What is Western philosophy? The established narrative of 'our' intellectual tradition begins with classical Greek reason: championed by Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, revived and perfected in...Show moreWhat is Western philosophy? The established narrative of 'our' intellectual tradition begins with classical Greek reason: championed by Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, revived and perfected in Enlightenment rationalism and empiricism, to culminate in the modern European canon of Kant, Frege or Nietzsche. Conspicuously absent are any 'Middle Eastern' sources, notably Arabic and Persian philosophy. 'Islamic golden age' Aristotelians are often seen as babysitting rationality during a supposed mediaeval 'Christian dark age'. But the original impact on contemporary thought by the likes of al-Ghazali (d.1111) or Suhrawardi (d.1191) is ignored. Analysing this conspicuous absence reveals a deep binary structure in the narrative. Our canon is in fact made universally valid by excluding everything deemed mystical and arbitrary: Eastern religious thought. All religious traditions — especially Islam — represent this non-Western un-philosophy, simultaneously 'foreign' and 'archaic'. To recover our proper intellectual history, beyond this colonialist binary, we can employ a provocative redefinition: North-Atlantic (modern European) philosophy as "Far Western", and all broadly Mediterranean (Greco-Judaic and Islamo-Christian) philosophy as "Middle Western". This foregrounds the relations within the West, further suggesting its interdependence with all philosophies, including Sino-Indic ones.Show less
This thesis examines different aspects of Vergleichungen der Europäischen mit den Asiatischen und andern vermeintlich Barbarischen Regierungen, with special attention to the role that China plays...Show moreThis thesis examines different aspects of Vergleichungen der Europäischen mit den Asiatischen und andern vermeintlich Barbarischen Regierungen, with special attention to the role that China plays in this book and the author's theory. Vergleichungen is written by J.H.G. Justi and published in 1762. Justi was a German political and economic thinker who had a significant influence in this area, especially in Germany and Austria. Many of his books were very important in the economic and political debate of that time, but Vergleichungen did not attract much attention. However, I am of the opinion that Vergleichungen is a very original and interesting book since it is a fundamental critique of Eurocentrism, written at a time when Eurocentrism was on the rise in Europe. In Vergleichungen, Justi gives extensive examples of the state institutions, characteristics, etc. of non-European countries, compares them to the state institutions, characteristics, etc. in Europe, and then concludes that the institutions, characteristics, etc. of non-European countries function better than their counterparts in Europe, and that it would, therefore, be beneficial for European countries if they would introduce these institutions, characteristics, etc. in Europe. Of these non-European countries, Justi was especially interested in China as an example for Europe. This thesis will examine the different aspects that have been important for the creation of Vergleichungen, and will discuss whether Vergleichungen is unique or not. The different aspects will include Justi’s own opinion, the structure of Vergleichungen, from whom and which works Justi obtained his information about China and by whom he was influenced to write Vergleichungen, what Justi wanted to achieve with it and what he achieved, and why his other books attracted more attention.Show less
