East Asian Ways of Life: Philosophy and Practice

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The aim of the course is for students to explore various facets of East Asian philosophy. Inspired by the ground-breaking works by historian of ancient philosophy Pierre Hadot (1922-2010), the course will guide students to approach philosophy as ways of life comprising both theory and practice, shaped by specific cultural and historical context. Throughout the course, students will explore core questions and challenges that had been raised in the history of East Asian philosophy and how each tradition and thinker tried to solve these issues. Students will first learn basic concepts which run through the history of East Asian philosophy (Week 1-5). Then they will be introduced to major traditions-- Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist-- who carried on developing more sophisticated theories and models of practice from the classical thought (Week 6-12). Finally, students will explore the application of philosophy in wider cultural context by examining various arts particular to East Asian context (Week 13-14). Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to bring comparative aspects with other philosophical traditions, either from the West or from India.