Books in the Ashgate World Philosophies Series series

The philosophical problem of personal identity has been the subject of debate in both Western and Buddhist philosophy. This book initiates a conversation between the two traditions showing how concepts and tools drawn from one philosophical tradition can help solve problems arising in another.

The Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi (also known as Chuang Tzu), along with Confucius, Lao Tzu, and the Buddha, ranks among the most influential thinkers in the development of East Asian thought. His literary style is humorous and entertaining, yet the philosophical content is extraordinarily subtle and profound. This book introduces key topics in early Daoist philosophy. Drawing on several issues and methods in Western philosophy, from analytical philosophy to semiotics and hermeneutics, the author throws new light on the ancient Zhuangzi text. Engaging Daoism and contemporary Western philosophical logic, and drawing on new developments in our understanding of early Chinese culture, Coutinho challenges the interpretation of Zhuangzi as either a skeptic or a relativist, and instead seeks to explore his philosophy as emphasizing the ineradicable vagueness of language, thought and reality. This new interpretation of the Zhuangzi offers an important development in the understanding of Daoist philosophy, describing a world in flux in which things themselves are vague and inconsistent, and tries to show us a Way (a Dao) to negotiate through the shadows of a "chaotic" world.

Focusing on the concept of wisdom, this book examines the difficulties and problems facing comparative studies of the early Confucian and Israelite traditions by exploring the cosmological and ethical implications of wisdom in the older layers of Christian and Confucian texts.

This volume, relating Chinese and Western philosophical traditions, presents an account of the unity of the virtues in Mencius, discusses the concept of sympathy in Hume's theory, and brings combined insights to bear on contemporary analytical theories of ethics.

Explores the implications of Zen Buddhist teachings and practices for our moral relations with the natural world. In elucidating the philosophical implications of Zen, the author draws upon both Eastern and Western philosophy, situating the Zen understanding of nature within the Buddhist tradition.

Buddhism, one increasingly hears, is an ''eco-friendly'' religion. It is often said that this is because it promotes an ''ecological'' view of things, one stressing the essential unity of human beings and the natural world. Buddhism, Virtue and Environment presents a different view. While agreeing that Buddhism is, in many important respects, in tune with environmental concerns, Cooper and James argue that what makes it ''green'' is its view of human life. The true connection between the religion and environmental thought is to be found in Buddhist accounts of the virtues - those traits, such as compassion, equanimity and humility, that characterise the life of a spiritually enlightened individual. Central chapters of this book examine these virtues and their implications for environmental attitudes and practice. Buddhism, Virtue and Environment will be of interest not only to students and teachers of Buddhism and environmental ethics, but to those more generally engaged with moral philosophy. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book presents an original conception of Buddhist environmental thought. The authors also contribute to the wider debate on the place of ethics in Buddhist teachings and practices, and to debates within ''virtue ethics'' on the relations between human well-being and environmental concern.

Engages Confucian and Daoist philosophies in creative interplay, developing a theory of interdependent selfhood in the two philosophical traditions. This work draws on the insights of the two philosophies to address contemporary debates on ethics, community, and government.

Explores the significance of the doctrine of Mulla Sadra and its impact on subsequent debates in the Muslim world. This book is of interest to students of philosophy, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, philosophy of religion, and general readers who seek to understand Muslim philosophy.

Although Christians have well developed responses to other religions, the counterpart scholarship from Buddhists has thus far lagged behind. Breaking new ground the book analyses the currently favoured position towards religious others, inclusivism, in Buddhist traditions.

Written in a language that captures the essential ideas of the original text in words and phrases that are easily understandable by the general reader or undergraduate, this straightforward translation aims at conveying the excitement of the "Yogasutras".