The Slow Influence Of Eastern Philosophy On Western Philosophy
One of the judgements you may have bumped into around the world is that Americans consider themselves to be the world. For example, their National tournaments are sometimes called World Tournaments. Thinking that our point of view is a global point of view is not unique to Americans. As Westerners, we often, unwittingly, make ‘global’ statements or judgements without realising our point of view is heavily filtered with a Western outlook.
At Metanoia, we aim to combine the wisdom of the East & West to bring about the best balance for our clients.
When East Meets West
From our schooling days, we have a blind spot cultivated in our outlook, and therefore we unknowingly ‘log’ western philosophy as global philosophy. Some may view Eastern philosophy as exotic, but if you take the time to get to know its very core, you will see it has deep relevance to Western needs.
In our 21st century, highly networked global village world, there is greater diversity, but there is also a greater disconnect.
The Growing Relevance Of Eastern Philosophy
As growing numbers of Westerners are taking the time to explore Eastern cultures, there has been a greater interest in yoga, meditation and mindfulness. There has also been a greater interest in Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism.
The growth and increased interest, however, has been sporadic and localised. The vast majority of Westerners still do not seek out personal benefits and opportunities in Eastern philosophy. And certainly, in 99 per cent of schools, it is not being taught or researched.
Creating The East-West Bridge
Marina Garcés, Faculty Member of Arts and Humanities, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, is a philosopher and writer. She proposes that broader society should be in dialogue with those from Eastern cultures. Neither culture should be viewed as superior to the other but rather as complementary and symbiotic.
The human tendency to expand horizons and land ownership was formalised into colonisation, and each colonial conqueror views the conquered as “the other”, “the lesser”, or “the oddity”.
The East should not be viewed as a place of interest with quaint traditions but as an interlocutor of equal value that can contribute to strengthening our society. Interestingly, the conquered have been widely exposed to the culture and philosophies of the conquerors and have greater knowledge of us than us of them.
This means that Eastern societies have a more global approach to philosophy and more global influences in their culture than the parochial Westerners.
Philosophy, whether we know it or not, plays out in our lives on a daily basis. We may call it habits, culture or other terms. The global issues of identity, sustainability, democracy and interspecies relationships are all core philosophical debates and very urgent. We should be reaching out across the world for bigger-picture solutions instead of just over our garden fence.
Conclusion
Most of the world’s young do not live in Western countries, which may be the wave of positive Eastern influence that finally unites us. We can only hope – because breaking down “them” and “us” views always promotes greater healing in society.
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