Buddhism and Political Theory

Buddhism and Political Theory

by Matthew J. Moore
Buddhism and Political Theory

Buddhism and Political Theory

by Matthew J. Moore

eBook

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Overview

Despite the recent upsurge of interest in comparative political theory, there has been virtually no serious examination of Buddhism by political philosophers in the past five decades. In part, this is because Buddhism is not typically seen as a school of political thought. However, as Matthew Moore argues, Buddhism simultaneously parallels and challenges many core assumptions and arguments in contemporary Western political theory. In brief, Western thinkers not only have a great deal to learn about Buddhism, they have a great deal to learn from it. To both incite and facilitate the process of Western theorists engaging with this neglected tradition, this book provides a detailed, critical reading of the key primary Buddhist texts, from the earliest recorded teachings of the Buddha through the present day. It also discusses the relevant secondary literature on Buddhism and political theory (nearly all of it from disciplines other than political theory), as well as the literatures on particular issues addressed in the argument. Moore argues that Buddhist political thought rests on three core premises--that there is no self, that politics is of very limited importance in human life, and that normative beliefs and judgments represent practical advice about how to live a certain way, rather than being obligatory commands about how all persons must act. He compares Buddhist political theory to what he sees as Western analogues--Nietzsche's similar but crucially different theory of the self, Western theories of limited citizenship from Epicurus to John Howard Yoder, and to the Western tradition of immanence theories in ethics. This will be the first comprehensive treatment of Buddhism as political theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780190631529
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: 05/03/2016
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

Matthew J. Moore is Associate Professor of Political Science at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Buddhism and Political Thought Part I: Buddhism's Theory of Government Chapter 1: Theory of Government and Political Theory in Early Buddhism Chapter 2: The Traditional Buddhist Theory of Government Chapter 3: Buddhist Modernism: 1850-1950 Part II: A Buddhist Political Theory Chapter 4: Overcoming vs. Letting Go: Nietzsche and Buddha on the Self and Politics Chapter 5: Theories of Limited Citizenship, East and West Chapter 6: Buddhism, Naturalistic Ethics, and Politics Chapter 7: Buddhist Political Theory in the Twenty-first Century Notes Bibliography Index
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