The Philosophical Quest: A Cross-Cultural Reader

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Summary: Philosophy Examined From A Variety of Cultural Viewpoints
Review: "The Philosophical Quest: A Cross-Cultural Reader" is an anthology containing short articles and excerpts dealing with such philosophical topics as ethics, philosophical of religion, and the nature of the mind. Unlike the vast majority of such anthologies, however, this book goes far beyond the perspective of mainstream Western (European and American) philosophical. In addition to articles and excerpts from well-known Western philosophers such as Descartes, J. S. Mill, Kant, etc., are perspectives on the same topics from Taoist, Buddhist, and Hindu sources, among others. This does a great deal to correct the problem of many philosophy textbooks which utterly ignore non-Western philosophical viewpoints. With short articles which are for the most part easy to read and understand, "The Philosophical Quest" presents the reader with many varied views on common topics of philosophy. Most of the articles are excerpts rather than entire treatises, so this book is not the source to go to for in-depth research on any viewpoint, but it is a good starting point for any student wishing to learn more about all philosophy and not just the philosophy of the West.