Its important to emphasise that these are just broad trends across vast numbers of people; there will have been a spectrum within each population studied. Tap here to review the details. Western culture is known for its materialism. We've updated our privacy policy. He is @d_a_robson on Twitter. Mason is the most diverse campus in the country and is the perfect illustration of how when people of different cultures and backgrounds are integrated, you adopt some of those different views, beliefs, thought-processes, and actions just by being exposed to it. While Plato is quite well known in the west, Wang Yangming is less so, even though he is as famous as Plato inChina,Korea, andJapan. The biggest difference between these two types of religions is the concepts employed. The Greek philosopher Epictetus (l. c. 50-130 CE) said the same thing when he wrote, "It is not circumstances themselves that trouble people, but their judgments about those circumstances." World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Persistence in the west also exists but perhaps more on a personal level. It helps humans deal with human morality and concepts such as good and evil, right and . For example, topics like sex or birth of a child are openly discussed in Western culture, whereas in the East, these topics are still taboo. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Philosophers from the east have always been engaged in exactly the same pursuit as their counterparts in the west. Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout (University of Wisconsin), Merlot (California State University), OER Commons and the School Library Journal. This can be an odd conversation for westerners who may inquiry why someone is asking such personal questions. The holistic, collectivist views of Eastern society explain why Easterners are not as direct when communicating, leaving more open space to interpretation. Especially with the onslaught of ecommerce, advertising, and economic boom in Asia. The love of wisdom knows no separate region; philosophy defies all boundaries and every kind of petty regional definition. No. The divide did not seem to correlate with measures of wealth or modernisation, but he noticed that one difference could be the kind of staple crop grown in the region: rice in most southern areas, and wheat in the north. License. To confirm the voluntary settlement theory, however, psychologists would want to examine a second, independent, case study as a counterpoint. We need you to be detailed. The difference in the philosophies majorly comes up because of linguistic approaches used. Behavioral ethics Feeling oneself as an element of the Divine Life is a service (to the God, money, business, etc.) It can even change the way that you see. Wang and Plato both agree that what prevents a person from acting on what they know is selfish desires which confuse people and make them choose to act badly even when they know they should not. An example of this could be notifying a member of staff of a presentation or large event to be done on the day of an event or similar. The love of wisdom knows no separate region; philosophy defies all boundaries and every kind of petty regional definition. By whitelisting SlideShare on your ad-blocker, you are supporting our community of content creators. The west is thought of to be traditionally compromised of certain regions like Europe, the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand. American agriculturists such as William S Clark helped tame Hokkaido. Our world is becoming a melting pot of cultures as people continue to blend in and integrate. Nisbett points out that Western philosophers emphasised freedom and independence, whereas Eastern traditions like Taoism tended to focus on concepts of unity. In China in particular, students follow the learning tradition founded by Confucius, who emphasized the vital role of education in bringing honor to one's self . The Korean philosopher Wonhyo (l. 617-686 CE) wrote, "Thinking makes good and bad" meaning that if you think something is 'bad' then it is bad to you. Latino assimilation into Western culture has been tumultuous. Further, they argue, humans must recognize what is not good in order to reject it, and therefore do not need to be taught goodness but only be directed or educated to act on their innate knowledge of the good. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Mark, Emily. Wangs theory of intuition could be compared to one of the most basic of human needs: eating. What are the factors that make the Philippines similar or different from its Asian It does this in several ways and some of which are to wanting to look unproductive and wanting to take an active role in leading the group to be more productive. Everyone wants to make a better life for themselves and their families. Some are true and some have changes slightly. Alex Mesoudi at the University of Exeterrecently profiled the thinking styles of British Bangladeshi families in East London. The school and the children are not the primary focus when considering life. But why did the different thinking styles emerge in the first place? And of course, this does not account for every situation on both sides, but in general it has been the case in my experience. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/855/similarities-between-eastern--western-philosophy/. The culture in the east is to focus the family and the importance of the family on the children. Another (counterintuitive) idea is that the contrasting mind-sets are an evolved response to germs. Life is a journey towards eternal realities that are beyond the realities that surround us. Read about our approach to external linking. Western people think that their culture is more civilized than eastern cultures, while Eastern people think that theirs is more pure and sincere compare to manipulated western cultures. Europeans then became "rational, virtuous, mature, [and] normal" (40), and the line between the two parts of the world was set; Europe (or the West) as the strong one and Asia (or the East) as the weak one (57). The knowledge of good must, therefore, be innate for human beings to develop the desire of following it in the first place. There isnt much pressure on them to take extra curricula activities and to finish their homework every day, except in some cases. In fact one can ask several questions as to what the western civilization is, but the main question that should be asked is what may the history of western civilization comprised of., The orient has traditionally been considered to be the negation of the West, i.e. Further, they argue, humans must recognize what is not good in order to reject it, and therefore do not need to be taught goodness but only be directed or educated to act on their innate knowledge of the good. Whether good or bad. If you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called If You Only Read 6 Things This Week. -Since the discovery of easternphilosophyby western explorers and scholars in the 18th and 19th centuries CE, there has been an arbitrary division maintained, especially in colleges and universities, between western philosophy and eastern philosophy as though these two systems present radically different views of the world. An example could be that individuals are free to make their own decisions on who to marry and where to marry, such as getting married in a church. Similarities. Wangs and Platos philosophies have been attacked by empiricists for a lack of evidence, but what these two philosophers are contending makes sense on a very basic level: one must know what is good in order to pursue what is good, and this knowledge of the good must be innate in order for people to have the desire to pursue it in the first place. Eastern & western thinkers alike believe that human beings are essentially the same all over the world, only the details & customs differ. Fitting in is valued over standing out. In the western civilization, the self is given preference over family and hence decisions on priority and relevance of relationships are of the individual. Generally western children are left to do what they want. It is for this reason that Hokkaido proves to be so fascinating. American agriculturists like Capron had been roped in to advise the new settlers on the best ways to farm the land, and within 70 years the population blossomed from a few thousand to more than two million. Yet the small number of available studies which had examined people from other cultures would suggest that this is far from the case. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_systems_by_country. Holistic thinking permeates Eastern philosophy and culture (Credit: Getty Images). Almost all the people he questioned are not directly involved in farming, of course but the historical traditions of their regions are still shaping their thinking. Eastern Society and Culture. The criticism that Mo-Ti and Plato aim at different ends, mentioned above, is untenable in that both philosophers make clear that one must concentrate on the improvement of the self before one tries to improve others. The ideas presented by Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher, and those by Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, are similar and discuss same basic concepts. There is no division between eastern or western philosophy when it comes to the most basic questions of what it means to be a human being. Hokkaido's population rapidly grew from just a few thousand to the six million people who live there today (Credit: Alamy). The Eastern and Western religions both have some things in common as well as some things they can vary. in Western and In fact, human beings are essentially the same the world over, only the details and customs differ, and the philosophies of eastern and western thinkers make this quite clear. Whereas in the West the self is understood primarily as an autonomous ego whose existence is distinct from that of others, in the East, it is often argued there is no meaning of self that is independent of our relations to others. Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University. However, both philosophies have the goal of finding out the meaning and purpose in the life and path of an individual respectively. Richard C. Page: is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia, Athens. This tendency for self-inflation appears to be almost completely absent in a range of studies across East Asia; in fact, in some cases the participants were more likely to underestimate their abilities than to inflate their sense of self-worth. Key Concepts. In 2010, an influential article in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences reported that the vast majority of psychological subjects had been western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic, or Weird for short. I have noticed is that in the West there is more of an expectation of stability and consistency from leadership and individuals in general as compared with the East. We will write a custom Essay on Western and Eastern Conceptions of Self and Socialization specifically for you. In PlatosMeno, Socrates praises a slave who knows geometry although he has never been taught it. most respectable person, Western Education focuses on Its a realty that is hard to avoid. reach on his/her own, A person makes decision collectively by Bibliography In the West it could be said that technology research and development has stammered and is as competitive as it used to be. Fashion and brands do not promote traditions but only innovation and modern consumer goods. By accepting, you agree to the updated privacy policy. Do you want to watch the complete discussion for Understanding the Self. In many cases, the consequences are broadly as you would expect. Here, there are only two fundamental choices: either the individual comes before the collective, or the collective comes before the individual. Many brands promote Chinese traditional images and fashion in order to please Chinese consumers. Both of these philosophers have exerted an enormous influence through their works, and both argue for the existence of innate knowledge; that human beings are born knowing right from wrong, and good from bad, and need only be encouraged to pursue goodness in order to live a fulfilling life. Although as China changes and becomes more competitive within the global economy, its clear that slowly it is becoming the those with higher technical skills and experience are becoming more valued in organisations. Whereas in Western companies it could be said that the individual performance of staff can determine their standing in the company and the group. A good example is our university, George Mason. Proponents The similarities between eastern and western philosophy are greater than any differences cited by modern-day writers and lecturers on the topic. We contribute a share of our revenue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we offset our team's carbon footprint. There is no eastern or western philosophy; there is only philosophy. reliance are core values. The northernmost of Japans islands, Hokkaido was remote, with a stormy sea separating it from Honshu. Changing sometimes month to month. Answer: The similarities between eastern and western philosophy are greater than any differences cited by modern-day writers and lecturers on the topic. Its clear that everyone is trying to improve health for the people. The stillness of death reigned over this magnificent scene, he later wrote. Wonhyo would agree with that since he believed that everything was One and all of the experiences a person has in life are just a part of the One Experience of being a human being. We agree on the illness. The infant cries to let an adult know that it must be fed, and the child verbalizes that same need in words or deeds, such as saying, I am hungry, or going to get something to eat. minded and critical, A person is more free and flexible to Daniel N. Berkow. 4. the self has relation to others, society and the world. Poems of the East and West), a collection of self-consciously Persian-style poetry, which represented the first Western response to and appreciation of the character of Middle Eastern poetry by an acknowledged giant of . Is focused on collectivistic self-concept e.g., intragroup cooperation, interdependence, and. In modern times, the younger Gen Z are spending more and saving less. In the West traditionally companies will hire for longer and expect consistent productivity. Free access to premium services like Tuneln, Mubi and more. THE SELF IN WESTERN AND ORIENTAL/EASTERN THOUGHTS. Media use, in particular, tended to be the biggest predictor of the shift. 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