PHIL 213.001 – Asian Philosophy

Instructor: Logan Mitchell. This course meets MWF 11:15 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. in CW 105.

This is a course on Buddhist Philosophy. Buddhist philosophy is united around the teachings and insights of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, and in particular the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. At the end of the day, Buddhist philosophy is aimed at liberating beings from suffering.

So, in this course we will explore a variety of Buddhist philosophical perspectives while investigating how some (if any) of these perspective might help us to suffer less in our own daily lives. Throughout our exploration, students will also hone valuable philosophical skills like reflection, analysis, writing, and argumentation. Students will have the (optional) opportunity to practice some Buddhist meditative techniques if they would like.

We will study both ancient Buddhist texts and contemporary work, written by Buddhist monastics and laypeople from all over the world. Likely themes include the nature of reality (particularly the self), truth, suffering, and happiness. We will pay special attention to Buddhist ethics and Buddhist movements oriented around social justice and ending oppression.