Universe and Inner Self in Early Indian and Early Greek Thought

Universe and Inner Self in Early Indian and Early Greek Thought

Editor(s)	Seaford, Richard
Publisher	Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh
Published	2016
Subjects	Humanities, Philosophy, History of Western philosophy, Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500

Abstract

From the sixth century BCE onwards there occurred a revolution in thought, with novel ideas such as such as that understanding the inner self is both vital for human well-being and central to understanding the universe. This intellectual transformation is sometimes called the beginning of philosophy. And it occurred – independently it seems - in both India and Greece, but not in the vast Persian Empire that divided them. How was this possible? This is a puzzle that has never been solved. This volume brings together Hellenists and Indologists representing a variety of perspectives on the similarities and differences between the two cultures, and on how to explain them. It offers a collaborative contribution to the burgeoning interest in the Axial Age and will be of interest to anyone intrigued by the big questions inspired by the ancient world.