PHIL 213.001 – Asian Philosophy

IDEAs in Action: Which curricular requirements does this course satisfy?

Instructor: Joseph Ross. This course meets TR 12:30 – 1:45 p.m. in CW 105.

The course is an introduction to the main schools of thought in Chinese philosophy. We begin with Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, and Legalism. We will then trace the introduction of Buddhism to its development in several schools including Chan (Zen) Buddhism. We will finish with two leading schools of Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties – School of Principle (Lixue) and School of Mind (Xinxue) – to appreciate the impact of Daoism and Buddhism on the development of Confucianism through the ages. A major theme of the course is how the various schools understand dao (the way or the path) as a metaphysical-ethical principle and its implications for self-cultivation, virtue, social relations, government, knowledge and other issues.