Understanding the phenomenon: a comparative study of compassion of the West and karuna of the East

Asian Philosophy 29 (1):1-19 (2019)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article aims to bring some understanding to the phenomenon called compassion. The use of particular linguistic expressions to denote the phenomenon of compassion in the East and West can confuse us, as those terms are embedded in unique cultural settings. This article undertakes a historical, etymological, and philosophical exploration of the terms, compassion and karuna. The article will include a short literature review of these concepts and an investigation of the differences and similarities between them. The concluding speculation is that the Western perspective on compassion is founded on an individualistic, self-centred vision, and the karuna of the East is founded on a communitarian, non-self based vision.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

East-West understanding of man.V. Narayan Karan Reddy - 1974 - Hyderabad, India: East-West Research Centre.
Nurses' Experience of Compassion.Lindsay Lake Morgan - 1996 - Dissertation, The University of Texas at Austin
John Dewey and East-West Philosophy.Jim Behuniak - 2017 - Philosophy East and West 67 (3):908-916.
Philosophical Questions: East and West.Bina Gupta & Jitendranath Mohanty (eds.) - 1999 - Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
In A Mindful Moral Voice: Mindful Compassion, The Ethic of Care and Education.Deborah Orr - 2014 - Paideusis: Journal of the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society 21 (2):42-54.

Analytics

Added to PP
2019-03-06

Downloads
24 (#563,255)

6 months
4 (#320,252)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

References found in this work

Upheavals of Thought. The Intelligence of Emotions.Martha C. Nussbaum - 2003 - Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie 65 (1):174-175.
Précis of Upheavals of Thought.Martha C. Nussbaum - 2004 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 68 (2):443-449.
A Rasa Reader: Classical Indian Aesthetics.Sheldon I. Pollock (ed.) - 2016 - New York: Cambridge University Press.
Compassion and Beyond.Roger Crisp - 2008 - Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 11 (3):233-246.

View all 28 references / Add more references