Buddhism and Political Theory
Matthew J. Moore
Abstract
This book provides a comprehensive survey and analysis of Buddhist political theory from the time of the Buddha to the present. Western scholars have long but mistakenly believed that Buddhism was antipolitical, but a careful examination of the primary texts reveals a rich and valuable political theory, based on three premises: that human beings are not selves, that politics is necessary but not very important, and that ethics is advice for living wisely but not a system of universal, obligatory rules. Buddhism and Political Theory provides careful readings of all the relevant primary texts an ... More
This book provides a comprehensive survey and analysis of Buddhist political theory from the time of the Buddha to the present. Western scholars have long but mistakenly believed that Buddhism was antipolitical, but a careful examination of the primary texts reveals a rich and valuable political theory, based on three premises: that human beings are not selves, that politics is necessary but not very important, and that ethics is advice for living wisely but not a system of universal, obligatory rules. Buddhism and Political Theory provides careful readings of all the relevant primary texts and analyzes the existing scholarship on Buddhism and politics from a wide variety of disciplines. It also demonstrates the connections between Buddhist political theory and debates within contemporary Western political philosophy. In particular, it compares the Buddhist theory of no-self with the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, contrasts the Buddhist theory of limited citizenship with a parallel tradition in the West that begins with Epicurus, and connects the Buddhist approach to ethics with ethical irrealism/antirealism and the immanence politics of William Connolly.
Keywords:
Buddhism,
political theory,
ethical irrealism,
ethical antirealism,
Friedrich Nietzsche,
William Connolly,
no-self,
anattā doctrine,
immanence,
limited citizenship
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2016 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780190465513 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: June 2016 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190465513.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Matthew J. Moore, author
Associate Professor of Political Science, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
More
Less
