Buddhist Philosophy

Indian Buddhism has inspired philosophers for almost 2500 years. Yet, relative to Euro-American philosophy, Buddhist philosophy has received little attention. In this course, we explore the rich traditions of Indian Buddhist philosophy. More specifically, we discuss topics in Buddhist epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of action, and philosophy of mind. We pay particular attention to the arguments that Buddhist philosophers used to defend their views and respond to their critics. In addition to understanding these arguments in their historical contexts, we ask what we can learn from them today and, when relevant, investigate how they are being used in contemporary philosophy.