List of articles (by subject) Philosophical roots of Eastern religions
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Open Access Article
1 - An Introduction to the Configuration of Political Ethics in the History of Chinese Philosophy: With a Focus on Ancient China
Ali AqajaniThe history of philosophy in China has always possessed some ethical and political roots since the time of its emergence and in the process of its evolution and development. One of the common features of all Chinese political philosophers, in spite of all their theoreti MoreThe history of philosophy in China has always possessed some ethical and political roots since the time of its emergence and in the process of its evolution and development. One of the common features of all Chinese political philosophers, in spite of all their theoretical differences, is their belief in the dependence of the value of government and rulership on its moral and ethical status and prestige. In this way, they tried to access moral principles in order to obligate the Chinese to conform to an Ideal government. Accordingly, while acknowledging the linguistic and semantic ambiguities of authorities’ different theories, the present study investigated the problem of the nature of political ethics and its relationship with government in Chinese political philosophy (with an emphasis on ancient China) following a comparative method. Here, the author proposes the hypothesis that, despite some shared general viewpoints, there are various approaches to the whatness and quality of political ethics and its relationship with government and its duties and moral-political responsibilities. The differences between approaches can be studied in relation to ontology, epistemology, and anthropology, on the one hand, and in relation to the relationship between ethics and politics, nature of government, and legitimacy and duties of government, on the other hand. For example, regarding the problem of the nature of government, Laozi, Yang Zǐ, and Tsung Zǐ, who are Taoists, criticize the government and consider it a kind of unnecessary evil that has no function except for increasing the complexity and adversity of affairs. Therefore, they vote for a minority government, advocate the absence of a dominant central government, and prescribe a conformity between Man’s political conformity with a decentralized government. By contrast, Confucius, Mensius, Tung Chung-su, Han Fei Zǐ, and Chu His consider the government to be a necessary good with major ethical-political duties. Manuscript profile -
Open Access Article
2 - A Study of Western Thinkers’ Approach to Eastern Philosophy
Reza Gandomi NasrabadiThe discussion of the meaning and existence of philosophy in the East is considered to be an introduction to any exchange of thought and agreement between the East and the West. Ritchie, the Christian missionary, wrote a book entitled Confucius: The Chinese Philosopher MoreThe discussion of the meaning and existence of philosophy in the East is considered to be an introduction to any exchange of thought and agreement between the East and the West. Ritchie, the Christian missionary, wrote a book entitled Confucius: The Chinese Philosopher and introduced his thoughts to the West for the first time. Later and under his influence, Leibniz and Christian Wolf not only acknowledged the certain existence of philosophy in the East, particularly in China, but also believed that it could be used to remove the existing problems in Western philosophy and theology. However, Kant initiated a racist approach in this regard that dealt with other philosophies from a higher position and questioned the very essence of philosophy in the East altogether. This Europe-centered view entered a new era in the West with Hegel, whose view of eastern philosophy was humiliating and hierarchical. Unlike him, Deussen, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Husserl, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and many other Western thinkers benefitted from the vast philosophy of the East. Generally speaking, it can be said that denying or doubting the legitimacy of Eastern philosophy on the part of some Westerners lacks logical support and is mainly rooted in their nationalist feelings. The reaction of Eastern thinkers in this regard is also noteworthy. Some of them complain that Western philosophers do not appreciate Eastern philosophy as much as it truly deserves and do not use it in order to solve the crises that contemporary Man encounters. However, some others, in line with Westerners but with a different motive, refuse to apply the word philosophy to their ancient legacy in order to protect its originality and safeguard against its mixture with Western philosophy. Manuscript profile