PHIL 336 Introduction to Asian Philosophy
The course offers a basic overview of some of the most influential traditions of thinking in India, China, and Japan particularly in pre-modern times, with a special focus on issues in ethics (the main goals of human life and the paths to attain them) and metaphysics (the nature of ultimate reality, God, and the nature of self). References to sacred texts and wisdom literature will be present, given their key role in shaping those cultures, but greatest attention will be given to argumentative debates carried out by major thinkers within those traditions. No previous knowledge of the topic is required. Enduring Questions addressed: (1) What is the relationship between our body and our soul, our physical and our spiritual identity? (2) What is wisdom? How can we attain it? (3) What can we say about God, and what is our relationship to Him? What might our obligations be to Him?
Prerequisite
Open to students who've taken one of the following pairs, as well as to graduate students in the pre-theology certificate program and transfer students in the PhB program:
PHIL 201 &
PHIL 202 or
PHIL 211 &
PHIL 212 or
HSPH 101 &
HSPH 102