Is there a distinction between "Western philosophy" and "Eastern philosophy"?

[BidenPresident]

Is there a distinction between "Western philosophy" and "Eastern philosophy"?

"I work on both Indian and Greek philosophy, and it my sense that "Eastern" has fallen of favor, and that, at least in part, the reason for its falling out of favor is that it is seen, as OP muses, as unduly homogenizing.

I was in a graduate seminar on a topic in Buddhist philosophy at non other than Brian's U Chicago when a student was instructed by the professor not to use the term "Eastern philosophy."

"Eastern" is thought unduly homogenizing in part because in the "classical" (i.e., "Warring states" or “pre-Qin”) period of Chinese philosophy, there is no real evidence of Sino-Indian philosophical transmission.

https://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2023/02/western-philosophy-and-eastern-philosophy.html

 

[BidenPresident]

A philosopher at a liberal arts college writes:

I’m writing to suggest a topic for a possible blog discussion that may be of potential interest to your readers.

At my college I have proposed the creation of a new 100-level course entitled Ancient Wisdom: East & West, whose course description reads:

"An introductory exploration of ancient classics of Western and Eastern Philosophy. Topics to be explored include accounts of personhood and the self, definitions of happiness, the nature of right and wrong, and the place of humanity within the larger universe. Readings will be drawn from Greek sources such as Plato, Aristotle, the Epicureans, and the Stoics; Indian sources such as the Upanishads, Vedanta, and the Buddha; and Chinese sources such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Mohism."

My proposal got rejected in its current form by my school’s Curriculum Committee.

https://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2023/02/western-philosophy-and-eastern-philosophy.html