Bloomsbury Doing Philosophy Comparatively

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. Review An excellent resource to help students through the tangled territories of comparative philosophy this much needed text renders complex issues accessible to new-comers to the field without over-simplifying. It is clearly written, engaging in style, and balanced in its discussion and presentation of the debates about what comparative philosophy is, could, and should be. --Sor-hoon Tan, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy, National University of Singapore About the Author Tim Connolly is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at East Stroudsburg University, USA. He teaches and writes about Chinese philosophy and ancient Greek philosophy.