The Shape of Ancient Thought
{{Short description|2001 book by Thomas McEvilley}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox book
| name = The Shape of Ancient Thought
| image = The Shape of Ancient Thought book cover.jpg
| border = yes
| caption = Cover of the first edition
| author = Thomas McEvilley
| country = United States
| language = English
| publisher = Allworth Press
| pub_date = November 1, 2001
| pages = 768
| isbn = 978-1-58115-203-6
}}
The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies is a book by the American writer Thomas McEvilley, published in 2001 by Allworth Press.
Summary
Thomas McEvilley traces exchanges between ancient Greek philosophy and ancient Indian philosophy, created through trade, empires and migration. Due to the mutual debts he identifies, often in the form of parallels or documented contacts with Persia, McEvilley argues that the Western world should be considered a product of both Western and Eastern thought.
Reception
In Philosophy East and West, Will S. Rasmussen described The Shape of Ancient Thought as McEvilley's magnum opus, which consists of "an encyclopedic array of texts" and clear arguments for the strong mutual influence between Greece and India.{{cite journal |last=Rasmussen |first=Will S. |year=2006 |title=The Shape of Ancient Thought |journal=Philosophy East and West |volume=56 |issue=1 |page=182 |doi=10.1353/pew.2006.0003 }} He wrote that McEvilley used "admirable sensitivity" when he rejected dichotomies between the rational and mystical, and covered the often politicized scholarship about the subject.
Emily Kearns wrote in The Classical Review that each chapter can be read as a stimulating essay in its own right. She described The Shape of Ancient Thought overall as eloquent and rarely overstated, as it acknowledges its limits, the possibilities that parallels may be coincidences, and the significant differences that do exist between Greek and Indian philosophy.{{cite journal |last=Kearns |first=Emily |year=2004 |title=Indian Connections |journal=The Classical Review |volume=54 |issue=2 |page=423 |doi=10.1093/cr/54.2.420 }}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite journal |last=Miller |first=John P. |year=2006 |title=Review Essay: Ancient Roots of Holistic Education |journal=Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=55–59 |hdl=1807/32399 |hdl-access=free }}
External links
- [https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/allworth-press/9781581152036/the-shape-of-ancient-thought/ Presentation from the publisher]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shape of Ancient Thought}}
Category:2001 non-fiction books
Category:Ancient Greek philosophy studies
Category:History books about ancient Greece