Philosophy East/West, edited by Oren Ergas and Sharon Todd

Ergas, O. & Todd, S. (2016). Philosophy east/west: Exploring intersections between educational and contemplative practices. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Philosophy East/West showcases new scholarship in the philosophy of education and contemplative studies, paying particular attention to the intersection of mindfulness, evidence-based science, and wisdom traditions. These readings shed light on the contemplative turn in contemporary education and its potentials, difficulties and implications for educational theory and practice.

The chapters in this edited volume move beyond simplistic explanations of “East” and “West” to explore the complexity and diversity of various wisdom traditions. The book includes:

• Explorations of mindfulness in contemporary education as it intersects with science and wisdom traditions
• Investigations of Buddhist, Taoist, and Vedantic traditions as they shed light on contemporary educational theory and practice.
• Interpretations of contemplative education in light of philosophers such as Heidegger, Levinas and Foucault.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Oren Ergas and Sharon Todd

1 On the Contemporary Applications of Mindfulness: Some Implications for Education

Terry Hyland

2 Contemplative Pedagogy and Mindfulness: Developing Creative Attention in an Age of Distraction

Aislinn O’Donnell

3 The Deeper Teachings of Mindfulness-Based ‘Interventions’ as a Reconstruction of ‘Education’

Oren Ergas

4 Heidegger East and West: Philosophy as Educative Contemplation

David Lewin

5 Experiencing Change, Encountering the Unknown: An Education in ‘Negative Capability’ in Light of Buddhism and Levinas Sharon Todd

6 Technologies of Self and the Cultivation of Virtues

Robert Hattam and Bernadette Baker

7 Intercultural Philosophy and the Nondual Wisdom of ‘Basic Goodness’: Implications for Contemplative and Transformative Education

Claudia Eppert, Daniel Vokey, Tram Truong Anh Nguyen, and Heesoon Bai

8 Reuniting Virtue and Knowledge

Tom Culham

9 Improvisation and Meditation in the Academy: Parallel Ordeals, Insights, and Openings 172

Edward Sarath

Index

Author Information

Oren Ergas lectures at the School of Education at the Hebrew University and at Beit Berl and Ashkelon academic colleges in Israel. His research focuses on curricular and pedagogical aspects of contemplative education. His work has been published widely in peer-reviewed journals and books, including Critical Studies in Education, Philosophical Inquiry in Education, The Journal of Transformative Education, The Routledge International Handbook for Education, Religion and Values (2013) and New Social Foundations: Education in Post-Secular Society (2015)

Sharon Todd is Professor of Education at Maynooth University, Ireland. She has written extensively on ethical relations, the politics of education, feminism, and issues of cultural difference and social justice. She is the author of Toward an Imperfect Education: Facing Humanity, Rethinking Cosmopolitanism (2009) and Learning from the Other: Levinas, Psychoanalysis and Ethical Possibilities in Education (2003) and is the co-editor of Re-imagining Educational Relationships: Ethics, Politics and Practices (Wiley, 2014).