Parallel developments: A Comparative History of Ideas

Description

Professor Nakamura believes that all the intellectual problems which a given culture faces are problems found in all great cultures, and that the order they are dealt with is about the same in all cultures and reflects the general order of human social development. But in stressing the similarities Nakamura is equally aware of the subtle differences found in the various cultures. Hajime Nakamura is indeed a world-citizen. While he has spent much of his life on Indian and Buddhist thought, he is not concerned with showing the superiority of the thought of any specific culture. He has lived long in Europe and the United States even though his homeland is Japan. This is a time in which many persons are showing a concern for the whole of mankind. Nakamura’s book meets in an eminent way this interest. As a remarkable book by a remarkable man it deserves a wide and varied circle of readers. Parallel Developments, A Comparative History of Ideas Preface (Charles Morris) Editor’s Preface (Ronald Burr) Acknowledgments Contents INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 1. The Aim of the Work 2. Some References to Comparative Attempts in the Classical Chapter I. MYTHS, GODS, AND SACRIFICE: THOUGHT IN EARLY AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES I. Social Background II. Gods and Man III. The Search for the Absolute IV. Conclusion Chapter II. THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS: THE RISE OF PHILOSOPHY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF HETERODOXIES I. Introductory Remarks II. The Rise of Philosophy III. The Development of Heterodoxies IV. Concluding Comments Chapter III. EARLY UNIVERSAL RELIGIONS I. Introductory Remarks II. The Ideal Image of the Founders III. Fundamental Attitudes IV. Human Existence V. The Ideal of the Universal State VI. Concluding Remarks Chapter IV. FEATURES OF MEDIEVAL THOUGHT I. General Thoughts on Developments in the Middle Ages II. Two Types of Religion III. Theology and its Counterparts IV. Conclusion Chapter V. COMMON FEATURES OF MODERN THOUGHT I. Introductory Remarks II. Modern Philosophical Attitudes III. Modern Religious Attitudes IV. Conclusion of the Discussions on Modern Thought GENERAL CONCLUSIONS