Inter Culturality And Philosophic Discourse

Responding to a deep and universal need of philosophizing in the context of intensive intercultural interaction among all philosophical traditions in the process of globalization, this timely book offers a unique collection of excellent papers on inter-translatability, art, and ethics; subjects which are most crucial for intercultural conversations today. Instead of opting for a “comparative philosophy” that suggests the superiority of philosophy in comparison with other forms of thought, this book explores “inter-translatability” between East and West, given that any dialogue between heterogeneous cultures and systems of thought has to start with translation, which constitutes the first part of this book. Art and ethics are the two areas that most obviously link philosophies of the past and the present and constitute a fundamental part of Chinese long-living and practical philosophy. The value of art and aesthetic appreciation, no less than ethics, is at the core of Chinese culture and, indeed, promises a great deal for the future world. Thus, they are dealt with here in the second and third parts. This book is also relevant to inter-culturalism in philosophy itself, as the contributors, firstly, come from several different continents and, secondly, though most of them are philosophers, all contributors are well-versed in other disciplines, such as anthropology, literature, religion, aesthetics, history of art, sinology, cognitive sciences, and social sciences.

The meeting of different cultures, philosophies and religions today calls for an intensive and qualified discourse on the part of all concerned. Intercultural Philosophy seeks to develop such a discourse through a new orientation of thought that will allow for a discussion of all philosophical problems from an intercultural perspective. In this important new work, Ram Adhar Mall approaches the study of philosophy from a cross-cultural point of view allowing for fundamental similarities and illuminating differences between cultures. In doing so, he develops a new concept of intercultural philosophy and applies it to various philosophical disciplines.

Intercultural Dialogue: In Search of Harmony in Diversity offers a philosophical analysis of the issues surrounding cultural diversity and dialogical relationships among cultures as an alternative to “culture wars” and hegemonic globalization. It examines the ideas of dialogue and harmony as expressed in Daoism, Confucianism, Indian, and Ancient Greek philosophical traditions, as well as in contemporary European and Latin-American philosophies. Drawing on the works of Laozi, Confucius, Plato, Kant, and Gandhi, the book shows the importance of intercultural dialogue and the globalization of philosophy. It asserts that intercultural dialogue should have inter-philosophical global dialogue as its epistemological and ontological foundation. Intercultural philosophy elaborates on the conceptualization of philosophy as culturally embedded. Attention is paid to Bakhtin’s dialogism and its contemporary elaboration in the phenomenology of indirect speech, synergic anthropology, and the theory of transculture. The book offers a critical analysis of world problems. Their possible solutions require a more dialogically-oriented and humane transformation of society, aiming for a cosmopolitan order of law and peace.

This innovative book problematises the internal relationships within and between the intercultural and the political in education. It engages in a critical dialogue with current practices and discourses, and the focus on ‘the political’ offers an alternative trajectory to explore interculturality within education. Drawing on international research and consolidated with application of top interdisciplinary theories in the field, Dervin and Simpson alert us to the current dangers of treating interculturality loosely in education. The authors engage in a dialogue to encourage readers to examine the meaning of interculturality and the state of research in education today, suggesting that we move beyond merely rehearsing theories, concepts and methods. More importantly they urge researchers, teachers and students to question Western-centric ideologies of interculturality. Intercultural and the Political Within Education is a must read for those who are dissatisfied with current intercultural research and education. It will be of great interest to researchers and students of the philosophy of education and those interested in the contemporary debates concerning ideologies, definitions and ownership of interculturality.

This book explores the notion of interculturality in education and supports scholars in their discovery of the notion. Continuing the author’s previous work, the book urges (communication) education researchers and educators to 'interculturalize' interculturality. This book corresponds to the authors’ endeavor to complexify the way interculturality is discussed, expressed, (co-)constructed and advocated in different parts of the world and in different languages. To interculturalize interculturality is to expand the way we deal with the notion as an object of scientific and educational discourse, noting the dominating voices and allowing for silenced voices that are rarely heard around interculturality to emerge. This book is based on broken realities and (the authors’) rebellious dreams. As two researchers and educators with a long experience examining discourses of interculturality, this book represents the authors’ program for the future of intercultural communication education. The book is divided into three 'tableaus' (living descriptions) depicting today’s 'broken' realities of interculturality and two 'rebellious' dreams of what it could be in research and education.

This volume addresses the issue of the human encounter with the Mystery of God and the purpose of human life. It explores major themes from diverse cultural and philosophical traditions, starting with questions about the possibility of belief in God, His transcendence as seen in both East and West, and ending with questions about ethics and about personhood, human dignity and human rights. Taking an eclectic approach, the chapters in this book each uniquely address aspects of the human encounter with the Mystery of God, drawing from specific cultures and traditions, and using a particular philosophical and theological style. Together, the chapters provide a fresh approach and a synergy that ensures that each topic contributes something new to the dialogue between religion and culture.

The main subject of the book is the relationship between discursively shaped social relations, entrenched in the principle of mutual recognition, and the need to punish the perpetrators of communication disruption, involving the commission of an offence in multicultural societies. This work analyses the problem of the intercultural nature of legal discourse and the dispute about the universality of human rights. The author raises the question - crucial yet complicated from a legal and, above all, philosophical and ethical perspective - whether Western societies are entitled to judge the representatives of other, distant, and distinct cultures and to subject this judgment to the relevant sanctions. The answer to that question is sought in universal human rights, which - whilst being grounded in human dignity and meeting the standards of civil society - restore confidence of the victims of rights violation in the correctness and effectiveness of the rules governing the modern world. The answer to this question also has an important practical value, since the negative outcome calls into question the jurisdiction of international criminal tribunals.