INTRODUCTION TO WORLD PHILOSOPHIES
A Chronological Progression
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The pursuit of knowledge has remained perennial since mankind’s earliest days. A born thinker, philosopher, scientist, and discoverer, man has addressed many questions at the very center of life. In attempting to answer such questions, thinkers and philosophers have set forth many convincing (and conflicting) hypotheses, but all agree that achieving knowledge is the route to answering them. In Introduction to World Philosophies: A Chronological Progression, Mirza I. Ashraf describes the perplexing philosophies of great thinkers and philosophers from Classical Greek period to present time in a simple style. He presents the central ideas of prominent philosophers of the East and West from Zoroaster and Thales to Foucault and Derrida. He attempts to show that without these mentors of societies and civilizations, mankind would never have become what it is today and would not realize its potential for tomorrow. At a time in world history when the global exchange of information is often instantaneous, Ashraf’s detailed presentations lead us toward a unified understanding of thought and culture. At this juncture, when the subject of world religions, traditions, and ideologies is at the heart of so much bitterness, these thinkers encourage us to think globally and generate a common approach to humankind’s philosophical quest.
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The pursuit of knowledge has remained perennial since mankind's earliest days. A born thinker, philosopher, scientist, and discoverer, man has addressed many questions at the very center of life. In attempting to answer such questions, thinkers and philosophers have set forth many convincing (and conflicting) hypotheses, but all agree that achieving knowledge is the route to answering them.
In Introduction to World Philosophies: A Chronological Progression, Mirza I. Ashraf describes perplexing philosophies in a simple style. He presents the central ideas of prominent philosophers of the East and West from Zoroaster and Thales to Foucault and Derrida. He attempts to show that without these mentors of societies and civilizations, mankind would never have become what it is today and would not realize its potential for tomorrow.
At a time in world history when the global exchange of information is often instantaneous, Ashraf's detailed presentations lead us toward a unified understanding of thought and culture. At this juncture, when the subject of world religions, traditions, and ideologies is at the heart of so much bitterness, these thinkers encourage us to think globally and generate a common approach to humankind's philosophical quest.
About the Author
Mirza Iqbal Ashraf has been studying the philosophies of the East and West for the last four decades and has taught and lectured on cross-cultural religious and philosophical issues in his native Pakistan and United States. He began his teaching career in a secondary school when he was 16 years old and after receiving his master’s degree in 1967 he taught graduate students at the University of Punjab in Lahore. He wrote articles on cultural and philosophical topics for an English daily The Pakistan Times, and other publications. His father Mirza Sharqui, an independent thinker, teacher, and scholar of world philosophies and history, acquainted him at an early age with the works of Confucius, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Islamic philosophers from al-Kindi to Avicenna and Averroes. Studying his grandfather's highly regarded six-volume commentary on Rumi's poetry and philosophy also contributed to his profound knowledge and appreciation of his cultural heritage. He is currently working on his third book, Rumi’s Humanism: The Timeless Appeal of the Great Mystic Poet. He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Persian literature and Islamic philosophy and a master's degree in English language and literature from the University of the Punjab, Lahore (Pakistan). He lives in Poughkeepsie, New York.