Eastern Philosophy: The Greatest Thinkers and Sages from Ancient to Modern Times

by Kevin Burns

An introduction to three great philosophical traditions, namely those of India, the Middle East and the Far East.

Fifty eastern thinkers are covered. Each is placed within the context of his or her own tradition and key ideas are explored together with relevant biographical information. The book focuses on the philosophies of the East rather than on its religions and attempts to be clear and concise without over-simplification.

The Indian section covers Hindu, Buddhist and Jain thought with special emphasis on Vedanta philosophy. The Middle Eastern section is primarily concerned with Islamic thinkers. The Far East includes the three great traditions of China - Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism - as well as the Buddhist thinkers of Japan.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Religion, Eastern Philosophy

381 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Rashad Raoufi]

its a good intro but even the intoructory text on philosophy is abit hard to understand soemtimes! still its good hsitorical information on the eveolution of eastern thought,albeit from a western perspective. a good,useful read for anyone interested in philosophy or even history of thought.

[Emilija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skaičiau 2009 m. Margų raštų leidimą. Tai pirmiausia užkliuvo visų pavardžių transkribavimas ir vardų nerašymas ir kabučių perteklius.

Knyga patraukė, kad filosofai išdėlioti regioniškai ir chronologiškai, taip pat žadėjo pradedančiųjų lygį ir aiškų turinį, todėl tikėjausi smagios pramogos, prisiminti kažkada kažkur girdėtas idėjas, arba sužinoti naujų.

Tai tikrai nėra knyga nesusipažinusiems su filosofija, nes pilna terminų, kurie tiesiog numetami tekste, taip, gale yra žodėlis, bet konteksto ir paaiškinimo galėtų būti daugiau. Istorinis, politinis, kultūrinis kontekstas idėjų raidai čia labai menkas, bet jei skelbiesi, kad rašai auditorijai nesusipažinusiai su filosofija, tai aktualesnė informacija, nei viena filosofo santykia su kitais filosofais ar jų tarpusavio kritika. Aš noriu žinoti koks jo indėlis į minties raidą turiniu, o ne konstatavimu.

Turbūt jei mano lūkesčiai būtų atititkti, tai knyga būtų buvusi gerooookai storesnė, kita vertus, klausydama paskaitų apie filosofiją, per penkias minutes lektorius geriau perteikia aptariamų autorių svarbą labiau, nei šitoje knygoje.

[William Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic introductory read to philosophy as it occurs outside of the West. Primarily the philosophy examined comes from the continent of Asia with some coming from Andalusia and North Africa. India, the Middle East, China, Korea, and Japan are all looked at with some detail. The author does a good job of showing connections between the schools of thought where there are some and differences where they exist as well. Sometimes he speculates about influence between the ancient Greeks and these Eastern schools of thought but these relationships seem to be purely speculative and shouldn’t be seen as agreed upon.

[Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a broad introduction to the major figures and schools of Eastern philosophy. I liked it but the fact that it covers centuries of thought across multiple traditions makes it difficult to grasp. I found it did a good job bringing together so many perspectives, from ancient sages to modern voices. The sheer number of areas covered, the long time span, and the often conflicting views made it less of a story, history or collection of vignette’s and more of a broad survey. Still, it’s a good resource for anyone looking to get an overview of the richness and diversity of Eastern philosophy, even if it takes some patience to work through.

[Junaid Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of Indian, middle eastern and Chinese philosophical thinking. Western philosophy is definitely well understood, read and discussed. But what fascinates me is, how anachronistically advanced philosophical era India was. Western philosophy is definitely highly indebted from the fertile culture of subcontinental intellectual gems. The initial chapter on Hinduism and Buddhism is worth reading as a standalone section in the book who wants to know more about the two main school of philosophies in India.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a description / history of various sects of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam with a bit of biography of the main figures of each. Also covers Confucius, Lao Tzu, Mao in China.

Maybe not exactly what I expected but interesting reading. Mostly short, page or two, synopsis.

Recommend as a starting point for anyone interested in Eastern Philosophy.

[Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good basic beginners level entry book to Eastern philosophy.
It isn't rigorous but it was just right for what I wanted. I now feel ready to start reading some of the books recommended at the end of the book.

[Constantine Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to eastern philosophy for those who are interested in it, if you are not interested in eastern philosophy you might find this book dry.

[Rose Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved how easy to read this is. Great study book.

[Diego Palomino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference book. In makes a good companion to