Comparison or contrast of East-West philsophical thought Essay

Comparison or contrast of East-West philsophical thought - Essay Example The wider areas surrounding India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and the Arabic countries are taken as representing Eastern thought. Western thought is taken as mainly stemming from Europe, and North America, with some concession for Christianity, as it originated in the Middle East, rather than in Europe or North America. Additionally, while Christianity is considered the major Western religion, some consideration is also given to Greek and Roman philosophical thought, modern scientific though and rationalism. In terms of the philosophical thought considered in this essay as eastern, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, forms of Yoga, and Islam were considered. For many years, within the fields of academia and scholarship, Syed Farid Atlas (2002) argues that Eurocentrism â€Å"†¦values, attitudes, ideas and ideological orientations that are informed by European uniqueness and superiority.† (as cited in Yoshitaka, 2010) dominated much discourse. This has perhaps been to the detriment of philosophical thought as a whole. There are certainly positive aspects to the philosophical thinking of the east and the west with value. Neither should be dominant. In the west, it is accepted and encouraged that the individual will succeed on his/her own. Personal achievement is valued, and to achieve the individual should be independent of others, even independent of the environment. In contrast, eastern societies are structured around the collective. The family and the community or society are considered important, sometimes more so than the individual. The interdependence of people, and their environment, and even the universe at large is always acknowledged and accepted. This means that philosophical thinking, presented in explanation of human existence and purpose, differs widely in the east and west. While in the east, Truth is accepted as universal, independent of the individual, it is a proven, scientifically tested