Overview

The idea that the self is inextricably intertwined with the rest of the world-the ""oneness hypothesis""-can be found in many of the world's philosophical and religious traditions. Oneness provides ways to imagine and achieve a more expansive conception of the self as fundamentally connected with other people, creatures, and things. Such views present profound challenges to Western hyperindividualism and its excessive concern with self-interest and tendency toward self-centered behavior. This anthology presents a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary exploration of the nature and implications of the oneness hypothesis. While fundamentally inspired by East and South Asian traditions, in which such a view is often critical to their philosophical approach, this collection also draws upon religious studies, psychology, and Western philosophy, as well as sociology, evolutionary theory, and cognitive neuroscience. Contributors trace the oneness hypothesis through the works of East Asian and Western schools, including Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Platonism and such thinkers as Zhuangzi, Kant, James, and Dewey. They intervene in debates over ethics, cultural difference, identity, group solidarity, and the positive and negative implications of metaphors of organic unity. Challenging dominant views that presume that the proper scope of the mind stops at the boundaries of skin and skull, The Oneness Hypothesis shows that a more relational conception of the self is not only consistent with contemporary science but has the potential to lead to greater happiness and well-being for both individuals and the larger wholes of which they are parts.

Full Product Details

Author:   Philip Ivanhoe (City University of Hong Kong) ,  Owen Flanagan (James B. Duke Professor, Duke University) ,  Victoria Harrison ,  Eric Schwitzgebel
Publisher:   Columbia University Press
Imprint:   Columbia University Press
ISBN:  

9780231182980

ISBN 10:   0231182988
Pages:   416
Publication Date:   26 June 2018
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

Contents Conventions Acknowledgments Introduction Philip J. Ivanhoe, Owen Flanagan, Victoria Harrison, Eric Schwitzgebel, Hagop Sarkissian 1. Oneness: A Big History Perspective Victoria S. Harrison 2. Oneness and Its Discontent: Contesting Ren in Classical Chinese Philosophy Tao Jiang 3. One Alone and Many Stephen R. L. Clark 4. Oneness, Aspects, and the Neo-Confucians Donald L. M. Baxter 5. One-to-One Fellow Feeling, Universal Identification and Oneness, and Group Solidarities Lawrence Blum 6. The Relationality and the Normativity of An Ethic of Care Eva Feder Kittay 7. Oneness and Narrativity: A Comparative Case Study Mark Unno 8. Kant, Buddhism, and Self-Centered Vice Bradford Cokelet 9. Fractured Wholes: Corporate Agents and Their Members Kendy M. Hess 10. Religious Faith, Self-Unification, and Human Flourishing in James and Dewey Michael R. Slater 11. The Self and the Ideal Human Being in Eastern and Western Philosophical Traditions: Two Types of “Being a Valuable Person” Cho Geung Ho 12. Hallucinating Oneness: Is Oneness True or Just a Positive Metaphysical Illusion? Owen Flanagan 13. Episodic Memory and Oneness Jay Garfield, Shaun Nichols, and Nina Strohminger 14. Confucius and the Superorganism Hagop Sarkissian 15. Death, Self, and Oneness in the Incomprehensible Zhuangzi Eric Schwitzgebel 16. Identity Fusion: The Union of Personal and Social Selves Sanaz Talaifar and William B. Swann, Jr. 17. Tribalism and Universalism: Reflections and Scientific Evidence Dimitri Putilin 18. Two Notions of Empathy and Oneness Justin Tiwald Index

Reviews

The Oneness Hypothesis proposes a fascinating and timely exploration of the idea of oneness from different disciplinary angles, while synthesizing current knowledge and outlining a path forward. The editors of the volume are leading scholars who will have a substantial impact on future conversations and scholarship about this topic.--Ara Norenzayan, The University of British Columbia

A fascinating collection of very diverse pieces on a most important and too often neglected subject. Truly notable for the range of approaches exhibited, the different traditions or cultures treated, and the variety of questions, both theoretical and interpretative, that are examined.--Lee Yearley, Walter Y. Evans-Wentz Professor of Oriental Philosophy, Religions, and Ethics, Stanford University Individualism, the assumption that humans are ontologically distinct, fully autonomous, naturally self-interested beings is a foundational philosophical idea of modern Western culture. It is also, arguably, an increasingly disastrous one for the well-being both of the individuals it celebrates and the societies to which they belong. The impressive list of distinguished contributors to this important book show in many different ways that this assumption is highly debatable and culturally contingent. It should be read by anyone interested in the roots of the grave problems currently facing the world.--John Dupr�, University of Exeter Positing that many of the pressing problems of our age are rooted into restrictive views of the boundaries of the self, this fascinating collection of essays provides a wealth of insights about how oneness might--or might not--be relevant today. From history to religion, philosophy (East and West), and psychology, the issue is tackled from a striking variety of different angles. A stimulating and inspiring read.--S�bastien Billioud, University Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cit� The Oneness Hypothesis proposes a fascinating and timely exploration of the idea of oneness from different disciplinary angles, while synthesizing current knowledge and outlining a path forward. The editors of the volume are leading scholars who will have a substantial impact on future conversations and scholarship about this topic.--Ara Norenzayan, University of British Columbia

Author Information

Philip J. Ivanhoe is Distinguished Chair Professor, College of Confucian Studies and Eastern Philosophy, at Sungkyunkwan University. Owen J. Flanagan is James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy and codirector of the Center for Comparative Philosophy at Duke University, where he also holds appointments in psychology and neuroscience. Victoria S. Harrison is professor of philosophy at the University of Macau. Hagop Sarkissian is associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the City University of New York, Baruch College, and the CUNY Graduate Center. Eric Schwitzgebel is professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside.

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