Without deference to any one religious tradition, Philosophies of the Self makes cross-cultural analysis possible by introducing a multitude of understandings about ourselves that change how we think not only about philosophy of religion but philosophy in general.
This is a guide to the many different concepts of the self found in traditions around the world. Ideal for independent study or classroom teaching, Philosophies of the Self represents a break with the orientalist problems around the “East-West” dichotomy. By refusing to defer to any religious tradition, it allows you to learn about and evaluate philosophical conceptions of the self from a broad range of cultures.
Covering Shinto, Afro-Brazilian, Jain, Nyaya, Daoist, Nguni, as well as specific philosophical paradigms developed by Iqbal, Ifeanyi Menkiti, and Jacques Derrida, each chapter systematically explores conceptions of self that are specific to a philosophical tradition. Bringing together an international team of contributors, each chapter situates the concepts' definition, philosophical significance, historical context, and the relevant works or cultural locations in which they appear.
From broad, high-level comparison to in-depth, close reading, the structure allows you to engage with the different concepts in a variety of ways. You are able to compare foundational ideas, draw on suggestions for further research and choose a combination of chapters for an in-depth cross-cultural study.
This introduction goes beyond standard canonical approaches and provides an inclusive guide to concepts of the self found in a range of religions traditions.
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This introduction goes beyond standard canonical approaches and provides an inclusive guide to concepts of the self found in a range of religions traditions.
Notes on Contributors
Introduction
Nathan Loewen, Associate Professor, University of Alabama, USA
1. Udayanas Concept of the Self and Arguments for its Existence and
Persistence
Agnieszka Rostalska, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Ghent University,
Belgium
atman
mokaa /nihsreyasa
2. The Making of the Person in Candomblé
José Eduardo Porcher, Senior Lecturer, Federal University of Rio Grande do
Sul, Brazil
Assento
Ori
Santo
3. Self and Identity in Jainism
Anil Mundra, Assistant Professor & Bhagvan Vimalnath Chair of Jain Studies
and South Asian Religions, University of California, USA
Anekantavada
Identity
Liberation
4. Shinto: Indescribable Description of Self and Persistence
Maki Sato, Van Bragt Fellow, Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture,
Japan
Harae
Kotodama
Tama
5. Selfhood in the Classical Confucian Tradition
Andrew Lambert, Associate Professor of Philosophy, City University of New
York, USA
Ren
Ritual
Xiao
6. Tshivenda, Self and Persistence, Mutshidzi Maraganedzha
Lecturer, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Murunzi
Sialala
6. Embodying the Dao: Classical and Foundational Daoist Anthropological
Views
Louis Komjathy, Director and Scholar-in-Residence, Center for Daoist Studies,
USA
Pneumatology
Shen
Somatology
7. The Nguni Conceptualisation of uMina/ubumina (the self) in
Isintuism
Herbert Moyo, Associate Professor, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Impilo
Ukafa
Umoya
8. The Relative Self: Native American conceptualizations of the Self
Fritz Detwiler, (Recently Retired) Professor of Philosophy, Religion, and
Leadership, Adrian College, USA
Hózho
Mitákuye oyásin
At.oow
9. Iqbal and the Actualizing Self: gift or task?
Ibrahim Khan
Immortality
Ishq
10. A Plural Conception of Self: Reading Jacques Derrida
Nathan Loewen, Associate Professor, University of Alabama, USA
Ipseity
Sovereignty
Secret
Nathan Loewen is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama, USA.
Agnieszka Rostalska is FWO Senior Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Languages and Cultures at Ghent University, Belgium.
