Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
The Buddha was what today is called an empirical philosopher, taking his philosophy from careful study of the empirical world, and rejecting “high flown” philosophies. As philosophy of existence, his view overlaps with Marx in his most interesting form, which is not the way Marx is typically understood. Marx was reduced to economics while the Buddha was reduced to religion. Many shared his view, including Dostoevsky, Proust, and Victor Hugo. Death is present in such views. But they are not recognized as philosophy.
‘The strength of this book is its interdisciplinary nature. Babbitt fuses her knowledge of world literature and world philosophies with her experience of vipassanā Buddhist meditation in the West, most particularly its message about seeing things as they are, both within oneself and in the world. The result is a novel and challenging exploration into the way in which Buddhist concepts converge with and speak to existential themes present in our global literary and philosophical heritage.’—Elizabeth Harris, Department of Theology and Religion, Honorary Fellow, Edward Cadbury Centre, University of Birmingham, UK
Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Why Philosophy of Existence?; 2. The Art of Dying is the Art of Living: Rationality; 3. Relational Philosophy and the Law of Dead Ends; 4. Living Philosophy, and Philosophy Must be Lived; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.