Here is a wonderful paper mostly about James and Buddhism. It shows many of the parallels between them:
William James and Buddhism: American Pragmatism and the Orient by David Scott "William James pursued far ranging enquiries in America across the fields of psychology, philosophy and religious studies between 1890 and 1910. Historical and comparative overlaps emerge between James and Buddhism from these pursuits. This article first sets out James’ own nineteenth-century American context. There follows James’ own more explicit references to Buddhism, which particularly focused on the meaning of the term ‘religion’ and on specific elements of Buddhist teachings. In turn comes a substantive comparative look at certain themes in both James and Buddhism, namely, ‘consciousness’, ‘integration’ and ‘criteria of truth claims’. The common functionalist tendencies in James and Buddhism are highlighted. Finally, the article attempts a wider look at the interaction between American thought and Buddhism during the twentieth century. This interaction is exemplified by John Dewey, Charles Hartshorne, Daisetz Suzuki, Kitaro Nishida and David Kalupahana, and also across the fields of psychology, pragmatism and process philosophy. In all of these areas James emerges as a model for studying American thought and Buddhism." http://www.thescotties.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/james-buddhism.pdf On Sep 26, 2010, at 2:52 PM, MarshaV wrote: > > dmb, > > No, I think it is important, and seldom mentioned how much influence > Eastern Philosophy had on Western Philosophy. Would James had > arrived at the concept of 'pure experience' without being exposed to > the Upanishad and Buddhists texts with their concept of nothingness? > I doubt it. And I don't see this as being negative, I see it as being > positive. > > Marsha > > > > > > On Sep 26, 2010, at 2:40 PM, david buchanan wrote: > >> >> Did somebody say James's ideas were pulled out of the American sky? Who even >> thinks that's possible? >> >> Emerson was a family friend. He read Eastern texts too. Does that mean we >> should have less respect for his thought - or more respect? >> >> You're just being contrary for the sake of being contrary, Marsha, even >> going so far as to dispute a claim made by nobody. There seems to be no >> point or purpose in this except to be as negative as possible. >> >> Get a life. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>> From: [email protected] >>> Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2010 14:10:37 -0400 >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: Re: [MD] william James. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Greetings again, >>> >>> James's biography (p.126) clearly states he had read and reread >>> Upanishad and Buddhist texts, texts that belonged to his father. >>> This would have been around 1870, while still in his twenties. >>> >>> Here's a list of some of the books: >>> >>> Modern Buddhist - Alabaster >>> Religion des Buddha (Vol.1) - Koeppen >>> Le Buddhisme - Taine >>> Weltauffas der Buddhisten - Bastian >>> Brahma Somej: Four Lectures - Sen >>> >>> (William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism >>> by Robert D. Richardson) >>> >>> James's ideas of pure experience weren't pulled out of the American sky. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Sep 26, 2010, at 2:00 PM, david buchanan wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> As a matter of fact, I just finished "The Metaphysical Club". I thought it >>>> was pretty weak, actually. Don't think I've ever read a more disappointing >>>> secondary source on pragmatism. Somehow, it was like hearing a bad >>>> impersonation of Rorty. The author seemed to hit every note that Rorty >>>> hits, as if following a playbook. But the biographical stuff is what >>>> interested me anyway. As you may have noticed, I've also been reading >>>> Robert Richardson's biography of James. It's far more substantial. >>>> Richardson not only read everything James ever wrote, including private >>>> letters, he also read everything James read. Richardson rocks. >>>> >>>> One thing I learned from "The Metaphysical Club" was that free speech >>>> rights didn't become what they are today until about 1925 and this came >>>> about - in part - because of the club. It's that many cognizers idea >>>> again. Oliver Wendell Holmes served on the supreme court and he had a >>>> legal version of this view even back in the 1870's. John Dewey would later >>>> go on to help found the ACLU and the NAACP. My point simply being that >>>> pragmatism has been good for democracy and liberalism. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2010 09:36:46 -0700 >>>>> From: [email protected] >>>>> To: [email protected] >>>>> Subject: Re: [MD] william James. >>>>> >>>>> That does sound fascinating Marsha. I always like to be shown books that >>>>> deal with what I'm thinking and discussing, and if I do so say, this book >>>>> suggestion you share seems to point to us - the MoQ Discuss- and our >>>>> little >>>>> "metaphysical club" and our discussions. >>>>> >>>>> Pat on the backs all around for us being so "cutting edge". >>>>> >>>>> woo-hoo! >>>>> >>>>> John >>>>> >>>>> On Sat, Sep 25, 2010 at 11:28 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Here might be a book worth reading, 'The Metaphysical Club: A Story of >>>>>> Ideas in America': >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> It’s the liberal belief that there are no absolutes and no Truth. That’s >>>>>> why relativism is the central idea of today’s “culture war.” >>>>>> >>>>>> They say there are only our own personal “values” that reflect our >>>>>> interests, prejudices, and desires. >>>>>> >>>>>> This idea seemed to explode onto the American scene in the 1960s, with >>>>>> the >>>>>> moral code, “If it feels good, do it.” But its roots lie farther back in >>>>>> American history. >>>>>> >>>>>> After the Civil War, American philosophers (centered at Harvard) began to >>>>>> build the intellectual and moral system that produced the Clinton/Baby >>>>>> Boomer ethos, the kind that is never “judgmental” and disputes the >>>>>> meaning >>>>>> of the word “is.” >>>>>> >>>>>> The abandonment of both religious and philosophical absolutes was a >>>>>> worldwide phenomenon. The American style of relativism came to be called >>>>>> “pragmatism.” >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.massnews.com/2002_editions/03_Mar/302harvard.htm >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> ___ ___ Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
