Process and pluralism : Chinese thought on the harmony of diversity / Zhihe Wang.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wang, Zhihe, 1960-

Contributor:

Class of 1932 Fund.

Series:

Process thought ; v. 23.

Process thought ; v. 23

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religious pluralism.

Process philosophy.

Religion and culture.

Abrahamic religions.

Philosophy, Chinese.

Genre:

Academic theses.

Physical Description:

x, 221 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Frankfurt : Ontos, 2012.

Summary:

This book offers a uniquely process relational oriented Chinese approach to inter-religious dialogue called Chinese Harmonism. The key features of Chinese harmonism are peaceful coexistence, mutual transformation, and openness to change. As developed with help from Whiteheadian process thought, Chinese harmonism provides a middle way between particularism and universal-ism, showing how diversity can exist within unity. Chinese harmonism is open to similarities among religions, but it also emphasizes that differences among religions can be complementary rather than contradictory. Thus Chinese harmonism implies an attitude of respect for others and a willingness to learn from others, without reducing the other to one's own identity: that is, to sameness. By emphasizing the possibility of complementariness, a process oriented Chinese harmonism avoids a dichotomy between universalism and particularism represented respectively by John Hick and S. Mark Heim, and will make room for a genuine openness and do justice to the culturally and religiously "other." Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Road toward Religious Pluralism: A Historical Survey 9

1 The Exclusivist Past 12

2 Religious Pluralism prior to the 1960s 17

Friedrich Schleiermacher 17

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 20

Ernst Troeltsch 27

Arnold Toynbee 32

3 Religious Pluralism since the 1960s 38

4 The Continuing Legacy of Exclusivism 46

Chapter 2 Hick's Universalistic Pluralism: A Process Response 51

1 Hick's Rejection of Exclusivism 52

2 Advocating Religious Pluralism 58

3 Hick's Universalistic Pluralism 62

4 The Contributions of Hick's Pluralism 67

5 A Whiteheadian Response to Hick 70

Chapter 3 Heim's Religious Particularism And a Process Alternative 81

1 Heim's Rejection of Hickian Universalism 82

2 Heim's Pluralism 86

3 Evaluating Heim 92

4 Discussions of Heim's Exclusivism 100

5 A Process Alternative to Heim's Particularism 104

The Importance of Panexperientialism and Hardcore Common Sense 105

The Primacy of Internal Relations 111

Affirming Uniqueness without Exclusivism 114

Linking Religion and Justice 121

Moving beyond Binary Thinking 123

Chapter 4 Whiteheadian Religious Pluralism 127

1 Whitehead's Religious Pluralism 128

2 John Cobb's Approach 137

3 Griffin's Contributions 146

4 The Relevance of Whiteheadian Religious Pluralism 151

Chapter 5 Chinese Harmonism 155

1 Harmonism, Pluralism, Syncretism 156

2 Chinese Harmonism 161

Equality of All Religions 161

Complementarity of Religions 163

Treating the Three Religions as an Organic Whole 165

Undogmatic Openness 168

3 The Practice of Chinese Harmonism 170

Peaceful Co-Existence 171

Mutual Transformation 172

Openness to Change 174

Chapter 6 Philosophical Foundation of Chinese Harmonism 177

1 The Notion of Process 178

2 Openness 180

3 Yin-Yang Thinking 183

4 Harmony 188

5 The Unity of Transcendence and Immanence 190

6 Consciousness of Others 194

7 Following Two Courses at the Same Time 196

8 Conclusion 199.

Notes:

Dissertation.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1932 Fund.

ISBN:

9783868381504

3868381503

OCLC:

799999983