Course Description
An introduction to Asian philosophy, with a focus on traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Islam, among others. Students will undertake a critical overview of key philosophical problems in the areas of epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, aesthetics, and social and political philosophy.
Athena Title
Asian Philosophies
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course will meet the following objectives and learning outcomes: 1. Students will develop a nuanced appreciation and understanding of the history of Asian philosophical thought and learn a vocabulary of concepts and an index of problems specific to the traditions studied. 2. Students will develop their writings skills, working on both exegetical and critical writing assignments on a selection of themes related to the texts discussed in class. 3. Students will learn how to critically reflect on and discuss issues that are (for the most part) unfamiliar to their social and cultural milieu, developing crucial skills for evaluating and responding to a more diverse array of intellectual positions. 4. Students will cultivate a more diverse intellectual voice of their own, acquiring an important asset in this regard with their knowledge of philosophical traditions outside of the history of Western philosophy. 5. Students will learn to think comparatively, interpreting Asian traditions from their point of view, and thereby learning to account for both the similarities and differences between these various positions.
Topical Outline
This course introduces students to a selection of the major philosophical traditions to have emerged from South, East, and West Asia, including, but not limited to, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Islam. Students will undertake a critical study of the various worldviews and key philosophical concepts that distinguish each of these philosophical schools and, where suitable, will make comparisons with Western philosophies. Some of the central topics studied in this course will include cosmogonies, conceptions of human nature, the nature of knowledge, questions of philosophical method, human psychology, and philosophical problems related to language. Another central thread of this course will highlight themes of social and political philosophy, drawing students' attention to conceptions of the public "good" as it is discussed across various schools of Asian thought. Specific topics in this area might include models of justice, the role of institutions in securing the ends of a just society, the relation between the public and private spheres, etc. While the class will seek the answers to such questions in individual texts, the discussions will also enable students to reflect on some of their own philosophical questions and concerns about the purpose and meaning of life.
Syllabus