Migrating Texts And Traditions

Philosophy is often deeply influenced by the culture within which it is developed. Classical Greek culture influenced Greek philosophy, Christianity influenced medieval Western philosophy, and French culture influenced Cartesianism and postmodernism. However, many philosophical texts and traditions have subsequently been introduced into other cultural contexts, through war and colonialization, religion and spirituality, commercial relations and globalization. European philosophies have been introduced into non-European cultures and traditions--in Africa, on the Indian subcontinent, in China and Japan--and Asian philosophies have been presented to European cultures and traditions in North America and Europe. Migrating Texts and Traditionsexamines the phenomenon of the "migration" of philosophical texts and traditions from culture to culture, identifies places where this transfer has occurred--in some cases with rewarding results, in others less so--and discusses what is presupposed in introducing a text or a tradition into another intellectual culture.