What standards should we use to evaluate culturally distinct philosophies? What kind of barrier does language or cultural difference pose in our attempts to understand other traditions? How do we avoid our comparisons being biased? Doing Philosophy Comparatively answers these questions by providing a thorough overview of the methodology involved in extending philosophy across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Now revised and updated to showcase the most recent developments in the field, this second edition engages with philosophies beyond the Anglo-European tradition and features: · Examples of cross-cultural philosophy from a wider range of non-Western traditions · Methodological innovations from works of comparative philosophy published in the last decade · Focused exercises for each chapter demonstrating how to interact meaningfully with primary texts and engage with recent debates in comparative philosophy · Updated discussion questions and readings Introducing the main problems, methods, and approaches of comparative philosophy, this new edition shows you how to make informed cross-cultural judgments through reflection and practice. It remains an essential toolkit for the practice of doing comparative philosophy.

"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."--Back cover.

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.

Comparative Philosophy without Borders presents original scholarship by leading contemporary comparative philosophers, each addressing a philosophical issue that transcends the concerns of any one cultural tradition. By critically discussing and weaving together these contributions in terms of their philosophical presuppositions, this cutting-edge volume initiates a more sophisticated, albeit diverse, understanding of doing comparative philosophy. Within a broad conception of the alternative shapes that work in philosophy may take, this volume breaks three kinds of boundaries: between cultures, historical periods and sub-disciplines of philosophy such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, and political philosophy. As well as distinguishing three phases of the development of comparative philosophy up to the present day, the editors argue why the discipline now needs to enter a new phase. Putting to use philosophical thought and textual sources from Eurasia and Africa, contributors discuss modern psychological and cognitive science approaches to the nature of mind and topics as different as perception, poetry, justice, authority, and the very possibility of understanding other people. Comparative Philosophy without Borders demonstrates how drawing on philosophical resources from across cultural traditions can produce sound state-of-the-art progressive philosophy. Fusing the horizons of traditions opens up a space for creative conceptual thinking outside all sorts of boxes.

What standards should we use to evaluate culturally distinct philosophies? Is language a barrier in our attempts to understand other traditions? How do we avoid our comparisons being biased or generalized? Doing Philosophy Comparatively answers these questions by providing a thorough overview of the methodology involved in extending philosophy across linguistic and cultural boundaries. It introduces students to the main problems, methods, and approaches of comparative philosophy, showing how to make informed cross-cultural judgments through reflection and practice. Now thoroughly revised and updated to showcase the most recent developments in the field, this second edition engages students further with philosophies beyond the Anglo-European tradition and features: - A wider variety of comparative examples from Chinese, Indian, African, and Islamic traditions - A new section with focused exercises for each chapter, helping students to interact meaningfully with primary texts - Updated discussion questions and suggested reading sections With supporting online resources that provide links to reliable translations of the texts and primary sources included in the book, this new edition remains an essential toolkit for the practice of doing comparative philosophy.

What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich spectrum of arguments for a theory of happiness as flourishing or well-being, offering a global, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective on how to create a vital, fulfilling, and significant life. Drawing upon perspectives from a broad range of philosophical traditions—Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary—the book suggests that just as physical health is the well-being of the body, happiness is the healthy and flourishing condition of the whole human being, and we experience the most complete happiness when we realize our potential through creative engagement. Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful. Visit https://cup.columbia.edu/extras/supplement/philosophies-of-happiness for additional appendixes and supplemental notes.

This book presents a systematic unifying-pluralist account—a "constructive-engagement" account—of how cross-tradition engagement in philosophy is possible. The goal of this "constructive-engagement" account is, by way of reflective criticism, argumentation, and methodological guiding principles, to inquire into how distinct approaches from different philosophical traditions can talk to and learn from each other for the sake of making joint contributions to the contemporary development of philosophy. In Part I of the book, Bo Mou explores a range of fundamental theoretic and methodological issues in cross-tradition philosophical engagement and philosophical interpretation. In Part II, he analyzes several representative case studies that demonstrate how relevant resources in the Western and Chinese philosophical traditions can constructively engage with each other. These studies cover issues in philosophical methodology, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language and logic, and ethics. The book’s theoretical and practical approaches expand the vision, coverage, and agenda of doing philosophy comparatively, and promote worldwide joint efforts of cross-tradition philosophical inquiries. Cross-Tradition Engagement in Philosophy will be of interest to graduate students and scholars interested in comparative philosophy and the intersection of Chinese and Western philosophy. It will also appeal to those who are interested in the ways in which cross-tradition philosophical engagement can enhance contemporary philosophical debates in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language and logic, and ethics.