Readers React: Great thinkers, East and West

To the editor: It concerns me that the philosophy departments at the universities mentioned by Eric Schwitzgebel have so little concentration in Eastern philosophy. (“Aristotle but not Confucius?” Opinion, Sept. 13) At our community college, I routinely teach a section on Eastern philosophy, not only as religion but as both (applied) philosophy and ethics.

Confucian ethics match closely with Aristotle’s Golden Mean and Buddha’s Middle Path, and I teach them together as the central focus of Virtue Ethics.

Confucius’ idea of the “gentleman” and the “habituation of virtue” is significant and universal.

Our current crop of presidential candidates could well heed Confucius’ concept of the “ruler” actually meriting that title, being an inspirational moral exemplar and of proper actions as we relate to each other.

Rebecca Hertsgaard, Palm Desert

The writer is an adjunct professor of philosophy and ethics at College of the Desert.

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To the editor: Aristotle and Confucius were teachers. Aristotle taught logic, the art of writing and probative, analytical thinking.

Confucius spent years learning about life, then taught students how to become good public
servants.

Philosopher Rene Descartes said “I think; therefore I am,” to prove his existence. Hopefully, today we could modify that as “I am; therefore I think,” because thinking most distinguishes the human species.

Confucius taught culture, conduct, faithfulness and truth, and stressed the importance of courtesy, propriety and benevolence. Aren’t these qualities that he recommended needed more than ever in our modern society?

Sam McCarver, San Juan Capistrano

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To the editor: I have some knowledge of Western philosophy. I do not pretend to have such knowledge of Eastern thinkers.

I am sure, if I did, I would have greater

sympathy for Schwitzgebel’s plea for more teaching of Eastern philosophy at universities. We naturally feel that what we know and love is important and deserves more attention.

Nevertheless, the amount of attention that universities are giving Eastern thinkers is to me about right, given the fact that we are a Western society, with our civilization grounded in Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant and Hobbes and not in Confucius and Laozi.

Maybe times will change and so will our pertinent philosophical reference.

Given our Western identity, any mandated attention to Eastern thinkers would be, in my view, another example of our overstated egalitarianism — “political correctness.”

Jack Kaczorowski, Los Angeles