In 1968--a time when young Americans were intensely questioning the values of their society--Krishnamurti gave a series of talks to college students in the United States and Puerto Rico, exploring the true meaning of freedom and rebellion. Collected in this book, these lectures are perhaps even more compelling today, when both adults and young people are searching for the key to genuine change in our world.

The philosophical, religious, and sociopolitical teachings of Confucianism have played a central role in East Asian culture for many centuries. This book presents a selection of passages from leading Chinese thinkers of the later Ming dynasty (sixteenth-seventeenth centuries), a peak period of Confucian creativity influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. Chosen for their practical interest and universal appeal, the passages are concerned with how to develop the personality, conduct social relations, and order society. In contrast to the common misconception of Confucianism as a formalistic ideology linked to authoritarian political regimes, these passages emphasize the cultivation of spiritual qualities as a means of operating harmoniously and successfully in the world.

Available for the first time in the English language, this is a complete and annotated translation of a key work by the twelfth-century Muslim philosopher, Averroes (Ibn Rushd). Acknowledged as the leading transmitter of Aristotelian th ought, Averroes also held controversial views about the re lationship between faith and reason, arguing that religion should not be allowed to impose limits on the exercise of rational thought. His theory of rationality, along with others on language, justice and the interpretation of religious texts, is clearly presented here, in a work that provides the most comprehensive picture available of Averroes's great intellectual achievements.

Kierkegaard and Freedom is a critical exploration of the ideas of Kierkegaard on the various problems surrounding the issue of human freedom. Kierkegaard's views here have been largely ignored by modern English-speaking philosophers. Through the combined efforts of eleven philosophers and scholars this book enndeavours to fill the gap by giving a clear presentation of Kierkegaard's position on such things as radical choice, autonomy, freedom and anxiety, necessity and fate, and self-deception, all the while critically assessing his contributions to one of philosophy's most perplexing problems.

Unique insights into a 1,000 year old text about T'ai Chi and oriental philosophy from the Grand Master of Hwa Yu T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Learn the secrets of an ancient system for health and self defense created in the mountains of China at the beginning of the Sung Dynasty and now practiced around the world.

This book assesses the direction and impact of African philosophy as well as its future role.

What is the intellectual, social, cultural, and political territory of African philosophy? What directions will African philosophy take in the future? What problems will it face? In 10 probing essays by distinguished African, European, and American scholars, African Philosophy as Cultural Inquiry examines the role of African philosophy at the opening of the new millennium. Here philosophy cuts across disciplinary boundaries to embrace ideas taken from history, literary studies, anthropology, and art. Addressing topics such as the progress of philosophical discourse, knowledge and modes of thought, the relevance of philosophy for cultures that are still largely based on traditional values, and the meaning of philosophy to cultures and individuals in the process of modernization, this volume presents today s best thinking about the concerns and practices that constitute African experience. New views about personhood, freedom, responsibility, progress, development, the role of the state, and life in civil society emerge from these broad-based considerations of the crisis of the postcolonial African state. In a lively fashion this diverse book shows how philosophical questions can be applied to interpretations of culture and reveals the multifaceted nature of philosophical discourse in the multiple and variable settings that exist in contemporary Africa."

The 11 essays collected here have been composed by members of the North American Spinoza Society. They exhibit the fruits of the research, investigation and erudition of an array of established scholars and newer students whose interpretations of Spinoza's philosophical doctrines are receiving critical acclaim. This is the first collection in the English language dedicated exclusively to topics, problems or questions raised by the teachings found in Baruch Spinoza's Tractatus theologico-politicus. Divided into the themes of piety, peace, and the freedom to philosophize, the essays treat Spinoza's views on faith and philosophy, miracles, the light of Scripture, political power, religion, the state, the body politic, the idea of tolerance, and philosophic communication, as well as his connections to Walter Benjamin, Blaise Pascal, David Hume, and his Jewish heritage. Readership: An excellent collection for students and scholars studying Spinoza, the history of early modern philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, and those concerned with theologico-political questions.

Consisting of a group of stories bound together by a pilgrimage, this great twelfth-century poem is an allegorical rendering of the Way of the Sufi—the secretive and paradoxical form of Islamic mysticism.

This volume consists of papers delivered at the conference 'The Lvov-Warsaw School and Contemporary Philosophy', organised in celebration of the hun- dredth anniversary ofKazimierz Twardowski's first lecture as Professor of Phi- losophy at Lvov University. This lecture can be regarded as the starting point of the development of analytic philosophy in Poland, which culminated in the Warsaw School of Logic. The conference was held in Lvov (15-17 November) and Warsaw (19-21 November 1995). It was organised jointly by the Ukrainian Academy of Sci- ences and the Polish Academy of Sciences. The general organisation was un- dertaken by Professor Andrzej Grzegorczyk (polish Academy of Sciences) and Professor Marat Vernikov (Ukrainian Academy of Sciences). Professors Jaroslaw Isaievich (Ukrainian Academy of Sciences) and Jan Wolenski (Jagiel- Ionian University) were responsible for the scientific programme. Over 100 philosophers participated in the conference. Papers published in this volume are organised according to the sections of the conference and rep- of the papers delivered. resent a selection The editors would like to express their gratitude to Professor Andrzej Grze- gorczyk, spiritus movens of the conference, who, by including the present vol- ume in a programme of publications connected with the hundredth anniversary of the Lvov-Warsaw School, provided financial support for its preparation. Fi- nally, we express our gratitude to Dr Timothy Childers of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic for correcting the English of the papers.

In the main, the Vedanta agrees with the teaching of Parmenides and the early Eleatics of his school, and has many points of contact with Plato's idealism. But whereas the Greek philosophers were only professors, the Vedanta has always had a deep practical significance.

Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677)-often recognized as the first modern Jewish thinker-was also a founder of modern liberal political philosophy. This book is the first to connect systematically these two aspects of Spinoza's legacy. Steven B. Smith shows that Spinoza was a politically engaged theorist who both advocated and embodied a new conception of the emancipated individual, a thinker who decisively influenced such diverse movements as the Enlightenment, liberalism, and political Zionism. Focusing on Spinoza's Theologico-Political Treatise, Smith argues that Spinoza was the first thinker of note to make the civil status of Jews and Judaism (what later became known as the Jewish Question) an essential ingredient of modern political thought. Before Marx or Freud, Smith notes, Spinoza recast Judaism to include the liberal values of autonomy and emancipation from tradition. Smith examines the circumstances of Spinoza's excommunication from the Jewish community of Amsterdam, his skeptical assault on the authority of Scripture, his transformation of Mosaic prophecy into a progressive philosophy of history, his use of the language of natural right and the social contract to defend democratic political institutions, and his comprehensive comparison of the ancient Hebrew commonwealth and the modern commercial republic. According to Smith, Spinoza's Treatise represents a classic defense of religious toleration and intellectual freedom, showing them to be necessary foundations for political stability and liberal regimes. In this study Smith examines Spinoza's solution to the Jewish Question and asks whether a Judaism, so conceived, can long survive.

Providing translations of and commentaries on primary source materials of modern Japanese philosophy, this sourcebook centers on the creative philosophical writings of the Kyoto School broadly conceived, featuring the thought of Nishida Kitaro, Tanabe Hajime, Kuki Shuzo, Watsuji Tetsuro, Miki Kiyoshi, Tosaka Jun, and Nishitani Keiji. The 22 selections include unabridged whole works, essays, or chapters of books. Also included is exhaustive bio-bibliographical information as well as editorial commentary. For most scholars, this will be the first look in English at the thought of Kuki Shuzo, Miki Kiyoshi, and the Marxist critic Tosaka Jun. The sourcebook will be of interest to scholars, students, and general readers interested in Asian philosophy. The selections show the intensely dialogic character of the philsophical writing of the Kyoto School of the early Showa period (1926-1949) and are of particular interest as representing philosophical strains of a "golden age" of Japanese thought during the war years between 1935 and 1945. In the interstices of the thought of the seven authors, the reader will find a mine of commentary on, and assimilation of, the schools of Western thought and the world's religions, accompanied (with the exception of the internationalist Tosaka Jun) by very resilient affirmations of the strength of Asian traditions.

The ABC-CLIO World History Companion to Utopian Movements is a unique reference work devoted to actual and theoretical utopian movements. Detailed entries examine major utopian movements, significant utopian thinkers and literary works, and various sects, settlements, and communes. The more than 100 A to Z entries include: Diggers; Ecotopia; Fairhope Colony; Feminist Utopias; Futurism; Huguenot Utopias; Kibbutzim; Lunar Utopias; Millennialism; Native American Utopias; New Age Cults; Oneida Community; Ranters; Transcendentalism; and Welfare State.

Investigating connections between philosophical hermeneutics and neighbouring traditions of thought, this volume considers the question of how post-Heideggerian hermeneutics, as represented by Gadamer, Ricoeur and recent scholars following in their wake, relate to these traditions, both in general terms and bearing upon specific questions. The traditions covered in this volume-existentialism, pragmatism, poststructuralism, Eastern philosophy, and hermeneutics itself-are all characterized by significant internal diversity, adding to the difficulty in reaching an interpretation that is at once comparative and critical. None of these traditions represent a unified system of belief; all are umbrella terms which are at once useful and imprecise, and the differences internal to each must not to be understated. An innovative work of comparative philosophy, this volume avoids oversimplification and offers specific analyses that treat hermeneutics in relation to particular themes and key figures in each of these traditions of thought. Philosophical hermeneutics is explicitly dialogical, and it is in this spirit that the authors of this book approach their subjects, revealing the important affinities and opportunities for mutually enriching conversations which have until now been overlooked.

This book continues a comparative project begun with the authors' Thinking Through Confucius and Anticipating China. It continues the comparative discussions by focusing upon three concepts -- self, truth, transcendence -- which best illuminate the distinctive characters of the two cultures. "Self" specifies the meaning of the human subject, "truth" considers that subject's manner of relating to the world of which it is a part, and "transcendence" raises the issue as to whether the self/world relationship is grounded in something other than the elements resourced immediately in self and world. Considered together, the discussions of these concepts advertise in a most dramatic fashion the intellectual barriers currently existing between Chinese and Western thinkers. More importantly, these discussions reformulate Chinese and Western vocabularies in a manner that will enhance the possibilities of intercultural communication.

This unique book is a comparative introduction to important philosophical questions and positions across world traditions. It explores the presuppositions, knowledge techniques, and logics developed by Greco-European, Indian, and Chinese philosophers in their efforts to understand the object world, human consciousness, and their inter-connections.

The text centres on the assumption that there are aspects of thinking common to all traditions. On the basis of this assumption, the author offers a comparative introduction to important East/West philosophical questions and positions, and explores 'philosophizing' as expressed in the presuppositions, knowledge techniques, and logic developed by specific Greco-European, Indian and Chinese philosophers in their efforts to understand the object world, human consciousness and their interconnections. The synthesis of philosophy as 'product' and philosophizing as 'process' provides the dimensions of what the author calls 'philosophical space'.

The enneagram is an ancient nine-pointed diagram which symbolizes the evolution of any process. Like the I Ching hexagrams or the Kabalistic Tree of Life, the enneagram can be used for understanding many different areas of endeavour, and to enhance our intuition, our capacity to see situations holistically, and our ability to find connections between different areas of knowledge and experience. This book explains its potential and discusses the fundamental ideas woven into the symbol. The author then applies the insights of the enneagram to various topics ranging from sex to the solar system.

RGVV (History of Religion: Essays and Preliminary Studies) brings together the mutually constitutive aspects of the study of religion(s)-contextualized data, theory, and disciplinary positioning-and engages them from a critical historical perspective. The series publishes monographs and thematically focused edited volumes on specific topics and cases as well as comparative work across historical periods from the ancient world to the modern era.

Contents: The Science of Knowing the Future; The Development of Seership; Laws Governing Seership; Great Universe Beyond; Development of the Mystic Sense; Crystal-Seeing by Seers of All Ages; How to Go Into the Silence; How to Interpret the Present and Future; Psychic Telepathy; Ghosts of the Living and Dead; Future Evolution of Humanity; Seership Builds a Constructive Life; Higher Being Aided by Seership; Spiritual Evolution of Man; and How to Gain Personal Knowledge of the Higher Truths of Seership.

Contents: Reincarnation; Heredity and Reincarnation; Evolution and Reincarnation; Which is Scientific, Resurrection or Reincarnation?; Theory of Transmigration.

Partial Contents: Polar catastrophe; Cause of expedition; Beginning the voyage; Entering the polar gulf; Day becomes night and night day; We discover the interior world; Extraordinary loss of weight; Afloat on the interior ocean; Visit from inhabitants of Plutusia; Marching in triumph; Journey to Calnogor; REceptonby the King; Throne of the Gods; Worship of Lyone; Audience with the Supreme Goddess; Escaping the cyclone; Twin Soul; A revelation; Voyages of Mercury and Aurora Borealis; History concluded.

Anna Maria van Schurman was in more than one aspect an unconventional woman in her own lifetime. As a gifted scholar in many foreign and ancient languages, as well as in philosophy and theology, she corresponded with other learned men and women all over Europe. She achieved international renown for her own defence of scholarly activity of women. Life and work of this Dutch femme savante of the 17th Century has thus far been studied by theologians, philosophers, literary scholars, historians, pedagogues and art historians, each concentrating on specific aspects of Van Schurman's biography or work. A rather fragmented image of this scholar was the result. This interdependent collection of essays describes the life and work of Anna Maria van Schurman from an interdisciplinary - or rather multidisciplinary - approach and will outline a more integrated yet at the same time subtly differentiated picture. Nine contributions - from the disciplines of philosophy, theology, Dutch language and literature, intellectual and art history, and women's studies - partly based on new source material, shed light on Van Schurman's ideas on erudition and femininity, ethics and philosophy, as well as on her religious beliefs, within the context of the early modern intellectual community to which she belonged. Audience: This collection of essays will therefore command the interest not only of historians, but also of scholars and students in theology, philosophy, art history, and women's studies.

Samuel Shirley's splendid new translation, with critical annotation reflecting research of the last half-century, is the only edition of the complete text of Spinoza's correspondence available in English. An historical-philosophical Introduction, detailed annotation, a chronology, and a bibliography are also included.

Contents: Raja Yoga; Pantanjali's Yoga Aphorisms; Immortality; Bhakti-Yoga; Para-Bhakti or Supreme Devotion; Glossary.