How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy

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Nevertheless, he finds a coherent way to structure his itinerary, grouping ideas by sub areas of philosophy : Epistemology, Ontology and so on, and exploring concepts under each of these as offered by different parts of the world. Thus we have chapters titled Pragmatism (America), Karma (India), Harmony (China) and so on, to delve into a unique theme and its resonances across cultures. At 20 we don’t care what the world thinks of us: at 40 we worry about what it is thinking of us; and at 60 we discover that it wasn’t thinking of us at all. But he does believe that the various traditions can learn from each other and can see how one might think differently if different ideas are emphasized. Plus, he thinks this is the way the world is going anyway, with globalization bringing the various cultures into closer communication, such that in the future global philosophy will be a cross-cultural conversation with roots in the various traditions. A Tayto sandwich is an absolute favourite in Ireland, so much so that it’s almost impossible to recreate outside of the Emerald Isle unless you can somehow get some Tayto and Brennan’s Bread sent to you. The term 'Indian philosophy' is misleading, though to be fair it is also used by many Indians. The correct term is Vedic philosphy, for two reasons: it is found in many other countries in South and South-East Asia. Secondly, there are other philosophies in India including Buddhist, Jain, Muslim, Sikh etc.

How the World Thinks | Granta

When you catch yourself worrying about what others think of you, remember the Twenty-Forty-Sixty Rule: At age twenty, you worry about what others think about you; at forty, you don’t care what others think about you; and at sixty, you realize that nobody was thinking about you in the first place. The book is replete with facile generalisations, e.g. the reference to extreme deference by Indians to authority which is contrasted with Western notions of argument and debate, all based on his experience in one conference. If Baggini had looked beyond his narrow view to the writings of historians and sociologists, it is the argumentative nature of Indians that has led to its amazing diversity. Amartya Sen, the Nobel-prize winning Indian economist, illustrated this in his book 'The Argumentative Indian'. No philosophy, he argues in conclusion, can escape the peculiarities of its own place; even global philosophy must come from somewhere. The question is not where you’re from, but where you’re heading. In our embattled age, Baggini’s self-awareness, acuity and willingness to listen and learn point valuably away from parochial myopia and towards productive dialogue.At age 20 we don’t care what the world thinks of us; at 40 we worry what it is thinking of us; at 60 we discover that it wasn’t thinking of us at all.— (K & M) So while this is undoubtedly a book about the biggest questions, there is no attempt on the part of the author to answer them – rather, simply to describe attitudes that in some instances are almost impossible to define. Can Westerners understand the Japanese fascination with emptiness, the spaces in between? Can Asians understand how literal parts of the European traditions are? Is there any agreement, for example, about time? Many philosophies see it as cyclic, while Australian aboriginals see past, present and future all as one. Can countries which believe in the philosophical determination behind thinking that society as a whole should provide for all its members understand the passion of can-do Americans to exalt the power of the individual and individual autonomy? PDF / EPUB File Name: How_the_World_Thinks_-_Julian_Baggini.pdf, How_the_World_Thinks_-_Julian_Baggini.epub At 20 we don’t care what the world thinks of us; at 30 we worry about what it thinks of us; at 40 we discover it doesn’t think of us. Okay, this is a very Irish trait, and you’ll know this when you do it in another country and get the ‘what are you thanking me for, it’s my job’ look. The world most definitely thinks we’re bonkers for doing this.

How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy

In the first global overview of philosophy, Julian Baggini travels the world to provide a wide-ranging map of human thought. One of the great unexplained wonders of human history is that written philosophy flowered entirely separately in China, India and Ancient Greece at more or less the same time. These early philosophies have had a profound impact on the development of distinctive cultures in different parts of the world. What we call ‘philosophy’ in the West is not even half the story. Julian Baggini sets out to expand our horizons in How the World Thinks, exploring the philosophies of Japan, India, China and the Muslim world, as well as the lesser-known oral traditions of Africa and Australia’s first peoples. Interviewing thinkers from around the globe, Baggini asks questions such as: why is the West is more individualistic than the East? What makes secularism a less powerful force in the Islamic world than in Europe? And how has China resisted pressures for greater political freedom? Offering deep insights into how different regions operate, and paying as much attention to commonalities as to differences, Baggini shows that by gaining greater knowledge of how others think we take the first step to a greater understanding of ourselves. How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy by Julian Baggini – eBook Details The physicist Fritjof Capra resisted the idea that science and ethics must be kept separate. “Scientists,” he said, “are responsible for their research, not only intellectually but also morally.” Discoveries in his own field “may lead us – to put it in extreme terms – to the Buddha or to the Bomb, and it is up to each of us to decide which path to take.” Similarly, the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke saw the need for a moral compass in science. “As our own species is in the process of proving, one cannot have superior science and inferior morals,” he wrote. “The combination is unstable and self-destroying.”

Julian Baggini

The world thinks it’s weird that, as a nation, we get so excited to tune into the ‘telly box’ and watch a grown man play with the latest toys.