Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, concerns about violence, terror, and terrorism have dominated our contemporary lifestyle. Is religion a part of the problem or the solution? Can philosophical reflection help us to understand terror, violence, and insecurity? Can comparative philosophy and religion help us to overcome ethnocentrism, dangerous stereotypes, and think about new approaches to violence and terror? The authors of these timely studies provide brilliant insight into violence and terror as formulated by Plato, Aristotle, the Buddha, Confucius, Af-Farabi,...

This comprehensive Gandhi reader provides an essential new reference for scholars and students of his life and thought. It is the only text available that presents Gandhi's own writings, including excerpts from three of his books--An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Satyagraha in South Africa, Hind Swaraj (Indian Home Rule)-a major pamphlet, Constructive Programme: Its Meaning and Place, and many journal articles and letters along with a biographical sketch of his life in historical context and recent essays by highly regarded scholars. The writers of these...

To Broaden the Way suggests that the texts of both the Jewish and Confucian tradition talk in riddles of a special kind: riddles, which are introduced - and answered - by religious forms of life. Using a 'dialogue of riddles, ' Galia Patt-Shamir presents a comparative perspective of Confucianism and Judaism regarding the relatedness between contradictory expressions in texts and living conflicts. The Confucian riddle is characterized here as a mystery to be deciphered by self-reflection, under the assumptions of a harmonious community, and a unity of being. The Jewish riddle is characterized...

Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, concerns about violence, terror, and terrorism have dominated our contemporary lifestyle. Is religion a part of the problem or the solution? Can philosophical reflection help us to understand terror, violence, and insecurity? Can comparative philosophy and religion help us to overcome ethnocentrism, dangerous stereotypes, and think about new approaches to violence and terror? The authors of these timely studies provide brilliant insight into violence and terror as formulated by Plato, Aristotle, the Buddha, Confucius, Af-Farabi,...

The present geopolitical rise of India and China evokes much interest in the comparative study of these two ancient Asian cultures. There are various studies comparing Western and Indian philosophies and religions, and there are similar works comparing Chinese and Western philosophy and religion. However, so far there is no systemic comparative study of Chinese and Indian philosophies and religions. Therefore there is a need to fill this gap. As such, Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion is a pioneering volume in that it highlights possible...

Religious world-views reserve a central and prominent place for human moral action, yet they must also contend with the reality of human moral failings. Is it possible to anchor moral knowledge and practice in the framework of a moral universe? If so, how do you explain why things go wrong? Must the religions appeal to faith alone, or can they develop a rational framework for their moral visions? The Metaphysics of Kindness: Comparative Studies in Religious Meta-ethics explores the attempted solutions of four pivotal philosophers from very different traditions: the Neo-Confucian Zhu Xi, the...

Times of prolonged conflict spur great minds to seek a lasting peace. Thus was the case of Warring States China, which saw the rise of the Hundred Schools of Thought, including the Doadejing and the Han Feizi, and Renaissance Italy, which produced Niccolo Machiavelli. Witnessing their respective societies fall prey to internal corruption and external aggression, all three thinkers sought ways to produce a strong, stable state that would allow both the leader and the populace to endure. Fortune and the Dao: A Comparative Study of Machiavelli, the Daodejing, and the Han Feizi demonstrates where...

The present geopolitical rise of India and China evokes much interest in the comparative study of these two ancient Asian cultures. There are various studies comparing Western and Indian philosophies and religions, and there are similar works comparing Chinese and Western philosophy and religion. However, so far there is no systemic comparative study of Chinese and Indian philosophies and religions. Therefore there is a need to fill this gap. As such, Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion is a pioneering volume in that it highlights possible...

Sarah A. Mattice develops a comparative intervention in contemporary metaphilosophy. Drawing on resources from hermeneutics, cognitive linguistics, aesthetics, and Chinese philosophy, she explores how philosophical language is deeply intertwined with the definition and practice of the discipline.

An interdisciplinary study of postmodern ethics and literary criticism from the perspective of Chan/Seon/Zen Buddhism, this book combines the tradition of Western metaphysics and its contact with Asian thought, contemporary Western thought, Buddhism, Taoism (to a minor extent), and literary criticism.