Based on several years of research on Jewish intellectual life in the Renaissance, this book tries to distinguish the coordinates of "modernity" as premises of Jewish philosophy, and vice versa. In the first part, it is concerned with the foundations of Jewish philosophy, its nature as philosophical science and as wisdom. The second part is devoted to certain elements and challenges of the humanist and Renaissance period as reflected in Judaism: historical consciousness and the sciences, utopian tradition, the legal status of the Jews in Christian political tradition and in Jewish political thought, aesthetic concepts of the body and conversion.

Wisdom and Philosophy: Contemporary and Comparative Approaches questions the nature of the relationship between wisdom and philosophy from an intercultural perspective. Bringing together an international mix of respected philosophers, this volume discusses similarities and differences of Western and Asian pursuits of wisdom and reflects on attempts to combine them. Contributors cover topics such as Confucian ethics, the acquisition of wisdom in pre-Qin literature and anecdotes of stupidity in the classical Chinese tradition, while also addressing contemporary topics such as global Buddhism and analytic metaphysics. Providing original examples of comparative philosophy, contributors look at ideas and arguments of thinkers such as Confucius, Zhuangzi and Zhu Xi alongside the work of Aristotle, Plato and Heidegger. Presenting Asian perspectives on philosophy as practical wisdom, Wisdom and Philosophy is a rare intercultural inquiry into the relation between wisdom and philosophy. It provides new ways of understanding how wisdom connects to philosophy and underlines the need to reintroduce it into philosophy today.

This outline of Korea's civilisation is a cultural history that examines the ways the Korean people over the past two millennia understood the world and viewed their place in society. In the traditional era, the interaction between several broad religious and philosophical traditions and social institutions, state interests and, at times, external pressures, provides the framework of the story. In the modern era, the chief concern is with the rapid and momentous cultural changes that have occurred over the past one and a half centuries in the idea and spread of education, the rise in influence of students, the development of mass culture, the redefinition of gender, and the continuing importance of religion.

Human history has been marked by the great number of people born into conditions of war, violence, oppression and social exclusion. But at the same time, this history has been shaped by the long struggle for human rights and the people who have committed themselves to the practices of solidarity and nonviolence. The Power of Hope: Thoughts on Peace and Human Rights in the Third Millennium is a dialogue between two high-profile activists and thinkers who discuss the concrete ways we can shift to a world that prioritises justice and human dignity. Adolfo Perez Esquivel - Argentinian human rights activist and winner of the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize - played a vital role in resisting military dictatorship and was arrested and tortured under the Argentine militarist government. Daisaku Ikeda is a peacebuilder, Buddhist philosopher, educator, author and poet as well as being the founding president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the world's largest Buddhist lay organisation. Their dialogue intertwines their rich personal experiences in the struggle for human rights with wider reflections on how to make the Third Millennium the millennium of peace. The book combines rich accounts of Latin America under the brutality of the 1970s military regimes; insights from the Buddhist faith on the role of meditation for human rights activists; recognition of the crucial role of women in the practice of nonviolence; thoughts on international geopolitics and the legacies of Hiroshima; and discussion of the perilous role of globalisation in the loss of identities and ethical values.

"The New Space: Genesis and Background, " author Bahman Bazargani considers the idea that the quasi-aesthetic focus of attraction of the polytheistic era was the brave hero. This quasi-aesthetic focus of attraction overshadows all the other parameters of that paradigm. Liberty in that paradigm meant the liberty of moving in these dimensions. In contrast, during the monotheistic paradigm, the meaning of liberty was drastically changed and overshadowed by the quasi-aesthetic focus of attraction of that paradigm that is by the eternity/other world.

Barzagani further strives to show that the era of reason was somehow an autocratic era that had a great impression upon the modern time while it was philosophically more tolerant to the two centuries before. Throughout "The New Space: Genesis and Background, " he examines the changes that the concept of liberty experiences from the classic teachings to the present and the new quasi-aesthetic focus of attraction, which as a metavalue and the "true" meaning of life overshadows all the other social values. He posits that although there is a consensus that liberty us the meaning of life, but that there is no consensus on the meaning of liberty.

Finally, Bazargani comes to the conclusion that horizontal respect is a new principle that can be the new quasi-aesthetic focus of attraction and a metavalue that would overshadow all the social values even liberty itself-the beginning of the new space, pluralist mega space.

Text, History, and Philosophy. Abhidharma Across Buddhist Scholastic Traditions discusses Abhidhamma / Abhidharma as a specific exegetical method. In the first part of the volume, the development of the Buddhist argumentative technique is discussed. The second part investigates the importance of the Buddhist rational tradition for the development of Buddhist philosophy. The third part focuses on some peculiar doctrinal issues that resulted from rational Abhidharmic reflections. In this way, an outline of the development of the Abhidharma genre and of Abhidharmic notions and concepts in India, Central Asia, China, and Tibet from the life time of the historical Buddha to the tenth century CE is given. Contributors are: Johannes Bronkhorst, Lance S. Cousins, Bart Dessein, Tamara Ditrich, Bhikkhu Kuala Lumpur Dhammajoti, Dylan Esler, Eric Greene, Goran Kardas, Jowita Kramer, Chen-kuo Lin, Andrea Schlosser, Ingo Strauch, Weijen Teng and Yao-ming Tsai.

The late Professor Hossein Ziai's interests focused on the Illuminationist (Ishraqi) tradition. Dedicated to his memory, this volume deals with the post-Avicennan philosophical tradition in Iran, and in particular the Illuminationist school and later philosophers, such as those associated with the School of Isfahan, who were fundamentally influenced by it. The focus of various chapters is on translations, editions, and close expositions of rationalist works in areas such as epistemology, logic and metaphysics rather than mysticism more generally, and also on specific texts rather than themes or studies of individual philosophers. The purpose of the volume is to introduce new texts into the modern canon of Islamic and Iranian philosophy. Various texts in this volume have not been previously translated nor have they been the subject of significant Western scholarship.

Text extracted from opening pages of book: HINDU PHILOSOPHY TO MY TEACHER HINDU PHILOSOPHY By THEOS BERNARD, Pn. D. PHILOSOPHICAL LIBRARY New York COPYRIGHT, 1947, BY THE PHILOSOPHICAL LIBRARY, INC. 15 EAST 40TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PREFACE This book is an attempt to outline the essence of the six classic systems of Hindu Philosophy, namely; Nyaya, VaiSesika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta. All other schools of thought are but / ariations of these six. I felt it necessary to present only one additional; chool, namely Ka& mlr Saivism which gives the most detailed analysis ) f the Ultimate Principle; however, it can hardly be fully understood intil the other six systems are comprehended. To understand correctly Hindu Philosophy, it is paramount that me realize that the basis of all the schools is the same. Together they: orm a graduated interpretation of the Ultimate Reality. Each school s based on the same metaphysical doctrine, while discussing some Darticular aspect of the whole. For example: Nyaya discusses the neans by which knowledge may be had of the Ultimate Reality; ai& esika, the things to be known about that Ultimate Reality; Samkhya, the evolution of metaphysical doctrine; Yoga, the meta physical doctrine in relation to the individual; Mrrnamsa, the rules md method of interpreting the doctrine; Vedanta, the relationship Between God, Matter, and the world; and Kamir Saivism, the nature > f the Ultimate Spirit and the Cause of the Initial Impulse. This outline is intended merely to show the interrelationship of these schools and how each assumes the doctrines of the other while it solves its special problem. In this introduction tothe classic philosophical schools of India: here is no attempt to prove or disprove but rather to present the system of each school many eminent scholars have ably discussed: he philosophical implications in full detail. My problem has been me of deciding what would be omitted rather than what should be ncluded. Only the essentials of each system are presented. According to the classic schools of Hindu Philosophy, the method 3y which the individual can evolve himself during this life is through vn VI ii PREFACE the practice of Yoga. This is the universal technique recommended to enable man to acquire actual insight into the true nature of things. All schools agree that until the faith is fortified with understanding, little progress can be made, for knowledge without application is like medicine that is not taken. To aid those who do not have a knowledge of Sanskrit, each term, in most cases, is defined when it is introduced, giving the seed con cept of the word, so that the intended metaphysical idea can be more readily grasped. For future reference a glossary of all important terms has been provided in the hope that it may aid those who wish to read some of the recommended bibliographical material. In the use of the English translation of these technical Sanskrit terms, one is cautioned not to take them literally, for it is impossible to adequately translate them. Various writers have used different translations which will be the source of confusion at first. However, if one learns to use the technical term, he will soon grasp its full connotation. This work is a synthesis rather than an original contribution. In its preparation, I have relied extensively upon the writings of recognized authorities on Hindu Philosophy. For the sake of simplification, I have avoided extensive use of quotations and footnotes, and I have made use of the traditional chronology throughout without comment. In conclusion, I wish to express my gratitude to those authors, listed in the bibliography, from whose works I have drawn. Special mention should be made of two outstanding guides: Indian Philoso phy by S. Radhakrishnan, and A History of Indian Philosophy by S. Dasgupta. I am also indebted to Professor Herbert W. Schneider, for many helpful recommendation

Through close study of Avicenna's statements and major works, Dimitri Gutas traces Avicenna's own sense of his place in the Aristotelian tradition and the history of philosophy in Islam, and provides an introduction to reading his philosophical works by delineating the approach most consistent with Avicenna's intention and purpose in philosophy. The second edition of this foundational work, which has quickened fruitful research into the philosopher in the last quarter century, is completely revised and updated, and adds a new final chapter summarizing Avicenna's philosophical project. It is also enlarged with the addition of a new appendix which offers a critical inventory of Avicenna's authentic works, updating the work of Mahdavi (1954) with additional information on all manuscripts and important editions and translations. Its usefulness enhanced, the book provides primary orientation to Avicenna's philosophy and works and constitutes an indispensable research tool for their study. Winner of the I. R. Iran World Award for the Book of the Year 2014

Here is a book you will appreciate even if you have read many Buddhist books. This book expounds the Dharma in a very lucid way and illuminates the Heart Sutra from Buddhism's apex of psychology and philosophy. This book is a sharp weapon useful for cutting the root of ignorance. It is one thing to talk about or read about the meaning of life and quite another to move through the levels of wisdom to actually live that meaning. Here you'll find a detailed map of the journey to meaning.

The medieval Jewish philosophers Saadia Gaon, Bahya ibn Pakuda, and Moses Maimonides made significant contributions to moral philosophy in ways that remain relevant today.
Jonathan Jacobs explicates shared, general features of the thought of these thinkers and also highlights their distinctive contributions to understanding moral thought and moral life. The rationalism of these thinkers is a key to their views. They argued that seeking rational understanding of Torah's commandments and the created order is crucial to fulfilling the covenant with God, and that intellectual activity and ethical activity form a spiral of mutual reinforcement. In their view, rational comprehension and ethical action jointly constitute a life of holiness. Their insights are important in their own right and are also relevant to enduring issues in moral epistemology and moral psychology, resonating even in the contemporary context.
The central concerns of this study include (i) the relations between revelation and rational justification, (ii) the roles of intellectual virtue and ethical virtue in human perfection, (iii) the implications of theistic commitments for topics such as freedom of the will, the acquisition of virtues and vices, repentance, humility, and forgiveness, (iv) contrasts between medieval Jewish moral thought and the practical wisdom approach to moral philosophy and the natural law approach to it, and (v) the universality and objectivity of moral elements of Torah.