Should the philosophy curriculum be revamped?

Eastern philosophy is of great historical and cultural importance to the respective Eastern countries, just as Western philosophy is to the respective Western countries. Great works of literature like the Tao Te Ching, Buddhist Scriptures, and the I Ching pour from the words of those philosophers. I don't see why philosophy has to be so Western-centric all the time.

I guess I'm just looking for pluralism in the philosophy departments.

How about pluralism in the biology departments? A few courses on Creationism? And what about Lamarkism?

Tsk tsk, I didn't think you'd be that petty. Which makes me think that exposure to different ways of thought, at least an intro or survey, is warranted in order to increase cultural awareness of the other side of the world.

It is petty only if the analogy is false. Is it? Why?

If the idea is to teach "cultural awareness", it seems to me that the place to do it is in sociology, or anthropology, or even history. Why in philosophy? Why not in physics?

You seem to be insinuating that Eastern philosophy is backwards or outdated, when in fact it is still alive and well in Eastern philosophy departments, which also include Western philosophy as part of their studies. Take the Hong Kong University Philosophy Department whose mission states: "The Department of Philosophy strives to offer a diverse, balanced curriculum incorporating Eastern and Western philosophical traditions that meets international standards while maintaining national and regional relevance." Or the Tokyo University which studies contemporary research in Confucianism. They study our philosophies, we can't take few moments to study theirs? (Although we do in some small measure, such as the Kyoto School philosophers)

If an Asian physicist writes something of importance in physics, should we not consider it? Same with Asian sociologists, anthropologists, historians, and philosophers in their respective fields.

Should equal weight be given to Eastern philosophies?

Should there be more experiential aspects as opposed to emphasis on just thinking about it?

I would like to see philosophers actually experience yoga

Should there be more discussion of scientific thought such as Relativity and Quantum Physics

Should there be more emphasis placed on skepticism of facts as they are presented in the world. For example, yesterday I read of a medical study that showed "There is vigorous evidence that verebroplasty [a medical procedure that is used 100,000 times a year] doesn't work any better than control intervention."

Should be look at how philosophy affects the way we live. For example, Eastern philosophies evolved from everyday observable events such as health practices and relationships with people.

Well, philosophy in the West is Western-centric (is there such a word?) because it is in the West, I suppose. And, it isn't, all the time. I suppose you are really asking whether there is any good justification for Western philosophy being taught so much in the West, and I suppose it is partly because Eastern philosophy is so intermingled (I was going to say, "mixed up with") religion, that it is not what we in the West think of as philosophy. It is also so intermingled with advice about how to live, that it does no more than touch on the problems of philosophy in the West like epistemology. The similarity between Western philosophy and Eastern philosophy is mostly the both deal with very general and abstract matters. Except for that, the term, "philosophy" as applied to both, would be a pun. (But, it ought to be noticed, too, that the gap between analytic philosophy, as practiced (for the most part) in the English-speaking countries, and continental philosophy, is also quite wide, so it is not quite right to talk of Western philosophy as monolithic either).

rich's issue with modern philosophy is that it actually contends with facts

well rich no longer posts here apparently (maybe he's finally kicked the bucket after avoiding Western medicine for decades) but I'll bring up a classic example of his:

http://www.philosophyforum.com/philosophy-forums/philosophers/ancient-philosophers/plato/5570-classics-substance-plato.html#post86271[INDENT]The Five Shen are the spirits associated with each of the body's five yin organ-systems (Heart, Kidney, Spleen, Liver and Lungs).

Shen: Emperor of the Heart

Within the Five Shen system we find something like a spiritual hierarchy: Shen - the spirit of the Heart - is the Emperor, with aspects of its power - like Ministers - residing as the spirits of the other organs.[/INDENT]now, richrf appears to believe that the heart has a spirit in it governs over the other bodily spirits, like an emperor

pretty important huh? except there are people alive today with artificial hearts, presumably lacking this essential spirit

this is really the kind of thing that's going to serve me working in public health, very useful![INDENT]Yi: Intellect of the Spleen

The spirit of the Spleen System is Yi, or intellect. A healthy Yi manifests as spirit-infused intelligence and understanding.[/INDENT]having a spleen is useful but if injured you can have it removed without suffering cognitive deficits

facts put a cannonball in the waterline of this philosophy: that's why it sucks ... why would anyone in their right mind entertain this crap? what if you got your spleen punctured and you were sent to dr. tcm? he'd say well I can't remove your spleen it's the root of your intelligence and you'd be a zombie without it. and you'd bleed to death. nice

good philosophy needs to contend with facts

by and large Asian philosophy fails to do so

I don't know whether it's multiculturalism or what that is telling us we need to pretend the emperor isn't buck naked

Point taken. His posts up to this point didn't really convey that ....perspective...?

They seemed very much in the sort of "philosophy isn't just in stuffy classrooms" vein, which has it's place.

They seemed very much in the sort of "philosophy isn't just in stuffy classrooms" vein, which has it's place.

And not just their (hopefully) considered opinions, but in the adoption of a whole habit of mind and techniques of critical thinking that one associates with Intellect that impacts their lives, both in a general sense and often in a very existential, immediate sense as well.

And isn't it a philosophical position that philosophy must be useful or of practical benefit or "relevant to life" and have a "cash-value"?

And isn't it a philosophical position that philosophy must be useful or of practical benefit or "relevant to life" and have a "cash-value"?

Hi,

It has been a while since I took philosophy in school. It was one of my favorite subjects, but it seems to me, 40 years later, that the curriculum at the time was too narrow, and from what I can tell, it has not changed much since. Do we need to begin to change the curriculum to make it more relevant?

Should equal weight be given to Eastern philosophies? Should there be more experiential aspects as opposed to emphasis on just thinking about it? I would like to see philosophers actually experience yoga and Taiji so that they can understand the actual experience that led to the philosophies.

Should there be more discussion of scientific thought such as Relativity and Quantum Physics, and the philosophical and metaphysical debates that surround them?

Should there be more emphasis placed on skepticism of facts as they are presented in the world. For example, yesterday I read of a medical study that showed "There is vigorous evidence that verebroplasty [a medical procedure that is used 100,000 times a year] doesn't work any better than control intervention." Yet, "Most doctors in this country thought taht the trials was unethical, because they were so convinced vertebropasty works. Several hospitals didn't allow their doctors to participate." Do we need to teach ourselves to be much more skeptical of that which we believe to be true?

Should we seek out the practical applications of what ideas in every day life, beyond the possible economic benefits, e.g. Ayn Rand? Should be look at how philosophy affects the way we live. For example, Eastern philosophies evolved from everyday observable events such as health practices and relationships with people.