COMPARE EASTERN THINKING WITH WESTERN THINKING

Compare Eastern Thinking with Western Thinking



Compare Eastern Thinking with Western Thinking

Introduction

Before moving forward with our journey through Eastern thought and once introduced the general concepts, it is desirable to establish some differences (roughly) between the thinking of Eastern and Western. Clearly this brief reference will be nothing other than a profound generalization, since taking into account all the nuances and ramifications we lose in debates our attention from the main road.

For an extension of the treaty point here, a good choice would be made ??to the works of French metaphysician Rene Guenon, who insisted on this aspect and I think in appropriate ways (one of his major works, from 1924 is titled "East and West").

Discussion and Analysis

Looking at the tradition, first found in nature in the West internist regarding his philosophy of mind. That is, the mind is studied "the skin to the inside", considering it as a closed structure. In the East we could talk about a resounding externalism in thought, since the mind is seen widespread throughout the universe. Everything is mind (but wonder how it interact mind and reality).

Also, in the West generally share a keen interest in facts. In more interested in Eastern thought processes, and this is reflected in language. Western languages ??are syntactic Orientals, semantic (find ourselves in them, a difficult metaphysical construction of the verb to be).

In the West, thought is static in the sense that we need to "stop time" to study something. Conversely, in the East is quite dynamic: you are interested in how things develop over time.

We can also observe that the West is mainly conceptual, we like to classify, structure. East is in this sense, experimental. They do not care as much to clarify concepts to get experience.

On the other hand, the West is structurally theoretical and calls us to the theoretical. All Eastern traditions seek practical application. The ultimate goal is the liberation and the theory is only one way to achieve that.

The Thoughts and Tradition

In the West, the cornerstone of modern thought is "consciousness."And mind immediately associate it with this. However, in eastern mental is much broader. It is not only conscious mind it is also automatic. We could say that Eastern thought also everything is mental biological and thus there is a strong connection between mind and body. 

The concept of responsibility in the West is structural and is connected to free will. Responsibility is something that generates anxiety, something we cannot deny, to the point that one of the main currents of contemporary Western thought, existentialism taking as structural part of being human. East is far from this path, in his reflections governed spontaneity. This is because most do things spontaneously and because ultimately, it east relentlessly pursuing the ultimate objective is to do everything spontaneously (ie, nirvana). 

Finally, the Western tradition maintained in all its lines of speculation, a dual structure. His dualism is (or is) in three different ways: 

In perception, a self that perceives and an object perceived 

In the action, a self, an action to perform and an object ...