Asian Philosophies

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course provides a general introduction to some of the most influential philosophical traditions of India and China and serves as a philosophical and historical foundation for students interested in Asian philosophies. The course concentrates on the theories of human nature that were associated with the early Confucian, Daoist, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions and the ways in which these theories served as the foundation for their ethical, religious, and political views. The accounts of selected early Confucian philosophers are examined, followed by the classical Daoist tradition and the texts of the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi. The course then focuses on the early Indian philosophies associated with the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita, as well as early Buddhist philosophy, which went on to influence the philosophical climate of East Asia—including the development of Confucian and Daoist thought—in remarkable ways.