Stevo’s Selected Readings in East-West Philosophy – “Acquiring Wisdom”

(This is NOT merely a list of favorites.  This is a series meant to be experienced step-by-step.  Each reading is building upon the last.  At least, follow the steps.)

Step 1

The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell

Far from being one of my favorite philosophers, Russell, nevertheless, is the real deal.  This book serves as a great (lay) introduction to Philosophy, not too hardcore, yet philosophically and practicably relevant and by a legit philosopher, whose work will be read for centuries to come.

The Enchiridion by Epictetus (trans. Thomas W. Higginson)

After a very readable modern work, it is time for a Greco-Roman classic that hearkens to one root of the western mind.  The language is going to present more of a challenge, but Epictetus, the former slave, makes his point in less than 40 pages.  I specified the translator because his is the rendition with which I am most familiar.  The main point, though, is that there are “flighty” translations of this work that you want to avoid.

On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt

Wrestle with a contemporary issue in a philosophically deep manner.  Though it is only 67 pages, this is not a light read.  One Amazon.com reviewer claimed to have read it in the lounge at the doctor’s office while waiting to be called in for an appointment.  Needless to say, said reviewer did not “get it”.

Step 2

Walking the Tightrope of Reason by Robert Fogelin

I have had contact with Dr. Fogelin, and, while he claims to not have been influenced at all by Eastern thought, this book is an ideal primer for westerners approaching the Eastern tradition.  It carefully outlines the inherent problems that arise from the traditional western philosophical focus on theory (theoria) over practice (praxis), which are by and large not a problem in the East, especially Classical China, because the focus is quite the opposite.

What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula

Classic introduction to Buddhist Philosophy!  It outlines the basic philosophy of the Buddha adhered to by traditional Theravadans and built upon by the Mahayanists.  In other words, you are getting the foundations.  It puts on display how practice wins the day, even in an Eastern religious/metaphysical venue, over theory.

The Way of Life by Laozi (trans. Witter Bynner)

First off, this is not really a translation of the famed Dao De Jing.  It is a poetic redaction.  It was composed specifically for an American audience.  Thus, it eases you into the tradition.  Though it is not highly touted in academia, its poetics and fusion of standing translations make this rendition true in spirit and context (see Chap. 19).

Step 3

Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes

Delve into the mind of the father of modern philosophy who proclaimed, “Cogito, ergo sum,” “I think, therefore, I am.”  It could be argued that this relatively short classic was the seed of phenomenological method in the West.  This book gives us perhaps the greatest example of how we tend to meditate on the “I” in the western tradition.

How to See Yourself As You Really Are by Tenzin Gyatso

Now learn how to meditate on the “I” the eastern way in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism as per the instruction of its venerable leader.  I contend that with Tibetan Buddhism we have, somewhat suspended in time, a Buddhism that is firmly grounded in the realities of the world in which we live and that is reflective of the Buddhism that was so appealing to the pragmatically-disposed mind of the classical Chinese philosophers and reminiscent of early Chinese Chan Buddhism before it went the less practical way of the “super-mundane” that is the mark of Japanese Zen.

Existentialism and Human Emotions by Jean-Paul Sartre

Next, try out this more “take-control” approach to the “I”.  There is no more pithy of an explication of Existentialism’s mantra, “Existence precedes essence,” than in this piece by the quintessential Existentialist.  You are what you choose and how you act.

Step 4

The Analects of Confucius by Confucius (trans. Roger T. Ames and Henry Rosemont, Jr.)

The introductory sections will help you get your footing in classical China, its language and historical milieu.  While this translation is dense, it is readable and presents Confucius in a most philosophical light.  To use my own terminology, while reading, be sensitive to the idea of proactively, though not radically, “suspending belief” and focus on relationality and self-authorship through acting.

The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis

The Greco-Roman-Judeo-Christian tradition with just a hint of Dao.  Lewis, not one of my favs, but a powerhouse, grounds rationality (logos) in the proper cultivation of emotional values (pathos), not vice-versa as is traditionally the case.  He points out the danger of the impossibility of having standards in relativistic approaches to life.

Mencius by Mencius (trans. D. C. Lau)

The Mencius provides a more thoroughgoing Confucian vision than that of Confucius himself.  Mencius gives us a much more organized and detailed account of his thinking, mainly, on how we can keep from straying from our innate goodness.  Moreover, this book is chockablock with great quotes to live by.

Step 5

Lao-tzu’s Taoteching by Laozi [trans. Red Pine (Bill Porter)]

Yupper, this is a double dose of the Dao De Jing.  As you are coming down the home stretch, a person transformed and transforming, I am wanting you to take on this more academically accepted version.  The translation, which is accompanied by excerpts from classical commentaries that can help hone your sensibilities toward the text, is preceded by a fascinating introduction that takes up the uncommon argument anymore in academia “for” the existence of the historical figure Laozi.

Thinking Through Confucius by Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall

Now, we are stepping it up with some serious secondary literature.  This is the single best “philosophical” commentary on Confucius and Classical Confucianism to date.  With the possible exception of the final chapter where the socio-political and philosophical biases of the authors unfortunately seeps through, this is a remarkable piece of scholarship, and, yet, it is very readable and, moreover, illustrates Confucius’s relevance to the here and now.  This work really concretizes the pillars on the eastern side of this East-West bridge under construction.

The Acting Person by Karol Wojtyla (trans. Andrzej Potocki, ed. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka)

Alas, you have arrived at the destination of your journey and a book that is, in terms of the western corpus, not just among my favorites, but my absolute favorite!  However, know that you have now been plunged into the deep end.  This is not a light read.  In terms of philosophical depth, this is a book that rivals any in the traditional corpus of Western Philosophy.  It is a toughie, to put it mildly, along the lines of, say, Heidegger’s Being and Time.  Furthermore, the translation does not help.  The English translation is notoriously awkward and, thus, difficult.  Also, this translation has been criticized for emphasizing Wojtyla’s phenomenology and downplaying his metaphysics.  However, that was his genius.  The fact that he employed and developed such a phenomenologically rich method and deep understanding despite his obviously weighty metaphysical commitments testifies to his open-mindedness and brilliance.  As George Weigel, Wojtyla biographer, writes, “(Wojtyla) came to see that the philosophical analysis of reality and its relationship to the moral life he had been taught at the seminary and the Angelicum was inadequate in the contemporary world.  Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas had built their philosophies from the foundation of cosmology.  But starting with a general theory of the universe and moving to a theory of the human person didn’t leave much room for human freedom.”  WOW!  While reading this, the ideas to be tuned into, vis-à-vis all else you have read, are the notions of the subjectivity of the “I”, the human/personal act, horizontal and vertical transcendence, self-determination (in the sense of self-authorship), intersubjectivity, participation, and the subjectivity of the “we”.  Thing is, you probably need to allot yourself a year or so to intelligibly (and intelligently) work through this masterpiece of Philosophy.

Make sure not to skimp!!!  With each book read the WHOLE thing, including ALL the introductory and prefacing material!!!