Book Review: Methodologies of Comparative Philosophy-Smid

I’ve just finished reading Robert Smid’s book Methodologies of Comparative Philosophy: The Pragmatist and Process Traditions.  First, I should say that I am glad to see that comparative method is finally being tackled head on in studies of this length.  I’ve long thought that we need to get clear on method, and that comparative philosophers are not often up front in their work about how they conceive of comparative philosophy, which sometimes can lead to misunderstandings between philosophers.  Laying out and appraising different comparative options is something I have been very interested in for some time.  The first chapter of my dissertation, for example, is on this issue, which needs much more attention, and which I applaud Smid for dealing with in this book.

Smid discusses four particular conceptions of comparative philosophy in this book,

Book Review: Readings in Han Chinese Thought- Csikszentmihalyi

I thought it might be useful to start posting here at UPJ short reviews of the books in the field I’ve been reading, just as a way to give other scholars heads up about some things to check out, and also as a way for me to keep tabs on what I’ve read.  I’ll kick this series off with a collection of readings I read some time ago, but have found continuously useful–Readings in Han Chinese Thought, edited and translated by Mark Csikszentmihalyi.

First, I should say that this is a collection that has been needed for a long time, and I hope it can help to spur more interest in Han dynasty thought and lead to more