was advised by Krishna to employ the attitude of karma yoga . What is karma yoga ?

Octavio Paz wrote that "modern man likes to pretend that his thinking is wide-awake. But this wide-awake thinking has led us into the mazes of a nightmare in which the torture chambers are endlessly repeated in the mirrors of reason" (p. 342). Do you agree with Paz? What sort of nightmares has modern, Western reason created? Think especially of our attitudes toward time, death, social existence, and our relationship to nature. Could the indigenous philosophies of Latin America and Mexico, Native Americans, and Africa provide perspective on how we live in society and nature? Focus on three of these philosophical perspectives. After briefly explaining them, identify any common themes they share. Then focus on how these philosophies might offer lenses through which we can look at, evaluate, and transform our attitudes toward time, death, society, and nature. Be specific: identify three alternatives ways of being these philosophies might suggest to you.

The belief that created beings flow forth from God's activity as pure thinking is attributed to

In Daoism, how is water a symbol for the Dao?

Describe the Persian philosopher/theologian Mulla Sadra's understanding of God's relationship to the world.

What are the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism?

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism are three Indian religious and philosophical traditions. Write an essay on these three traditions, focusing on their ontologies (their conceptions of what is fundamentally real), their concepts of the self, and their notions of liberation and how to live well. Look for similarities and differences between them. Draw out two insights that one or more of these traditions could bring to Western philosophy.

When the Daoist Chuang-Tzu said that words are like fishing nets, he meant that

For Confucius, interpersonal relationships, such as those between parent and child, are hierarchical but involve reciprocal obligations.

In traditional African tribes, a newly born baby is not yet a full person, whereas a deceased person who lives on in the memory of his or her descendents is a person still, despite physical death. This implies that

Philosophers have a long history of openness to the ideas of individuals who are not male, white, and of European descent.

Unlike Ibn-Rushd (Averroes), al-Farabi considered reason to be more important than revelation as a way of attaining knowledge.

Carefully preserved written documents provide much information on the nature of the beliefs of peoples in North America and Africa.

Hinduism is

It is challenging to understand the Chinese philosophical tradition because

The Mayan and Aztec tradition of human sacrifice is probably linked to their beliefs that blood was the fundamental life force.

Confucianism and Daoism are two of the oldest philosophies in the world. What are the essential insights of these two philosophies regarding the Dao (the way), the jen (virtue), li (ritual), he (harmony), and yi (appropriateness)? Focus in particular on each tradition's conception of what it means to live together-in terms of both intimate, interpersonal experience and the social order in general (including leadership). On what points do these traditions intersect, and on what points do they diverge? Discuss two lessons that Western philosophers could draw from these two traditions concerning the nature of social existence.

Unlike Buddhists, Jains are committed to belief in the individual self or soul, and not only in human beings but in every living thing.

Write a fictional dialogue between two students, one from India or China, and one from America, exploring Eastern and Western perspectives on the nature of reality, of God (or ultimate religious reality), of self, and the nature of a good life. The American student can speak from two or more of the Western points of view that have been explored in this book (including Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Kant, etc.). The Eastern student should focus on two or more of the following: Indian philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, or Daoism. Your goal should be to clarify what the differences actually are and to look for areas of common ground.

The Mexican philosopher who rejected positivism because it did not acknowledge the importance of emotions in music and the arts was