Methodologies of Comparative Philosophy: The Pragmatist and Process Traditions (SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture) - Hardcover

Smid, Robert W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1438428294 ISBN 13: 9781438428291

Publisher: State University of New York Press, 2009

Synopsis

A much-needed consideration of methodology in comparative philosophy.

What is comparative philosophy? This question is ultimately a methodological one according to this much-needed book. The cultivation of area studies in diverse traditions has opened up opportunities for cross-cultural understanding that have rarely existed before, and comparative philosophy is a rapidly emerging area of inquiry. Yet, surprisingly little has been written on comparative methodology in philosophy. Of course, there is much at stake in how we compare things: how comparison is done determines what comparison is. Author Robert W. Smid provides a critical review of four of the most influential comparative methodologies within the American pragmatist and process philosophical traditions, those of William Ernest Hocking, F. S. C. Northrop, Robert Cummings Neville, and David L. Hall in collaboration with Roger T. Ames. Discussing the history of each methodology's development and critically assessing its strengths and weaknesses, Smid demonstrates that it is possible to compare methods as well as traditions and encourages those interested to join the contemporary conversation.

About this title

About the Author

Robert W. Smid is Senior Lecturer of Philosophy and Religion at Curry College.

Edition details

• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1438428294
• ISBN 13: 9781438428291
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 298