Abstract
While East and West have had their share of skirmishes and still have their differences, they have also influenced each other and borrowed heavily among themselves in the marketplace of ideas. This dimension of East-West relations is something that is overlooked, even denied, when many speak of the history and ongoing relations between peoples of the East and those in the West. With that in mind, this chapter seeks to make two general points. First, significant elements of the Western canon of political thought have denied both the contribution and the capacity of the East – and others - to add anything of value to the history of ideas catalogue. Second, contrary to that position, the chapter highlights some common intellectual ground and outlines the inevitable and unavoidable borrowing and exchange of ideas between the East, the West, and other traditions of thought. Using highly topical and supposedly exclusively Western ideas such as democracy and toleration as examples, I demonstrate the general interconnectedness between what are purportedly competing and non-compatible traditions of political thought.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Western Political Thought in Dialogue with Asia |
Editors | Takashi Shogimen, Cary J. Nederman |
Place of Publication | U.S. |
Publisher | Lexington Books |
Pages | 87-107 |
Number of pages | 21 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780739131411 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780739123782 |
Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Keywords
- East and West
- political science