The Philosophical Quest

The PHILOSOPHICAL QUEST is an anthology that introduces students to fundamental questions in philosophy through a variety of Western and Nonwestern readings. The Nonwestern readings include classical and contemporary representatives of Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Native American thought. Among the Western selections are classical and contemporary readings from diverse philosophical schools (analytic, positivist, pragmatist, phenomenological, and existential). Also included are selections from Latin American, Iberian, and Russian thinkers which are on the periphery of the Western philosophical tradition and which tend to speak in their own unique idioms. Finally, the text includes African-American and both Western and Nonwestern feminist authors. THE PHILOSOPHICAL QUEST highlights the parallels and differences between Western and Nonwestern philosophical traditions and present philosophers from different cultures in dialogue with one another, thus enriching and expanding the philosophical issue itself. Each chapter in this text has two or more sections with a general introduction to each chapter and a separate introduction to each of the sections within the chapter. THE PHILOSOPHICAL QUEST provides questions for discussion at the end of each section within the chapter, and explanatory footnotes with the readings. This text has a larger number and diversity of Nonwestern readings combined with Western readings than any other presently existing introductory philosophy text.