Spanning thirty years of intensive research, this book proves what many scholars could not explain: that today’s Western world must be considered the product of both Greek and Indian thought—Western and Eastern philosophies. Thomas McEvilley explores how trade, imperialism, and migration currents allowed cultural philosophies to intermingle freely throughout India, Egypt, Greece, and the ancient Near East. This groundbreaking reference will stir relentless debate among philosophers, art historians, and students.

A Princeton Classics edition of an essential work of twentieth-century scholarship on India Since its first publication, Philosophies of India has been considered a monumental exploration of the foundations of Indian philosophy. Based on the copious notes of Indologist, linguist, and art historian Heinrich Zimmer, and edited by Joseph Campbell, this book is organized into three sections. “The Highest Good” looks at Eastern and Western thought and their convergence; “The Philosophies of Time” discusses the philosophies of success, pleasure, and duty; and “The Philosophies of Eternity” presents the fundamental concepts of Buddhism, Brahmanism, Jainism, Sankhya and yoga, and Tantra. This work examines such areas as the Buddhist Tantras, Buddhist Genesis, the Tantric presentation of divinity, the preparation of disciples and the meaning of initiation, and the symbolism of the mandala-palace Tantric ritual and twilight language. It also delves into the Tantric teachings of the inner Zodiac and the fivefold ritual symbolism of passion. Appendices, a bibliography, and general and Sanskrit indexes are included.

Explains for the first time the genesis and early form of both Indian and Greek philosophy, and their striking similarities.

‹€‹In these six essays, Thomas McEvilley tackles the aesthetics of formalism and proceeds to shed new light on the roots of Modernism and the collapse of the idea of history. The world-renowned critic confronts the ideas and philosophies which for two centuries have exalted art above constructive involvement in the world, and proposes a new vision for the critical enterprise. By explaining why our Modernism was not unique and why it is being superseded, McEvilley suggests functions that art performs in a post-Modern culture and offers compelling reasons why the history of art needs to be rewritten from an altered perspective. McEvilley argues, for example, against the dominant theoretical position which removed art from contextual examination by declaring its "sublime" nature somehow elevated above ordinary life, and he goes on to effectively destroy the notion that Modernism in the larger sense is an example of the superiority of technological society. More than anything else, however, he breathes real life into the intellectual understanding of contemporary art in a way that no critic has since perhaps Herbert Read. McEvilley humanizes the undertaking; in addition his wit is evident throughout. Chapters include "Heads It's Form, Tails It's Not Content," "On the Manner of Addressing Clouds," and "The Opposite of Emptiness."

Frontiers of Pleasure presents critical issues regarding Greek conceptions of aesthetic response while questioning influential modern notions of the aesthetic. Despite a recent rebirth of interest in the field of aesthetics, no extensive discussion of this fundamental topic has hitherto been available.

In the fourth century BC three conflicting points of view in Chinese philosophy received classic expression: the Taoist, the Confucianist, and the "Realist." This book underscores the interplay between these three philosophies, drawing on extracts from Chuang Tzu, Mencius, and Han Fei Tzu.

Mit seinem neuesten Künstlerbuch 'The Shape of Ancient Thought' legt Anselm Kiefer erneut ein Photographiebuch vor. Die auf seinen ausgedehnten Reisen u.a. durch Indien und Italien entstandenen und von ihm überarbeiteten photographischen Werke zeigen Tempelarchitekturen aus dem Orient und Okzident. Der Titel bezieht sich auf ein bahnbrechendes Buch des US-amerikanischen Kunsthistorikers und Schriftstellers Thomas McEvilley: 'The Shape of Ancient Thought' (Antike Denkbilder), 2002. McEvilley gelingt es in einer umfassenden komparativen Studie Parallelen und Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen der indischen und der griechisch-römischen Philosophie aufzuzeigen. Kiefer greift McEvilleys Theorie auf, indem er Aufnahmen indischer und griechischer Stätten zusammen zeigt und miteinander verbindet. In 'The Shape of Ancient Thought' findet Kiefer eindrucksvolle Bilder, die die Erkenntnisse McEvilleys visuell erfahrbar machen.