Exam 10: Non-Western Philosophy

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.

Like Confucians,Daoists emphasize the importance of ritual actions.

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

What are The Four Noble Truths in Buddhism?

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

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

Hinduism,Buddhism and Jainism are three Indian religious and philosophical traditions. Write an essay on these three sets of 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.

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

Confucius' concept of nobility focused on how excellence in personal character was dependent on being born into the right family.

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

It is challenging to understand the Chinese philosophical tradition because

According to the Indian idea of karma every action bears fruit,leaving residues in the mind,especially,the unconscious mind.

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" .Do you agree with Paz? What sort of nightmares has modern,Western reason created? Think here 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.

For Daoism,wuwei involves acting non-assertively,taking one's cues from one's situation and going with the flow.

Unlike Ibn-Rushd (Averroes),al-Farabi sought to demonstrate that revealed truth and the conclusions of reason coincide,so that neither faith nor reason have priority.

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

The oldest philosophical text is the

The project of inserting non-Western philosophy into the curriculum is challenging because the mainstream Western tradition may already have pervaded or transformed every other tradition that we might try to read.

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

Confucius' view of interpersonal relationships can best be described as