RELS 300-01, Seminar in Asian Philosophy, Spring 1999

Abstract

This is an advanced seminar in the philosophical foundations of Asian thought and practice. While it is impossible to separate religion and philosophy in the eastern traditions as is often done in the west, we will focus our attention on the intellectual dimensions of Asian religious life. We begin with Hinduism and its grounding in the Vedas and the Upanishads and then turn to explore the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, and Vedanta. We will also examine the two heterodox schools of Hindu philosophy, Jainism and Buddhism. This last perspective has gained such prominence throughout Asia that we will devote a third of the course to its various philosophical manifestations. The final third of the course will focus on the indigenous philosophies of China, namely, Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, Mohism, and Daoism.