About Matthew Dasti

Matthew R. Dasti is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bridgewater State University.

5 Replies to “Brian van Norden’s readings in Less Commonly Taught Philosophies (LCTP)”

  1. There’s a few lists that are particularly weak, for instance, the list on “feminism” contains works by women who are philosophers in the first instance and not, strictly speaking, “feminist philosophers.” Moreover, it does not include Simone de Beauvoir! And the list on Islamic philosophy inexplicably leaves out all of Oliver Leaman’s wonderful titles on same! There’s more I could say, but I’ll refrain owing to the fact that, sometimes, something is better than nothing, and at least it’s a start.

  2. For works on feminist philosophy, there are a fair number of entries in the SEP one might consult. And I thought I’d also mention a bibliography (better: bibliographies) perhaps worth browsing through that I substantially updated for the 2nd edition of Ninian Smart’s World Philosophies, edited by Oliver Leaman after Ninian’s death (Routledge, 2008). I was constrained by the existing categories (so there’s some omissions, and it’s a bit dated), the lists being constructed largely according to geographical and historical criteria first used by Ninian for his chapter headings, hence:
    1. The History of the World and Our Philosophical Inheritance
    2. South Asian Philosophies
    3. Chinese Philosophies
    4. Korean Philosophies
    5. Japanese Philosophies
    6. Philosophies of Greece, Rome, and the Near East
    7. Islamic Philosophies
    8. Jewish Philosophies
    9. Europe
    10. North America
    11. Latin America
    12. Modern Islam
    13. Modern South and South-East Asia
    14. China, Korea, and Japan in Modern Times
    15. African Philosophies
    16. Concluding Reflections (motley topics)
    These lists are found on pp. 467-551 with roughly 25 titles per page.

  3. Thanks for this, Patrick! I’d keep in mind that his goal is probably not to be exhaustive, which would undermine the purpose of a “starting point” list and possibly overwhelm non-specialists, but to provide a general direction for readers. You may consider sending a note to Professor van Norden directly if you think it’s lacking even in this regard. He’d probably be open to suggestions.

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