Idealism East and West - Keith Ward

Posted by Rene on 20 January 2010 | 1 Comments

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Keith Ward speaks articulately in this free podcast on idealism - the philosophy that the underlying and fundamental reality is conscious, mental, spiritual. There are parallel traditions of idealism in the East and West, and Ward here discusses their respective nature and their influences on one another. Interestingly, not only did Enlightenment philosophers such as Schopenhauer and Hegel admit to being influenced by Indian philosophy, but Indian philosophy has been influenced by German idealism too - "Neo-Vedanta" is a school of Indian philosophy that has been influenced by this European empirical tradition. 

Ward rightly says that idealism is not fashionable nowadays, but that idealists are a growing band in Western philosophy, and he mentions quantum physicists such as Roger Penrose and Amit Goswami who postulate the fundamental nature of consciousness. 

The interview lasts 20 minutes, and is well worth a listen. Go to the following page, and click on the link: Listen to Keith Ward on Idealism in Eastern and Western Philosophy (if you are using Internet Explorer, right click and go to 'Save Target As' to save it to your computer and then play it.

http://philosophybites.com/2009/02/keith-ward-on-idealism-in-eastern-and-western-philosophy.html

 

 


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  • Well, I have seen the world history, and especially I have seen evolution in societies with time. I believe criteria of the components of a standard human life are universal and different societies had and have different components in abundance. So philosophies from different parts of world should be useful to constructing a desirable society. Inversely, different deviations and perversions found in different societies might also be shared among different cultures of the world. I believe time has come to establish a central school of thought to be utilized practically to provide a standard social structure, just like we have done for tuberculosis treatment (standard regimes for universal use).

    Posted by Mohammad Samir Hossain, 28/01/2010 5:30pm (2 years ago)

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