This course focuses on philosophies originating in Asia, possibly including, but not necessarily limited to, those of India, China, Japan, and Korea. These philosophical traditions offer a valuable opportunity to broaden a student's intellectual perspective because they are largely free from the influence of the Hellenic philosophers that are so foundational to the Anglo-European canon. The course emphasizes engagement with primary source texts and attempts to locate those texts within the social, political, and historical contexts from which they emerged. The particular content of the course may vary in terms of the traditions explored and historical timeframe but will always do so in a way that respects the richness of the many distinct philosophies that have emerged from the Asian continent.
This course focuses on philosophies originating in Asia, possibly including, but not necessarily limited to, those of India, China, Japan, and Korea. These philosophical traditions offer a valuable opportunity to broaden a student's intellectual perspective because they are largely free from the influence of the Hellenic philosophers that are so foundational to the Anglo-European canon. The course emphasizes engagement with primary source texts and attempts to locate those texts within the social, political, and historical contexts from which they emerged. The particular content of the course may vary in terms of the traditions explored and historical timeframe but will always do so in a way that respects the richness of the many distinct philosophies that have emerged from the Asian continent.
This course examines primary sources in its quest for an understanding of the many, often bewildering varieties of Eastern thought. The Analects, the works of Mencius and Chuang Tzu, the Bhagavadgita, Tao Te Ching, and Digha Nikaya, I Ching, Zen writings in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, The Tale of Genji, Chushingura, Essays in Idleness, The Narrow Road to Oku, and Code of the Samurai-all of those works challenge and enlighten a serious student seeking knowledge about a major part of our planet's population.
This course examines primary sources in its quest for an understanding of the many, often bewildering varieties of Eastern thought. The Analects, the works of Mencius and Chuang Tzu, the Bhagavadgita, Tao Te Ching, and Digha Nikaya, I Ching, Zen writings in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, The Tale of Genji, Chushingura, Essays in Idleness, The Narrow Road to Oku, and Code of the Samurai-all of those works challenge and enlighten a serious student seeking knowledge about a major part of our planet's population.
