Thoughtful God: Selected Topics in Western Philosophical Trends

Author: Fang Zhaohui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: This book is based on the author's many years of teaching as a public elective course for the entire university at Tsinghua University. It is especially an introduction to Western philosophy for young readers from non-philosophy backgrounds. Its main feature is to explain Western thought in relation to some deeply rooted Chinese thinking habits, opening up a unique perspective on understanding Western thought from a broad comparative cultural viewpoint. The author excels in selecting a series of small sparks of thought, using vivid, life-related examples to fully demonstrate the intrinsic charm of Western philosophy. The book provides an in-depth dissection of the various misunderstandings Chinese people have had in understanding Western philosophical thought for a long time, which has a shocking effect on most Chinese readers. The language of the book is lively and engaging, with in-depth yet accessible analysis, and vivid charts, enabling readers to gain a relatively comprehensive and thorough understanding of the essence of Western philosophical thought over two thousand years in a short time. The book follows the thread of intellectual trends, selecting representative figures from three different historical periods of ancient Greece, modern, and contemporary Western philosophy, primarily focusing on issues in the existentialist and metaphysical debates within Western philosophy to elucidate the unique dialectical characteristics of Western philosophy that differ from ancient Chinese academic thought.