Comparative Political Philosophy: Studies Under the Upas TreeAnthony Parel, Ronald C. Keith This Lexington Books edition of Comparative Political Philosophy brings back into print a volume that was one of the first to move beyond a Eurocentric bias in the study of political philosophy and provide a well-balanced critique of the perilous transition from tradition to modernity. The book is evidence of the benefits to be reaped from comparison, from a reading of Aristotle together with the Arthashastra, of Mahatma Gandhi with Eric Voegelin, of Voltaire with Confucius. Focusing on key texts from Chinese, Indian, Western and Islamic political philosophy, chapter authors both describe the very different contexts from which philosophic traditions arose and discover basic tenets they have in common. In a new introduction, editors Anthony J. Parel and Ronald C. Keith discuss the changes in political contexts since the book's first publication, and they underscore the increasing importance of the comparative approach. |
Contents
The Comparative Study of Political Philosophy | 11 |
Classical Western Political Philosophy | 29 |
Modern Western Political Philosophy | 45 |
Law and Society In Confucian Thought | 71 |
Mao Zedong and his Political Thought | 87 |
What Good is Democracy? The Alternatives in China and the West | 115 |
Of Artha and the Arthasastra | 141 |
Common terms and phrases
according ahimsa Al-Madina al-Fadila Al-Siyasa al-Madaniyya anviksiki Aristotle artha Arthasastra Ayatollah Khomeini Beijing China Chinese Christian civilization comparative political philosophy conception of democracy Confucian Confucius context Cultural Revolution democratic Deng Xiaoping dharma divine doctrine economic emphasis existence experience Farabi feudal fundamental fundamentalist Gandhi goals happiness Hindu hindutva human Ibid ideas ideological Imam important India individual Iran Islam Islamic fundamentalism jahiliyya Jiang Jiang Zemin jihad junzi Kautilya Khomeini Mao Tse-tung Mao Zedong Mao Zedong Thought Mao's Marx Marxist Mawdudi means modern western political moral Muslim MZDWS nation nature opinion Party perfect political philosophy practice Press principles prophet question reality reason regime religion religious revelation revolutionary rule ruler Schram secular seeking the truth sense Shari'a Shi'a social socialist society soul spiritual Swaraj symbolic theoretical things tion tradition trayi Ulema University virtue Voegelin West western political philosophy