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+--- Thread: Oneness: East Asian Conceptions of How We are All Connected (monistic community) (/thread-5321.html)
Oneness: East Asian Conceptions of How We are All Connected (monistic community) - C C - May 9, 2018
-book review-
https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/oneness/
EXCERPT: At the center of East Asian philosophical traditions lies a conception of oneness signifying that "we -- and in particular our personal welfare or happiness -- are inextricably intertwined with other people, creatures, and things," which [Philip J.] Ivanhoe calls the "oneness hypothesis." [...] In an era when human civilization is constantly alarmed by ecological crisis and societal disintegration, this book has great appeal particularly to those who are willing to employ comparative philosophy to tackle these menacing issues.
After introducing the oneness hypothesis and offering examples of East Asian thinkers who have advocated particular versions of such a hypothesis, Ivanhoe discusses the relational conception of the self, and then goes on to illustrate the interrelated, yet different concepts of selfishness and self-centeredness. [...]
The most brilliant point that Ivanhoe makes is that the ethic required by the conception of oneness ought not to favor an act of care exclusively for the sake of another. Instead, with the awareness of an expanded self, a caring agent would rather pay attention to the particular needs of a cared-for individual so that the altruistic deeds will ultimately bring satisfaction and happiness to the agent. [...] As Chinese intellectual history shows, many neo-Confucian thinkers championed the traditional Confucian learning as one of "learning for oneself" in contrast with the Buddhist teaching of "no-self." This sort of learning states that an identification of one's self with all the world does not make the self get lost in the world. [...]
The strength of Ivanhoe's argument also consists in his meticulous effort to utilize comparative and inter-disciplinary perspectives to enhance the plausibility of the oneness hypothesis in a modern context.
On the one hand, Ivanhoe points out that the neo-Confucian reasoning from what the world truly is to how human individuals ought to behave in the world is similar to parts of the Western philosophical tradition such as Plotinus' metaphysical and ethical vision of the "chain of being."
On the other hand, Ivanhoe quotes extensively from contemporary research in varying disciplines, such as evolutionary biology and moral psychology, to show the compatibility of modern scientific worldviews to the traditional East Asian conception of oneness. Given the distinctive Confucian idea of "harmony" (he), which urges scholars to consider all factors relevant to a topic and then to place each factor in its proper position, we can understand Ivanhoe's presentation of the East Asian conception of oneness as a Confucian project aiming to make the greatest sense of a historical idea on the basis of a harmonious integration of all relevant human knowledge. The result is truly masterful....
MORE: https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/oneness/