A Buddha Land in This World (New Book)
My new book, A Buddha Land in This World: Philosophy, Utopia, and Radical Buddhism, has just been published. Here is the abstract/back cover blurb: In the early twentieth century, Uchiyama GudĹ, Senoâo GirĹ, Lin Qiuwu, and others advocated a Buddhism that was radical in two respects. Firstly, they adopted a more or less naturalist stance with respect to Buddhist doctrine and related matters, rejecting karma or other supernatural beliefs. And secondly, they held political and economic views that were radically anti-hegemonic, anti-capitalist, and revolutionary. Taking the idea of such a âradical Buddhismâ seriously, A Buddha Land in This World: Philosophy,...
Mythos, Wisdom, and Scavenger Philosophy
According to Karl Jaspers, philosophy arose in the âAxial Ageâ as a kind of critical reflection on myth and tradition. Nowadays, there is widespread agreement among historians of ideas that the notion of an âAxial Ageâ is itself a myth, but I think that the other part of Jaspersâ idea is right, that is, philosophy indeed originates in critical reflection on myth and tradition. This doesnât mean that this defines the scope and purpose of philosophy, of course â as a âmatureâ discipline, philosophy mostly reflects on itself â but I believe that reflection on this idea about the origins...
Is âPhilosophyâ Racist?
The term âphilosophyâ without any adjectives or other qualifications is generally understood to refer to Western philosophy. Introductory philosophy or ethics courses typically donât pay any attention to non-Western philosophers (or merely drop a name once or twice in an attempt to feign a broader perspective), and one can easily get a philosophy degree without ever seriously engaging with Chinese or Indian philosophy. While there has been some pressure to broaden the scope of âphilosophyâ, thus far very little progress has been made in this respect. One might (and should) wonder: What explains this resistance to a more inclusive understanding...
Dao and Second-Order Consequentialism
After king You of Zhou fell in love with Bao Si he exiled his wife, Queen Shen. The disgraced Shen family retaliated in 771 BCE by attacking and killing king You. The Zhou dynasty never recovered â although nominally it remained in power for another five centuries, this period was characterized by failing authority and nearly continuous war. Perhaps not coincidentally, this was also the most fruitful period in the intellectual history of China and is commonly recognized as the Golden Age of Chinese philosophy. Confucius, Mencius, Mozi, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, and many other of Chinaâs most famous philosophers lived...
Book Review of Jay Garfieldâs Engaging Buddhism â Extended Version
When the Australasian Journal of Philosophy (AJP) asked me to review Jay Garfieldâs (2015) book Engaging Buddhism I didnât realize that they have a 400-word limit for âBook Notesâ. Thatâs the book-review equivalent of a haiku, which posed an interesting challenge, but which also required cutting 90% of the things I have (or want) to say about Garfieldâs book. This âextended versionâ of my review includes both the pre-publication version of my âBook Noteâ for AJP and a some additional, more detailed comments. pre-publication version of my âBook Noteâ for AJP In the preface of his book Garfield observes that...
Anarchism as Metaphilosophy
Near the end of the prologue of Platoâs Republic, Socrates says to his opponent Thrasymachus that what they are discussing is âno ordinary/insignificant matter, but how we ought to liveâ (1.352d). As in many of Platoâs writings, Socrates here played the role of his mouthpiece: âHow we ought to liveâ was indeed no insignificant matter for Plato, but the starting point and ultimate purpose of his philosophical investigations. Relegating the pre-Socratic philosophers to the disciplineâs prehistory, it is sometimes suggested that Western philosophy started with Plato. Alfred North Whitehead even claimed that the history of Western philosophy âconsists of a...