Cross-Tradition Engagement in Philosophy

This book presents a systematic unifying-pluralist account-a "constructive-engagement" account-of how cross-tradition engagement in philosophy is possible. The goal of this "constructive-engagement" account is, by way of reflective criticism, argumentation, and methodological guiding principles, to inquire into how distinct approaches from different philosophical traditions can talk to and learn from each other for the sake of making joint contributions to the contemporary development of philosophy. In Part I of the book, Bo Mou explores a range of fundamental theoretic and methodological issues in cross-tradition philosophical engagement and philosophical interpretation. In Part II, he analyzes several representative case studies that demonstrate how relevant resources in the Western and Chinese philosophical traditions can constructively engage with each other. These studies cover issues in philosophical methodology, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language and logic, and ethics. The book's theoretical and practical approaches expand the vision, coverage, and agenda of doing philosophy comparatively, and promote worldwide joint efforts of cross-tradition philosophical inquiries. Cross-Tradition Engagement in Philosophy will be of interest to graduate students and scholars interested in comparative philosophy and the intersection of Chinese and Western philosophy. It will also appeal to those who are interested in the ways in which cross-tradition philosophical engagement can enhance contemporary philosophical debates in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language and logic, and ethics.

Bo Mou is Professor of Philosophy at San Jose State University, USA. He is the author of Substantive Perspectivism (2009) and Semantic-Truth Approaches in Chinese Philosophy: A Unifying Pluralist Account (2019) and the contributing editor of History of Chinese Philosophy (2009) and Philosophy of Language, Chinese Language, Chinese Philosophy (2018).

Introduction Part I. Theoretic Foundations: How Cross-Tradition Engagement is Possible Chapter 1. Normative Bases for Engagement Chapter 2. The Issue of Incommensurability Chapter 3. The Issue of Philosophical Interpretation Part II. Case Analyses Chapter 4. Yin-Yang and Hegelian Models of How to Look at Contraries: An Overall-Complementarity-Seeking Account Chapter 5. Confucius' and Socrates' Distinct Perspectives in Treating Issue of Filial-Piety Virtue Chapter 6. Daoist Approach to the Issue of Being in Engaging with Quinean and Heideggerian Approaches Chapter 7. Zhuang Zi's and Quine's Naturalist Approaches to Epistemology Chapter 8. Gongson Long's Treatment of "White-Horse-Not-Horse" Thesis in Engaging with Fregran and Kripkean Approaches to the Issue of Reference Chapter 9. Later Mohist Approach and Modern Logic Resources in Treating Logical Inferences Conclusion. Toward Constructively Engaging