Introduction: Doing Philosophy between Worlds

Abstract

Abstract When considered as a list of doctrines, Buddhism and Platonism seem unlikely interlocutors, with diametrically opposed views on reality, knowledge, intelligibility, soul, and ethics. But taking individual philosophers as the systematic, critical inquirers they took themselves to be opens up rich possibilities for constructive philosophical dialogue—particularly given a shared suspicion of the value of ordinary conceptions running through the internal diversity of both traditions, and a shared aspiration to radically transform ourselves for the better. By bringing a team of specialists in each tradition into a multi-year process of collaborative study, we have been able to put the tools of the history of philosophy to work philosophically, creating searching conversations between Buddhist and Platonist that are at once textually grounded and philosophically oriented, and do equal justice to the acuity of each tradition. These curated joint inquiries addressing specific shared concerns take many different forms—collaborative, critical, constructive extensions, the exposure of deep conceptual connections and conflicts. But all forms of this cosmopolitan ancient philosophy work from the fine-grained particulars in classic philosophical texts of distinct philosophical traditions towards creating a more inclusive philosophical community, opening new perspectives on our own philosophical preoccupations, and enriching our understanding of what questions there are to ask and what possibilities there may be for addressing them.