Eastern Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

This Element selectively examines a range of ideas and arguments drawn from the philosophical traditions of South and East Asia, focusing on those that are especially relevant to the philosophy of religion. The Element introduces key debates about the self and the nature of reality that unite the otherwise highly diverse philosophies of Indian and Chinese Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. The emphasis of this Element is analytical rather than historical. Key issues are explained in a clear, precise, accessible manner, and with a view to their contemporary relevance to ongoing philosophical debates.

How Not to Diversify Philosophy of Religion: A Critique from the Twenty-First Century

“…I myself have previously reviewed the state of the field and such varied attempts to revive it in the course of proffering my own 'Prolegomena to a Buddhist Philosophy of Religion' (Stepien, 2023), and so there is no need for me to go into further details on these accounts here. What deserves stating is that, given the thrust of these publications, a book such as Victoria Harrison's Eastern Philosophy of Religion (Harrison, 2022) should surely come as a welcome addition: another endeavour working towards diversifying the field, rendering it fit for purpose in the globalized world we live in today. And yet, unfortunately, this book turns out to be marred not only by some of the theoretical and methodological problems revisionist works such as those just mentioned overtly seek to move beyond, but also by many problems of detail distinctly its own.…”