World Philosophies: A Historical Introduction

Since it was first published in 1996, World Philosophies has been widely acclaimed as the most authoritative and wide–ranging single volume history of Eastern and Western philosophy, from ancient times to the present day. This popular book has now been revised to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the growing number of people interested in all the main philosophical traditions of the world.

Vedanta, Taoism, Platonism, Islamic and Jewish mysticism, Zen Buddhism, Cartesianism, Kantian Idealism, Marxism, Pragmatism, Phenomenology and Existentialism, Analytical Philosophy and Postmodernism are among the movements discussed. New to the second edition are additional sections on aspects of Indian and Persian thought and on feminist and environmental philosophy. All these philosophical systems are viewed as attempts to provide integrated accounts of the place of human beings within the wider order of things, and to determine in the light of these philosophies the proper conduct of human life.

Preface to second edition.

1. Introduction.

Part I: Ancient Philosophies: .

2. India.

The ′Schools′ and their Framework.

Nyaya.

Samkhya and Yoga.

Advaita Vedanta.

Buddhism.

Ethics and Indian Philosophy.

3. China.

The Character of Chinese Philosophy.

Confucianism.

Mohism.

Taoism.

4. Greece.

Legacies.

Naturalism and Relativism.

Plato.

Aristotle.

Epicureanism, Scepticism and Stoicism.

Part II: Middle Period and ′Modern′ Philosophies: .

5. Medieval Philosophies.

Religion and Philosophy.

Neo–Platonism and Early Christianity.

Islamic and Jewish Philosophy.

Thomism and its Critics.

Medieval Mysticism.

6. Developments in Asian Philosophy.

Theistic Vedanta.

Neo–Confucianism.

Zen Buddhism.

Illumination.

7. From Renaissance to Enlightenment.

Humanism and the Rise of Science.

Scepticism.

Dualism, Materialism and Idealism.

Monism and Monadology.

Enlightenment and Its Critics.

Part III: Recent Philosophies:.

8. Kant and the Nineteenth Century.

Kant.

Absolute Idealism.

Philosophies of the Will.

Marxism and Social Darwinism.

Positivism, Pragmatism and British Idealism.

9. Recent Non–Western Philosophies.

India.

China and Japan.

The Islamic World.

Africa.

10. Twentieth–Century Western Philosophies.

Philosophies of Life.

Phenomenology, Hermeneutics and Existentialism.

Logical Atomism and Logical Positivism.

Naturalisms.

Postmodernism and Related Tendencies.

Bibliography.

Index.

David E. Cooper is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Durham and Director of the Durham Institute of Comparative Ethics′. He is the author of a number of books, including Metaphor (1986) and Existentialism (1990, second edition 1999). He is also editor of A Companion to Aesthetics (1992), and four volumes in the series Philosophy: The Classic Readings Aesthetics (1997), Ethics (1997), Epistemology (1999) and Metaphysics (2000). These titles are all published by Blackwell Publishing.

A multicultural feast of ideas and arguments! In language that is expressive, clear and often humorous, David Cooper has written a compelling history of philosophy, covering as it does not only the major figures in Western thought but also the main trends in non–Western philosophy.′ Robert L. Arrington, Georgia State University <!––end––>

By opening the door to cross–cultural comparison, Cooper has let in a draught that may blow away the whole house of cards, and uncover the parts of philosophy that the histories never reached.′ Jonathan Rée, Times Higher Education Supplement