Abstract
Should introductory courses in comparative philosophy be organized around traditions or around topics? Will students be better served by considering Indian, Chinese, African, and Native American philosophies in depth and in sequence, or by exploring differing philosophical approaches to such topics as beauty, moral responsibility, and human nature? Each approach has reasons that recommend it, but each also brings with it serious limitations. In this essay I rehearse what I take to be the most salient arguments both for and against each approach. In the end, I conclude that, for introductory courses in comparative philosophy, an approach organized around traditions is preferable to one organized around topics.
Highlights
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Should introductory courses in comparative philosophy be organized around traditions or around topics? Will students be better served by considering Indian, Chinese, African, and Native American philosophies in depth and in sequence, or by exploring differing philosophical approaches to such topics as beauty, moral responsibility, and human nature? Each approach has reasons that recommend it, but each brings with it serious limitations
The question that motivates this essay is one that I struggle with every year as I decide how to structure my introductory World Philosophy course: should the course be organized around traditions or around topics? A topic-centered course would seem uniquely situated to help my students see the ubiquity of some philosophical problems, thereby potentially undermining the Western bias in philosophy
Summary
Should introductory courses in comparative philosophy be organized around traditions or around topics? Will students be better served by considering Indian, Chinese, African, and Native American philosophies in depth and in sequence, or by exploring differing philosophical approaches to such topics as beauty, moral responsibility, and human nature? Each approach has reasons that recommend it, but each brings with it serious limitations. Should introductory courses in comparative philosophy be organized around traditions or around topics? Will students be better served by considering Indian, Chinese, African, and Native American philosophies in depth and in sequence, or by exploring differing philosophical approaches to such topics as beauty, moral responsibility, and human nature? Each approach has reasons that recommend it, but each brings with it serious limitations. In this essay I rehearse what I take to be the most salient arguments both for and against each approach. I conclude that, for introductory courses in comparative philosophy, an approach organized around traditions is preferable to one organized around topics
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