A multi-dimensional philosophy in discussions: from Aristotle to xuanxue (玄學)

Abstract

This article discusses the contribution of contemporary philosophical discussions into the process of determining the basic forms of philosophy, which are referred to here as the “unidimensional” and the “multidimensional.” The unidimensional is a form of phi­losophy associated with the desire to create a universal philosophy based on a limited number of methods of thinking and behavioral patterns. The multidimensional is a form that assumes the existence of various methods and techniques based on the diversity of the original “cultural substrate,” economic and political practices as well as forms of thinking. Multidimensionalism does not reject universalism, but rather views it as an ob­ject of research (the universality of human nature, its plasticity and desire for interaction). The article explores the discussions of certain areas of moral, religious and political phi­losophy. These discussions target the possibility of transcendental sources of ethics, natu­ral theories of law, non-religious rational ethics, the essence of God and the identity of God as God, the problems and prospects of an interconfessional dialogue, tolerance and faith in the context of religious practice of existence. The authors also focus on the com­parative use of the metaphors of light and darkness in the West and in the East as well as the role of metaphors in an axiomatic systems. They point at an existing trend to include the achievements of non-Western philosophies into the toolbox of a contemporary re­searcher (e.g. Garfield, van Norden).