Does it matter what we call Buddhist?

[Cross-posted at Love of All Wisdom.] Does it matter whether something is or isn’t Buddhist? Or whether it is “distinctively” Buddhist? I was asked these related questions in two blog discussions from last year, both involving Justin Whitaker. Justin raised Continue reading Does it matter what we call Buddhist?

Epistemology and Comparative Philosophy in Confluence and the APA Blog

At the beginning of the month, there was an interdisciplinary conference in Kanazawa, Japan–the International Conference on Ethno-Epistemology – Culture, Language, and Methodology. Jonardon Ganeri gave a keynote presentation, “Pluralism about Epistemic Cultures” and Anand Vaidya, along with Purushottama Billimoria, gave Continue reading Epistemology and Comparative Philosophy in Confluence and the APA Blog

The West within the rest

Cross-posted at Love of All Wisdom. In the previous post I discussed why academic philosophers have usually focused on the West, and pointed out reasons why some amount of Western focus remains valuable. Above all, I noted: “we are always Continue reading The West within the rest

Why philosophy departments have focused on the West

Cross-posted at Love of All Wisdom. Jay Garfield and Bryan Van Norden have a widely circulated article in a recent New York Times, chastising American philosophy departments for paying insufficient attention to non-Western traditions of thought. It will surprise nobody Continue reading Why philosophy departments have focused on the West

Brief Book Notes on Beckwith, Carpenter, and Siderits/Katsura, by Ethan Mills

As the Book Review Editor for this blog, I invite readers to submit their own reviews (see: https://indianphilosophyblog.org/book-reviews/).   To encourage interest in book reviews, I’m trying something a little different: brief book notes, or what you might call a “review Continue reading Brief Book Notes on Beckwith, Carpenter, and Siderits/Katsura, by Ethan Mills

Of “White Buddhism”

[Cross-posted from Love of All Wisdom.] Mindfulness meditation has become so mainstream that it’s not just doctors who prescribe it. A couple weeks ago, Boston University had a workshop on mindfulness for its information-technology staff. Google made a splash for Continue reading Of “White Buddhism”

Comedy and Philosophy I: Topical jokes and comparative philosophy

I’ve been thinking about intersections between comedy and philosophy for some time. I plan to post a recurring, if perhaps disjointed, series of reflections on such intersections here. Recently, I heard one of my favorite comics make what I think Continue reading Comedy and Philosophy I: Topical jokes and comparative philosophy

Jonardon Ganeri, “Why philosophy must go global”

Jonardon Ganeri of NYU gave a lecture at Stony Brook University on March 2, 2016 entitled “Why Philosophy Must Go Global.” You can click on the video below to watch. In this lecture Prof. Ganeri draws from Jain nayavāda and Madhyamaka Continue reading Jonardon Ganeri, “Why philosophy must go global”