rené descartes is generally considered to be the father of western philosophy.
rené descartes is generally considered to be the father of western philosophy.
who is generally considered to be the father of western philosophy?
rené descartes
the study of the mind in eastern philosophy has parallels to the western study of the philosophy of mind as a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind. dualism and monism are the two central schools of thought on the mind–body problem in the western tradition, although nuanced views have arisen that do not fit one or the other category neatly. dualism is found in both eastern and western traditions (in the sankhya and yoga schools of hindu philosophy as well as plato) but its entry into western philosophy was thanks to rené descartes in the 17th century. this article on mind in eastern philosophy deals with this subject from the standpoint of eastern philosophy which is historically strongly separated from the western tradition and its approach to the western philosophy of mind.
mind in eastern philosophy
nishi amane is considered to be the father of western philosophy in japan. nishi was a tireless advocate of western civilization as a role model for japan's modernization, stressing the need to evolve without losing the japanese character. he was responsible for using classical chinese terminology to translate and/or transmit common terms used in western philosophy into eastern dialect, and many of these philosophical words are currently in use today. by using classical chinese terminology, that is, something of cultural importance and tradition to meiji japan, nishi was able to generate enthusiasm for reform, as traditional chinese characters were seen by the eastern population as a notion of authority. furthermore, it is the nature of chinese characters to be combined in various ways to form neologisms, as the characters often obtain multiple meanings and are capable of interchangeability. the most notable term that nishi was responsible for is the term (in japan, or "zhéxué" in china), which he coined in 1873, taken from the characters meaning "wisdom" and "learning". "tetsugaku" is the first known recording of an eastern term representing the notion of philosophy, which nishi referred to as “the study of human nature and the principles of things.”;). nishi originally used , or "(the science of) seeking clarity", as opposed to the classical chinese term , which means "to seek wisdom" ("xīxián", in chinese, more specifically means “learning to become a wise and knowledgeable person.”) though nishi felt that confucius for the east was comparable to socrates for the west, in creating this term "tesugaku", nishi was actually attempting to separate the notion of western philosophy from the notion of eastern thought, as he believed the two to entail two different things. moreover, nishi did not concur that philosophy even existed in the east, as he studied philosophy solely in the context of the western style. however, regardless of nishi’s personal beliefs on the definition of “philosophy”, it is still because of him that china and japan have even been able to engage in the discourse of “philosophy.” in "hyakugaku renkan", nishi concluded that because the discourse of philosophy is innately concerned with addressing and attacking theories of past writers and philosophers in order to portray new discoveries, the field of philosophy is constantly being made over. under this light, nishi opens up the possibility of vast eastern participation in the discourse of philosophy, regardless of whether or not eastern thought can be reconciled with western philosophy. during his time, nishi concurred that although the west was superior in the realm of philosophy, the east still had the means to become better equipped in philosophy, as he professed that philosophy was essential for making the east intellectually modernized.
nishi amane