Eastern Philosophy
Paper Topics: Due March 25, 2015
Write a 1000 word essay on one of the following topics:
1. Begin with an example where one is suffering. Describe this suffering and what
we might ordinarily take to be the cause of this suffering. Once this is in place,
then lay out how Buddhism, and in particular the Buddha, understands suffering.
How does this differ from the usual understanding of suffering. How might you, if
you were so inclined, but Buddhism in to practice and hence address the problem
of suffering. Elaborate and be sure to give details and examples.
2. It can pretty safely be argued that Confucius lays the groundwork for nearly the
entirety of the philosophical tradition of China. Not all the schools of thought in
China reaffirm Confucius’s doctrines –some outright reject key aspects of
Confucius’s thought – but it is nonetheless largely the case that Confucius is
usually the starting point. In this essay lay out how Confucius has been picked up
by one of the subsequent generation of philosophers. Be sure to detail enough of
both Confucius’s thought as well as that of the later generation philosopher you
choose to write on.
3. Compare and contrast the thought of Mencius and Lao Tzu. In particular, discuss
the idealism and Confucianism of Mencius and show how key aspects of
Mencius’s thought are preserved and/or abandoned in Lao Tzu’s thought. The
Taoism that is associated with Lao Tzu is also similar to Buddhism, and one of
the reasons for the easy adoption of Buddhism by the Chinese. Discuss the key
similarities between Buddhism and Taoism, and give specific examples to support
your claims.