Difference between

Eastern and western

philpsophies
By -prajakta joshi
Differences in western and eastern philosophies can
be seen in -

● Value system
● Orientation toward time
● Thought process
Value system
● Cultural value systems have significant effects on the determination
of strengths and weaknesses .
● Most western cultures have individualistic perspective ,most eastern
cultures are guided by collectivistic viewpoint.
● In individualist cultures the main focus is the single person ,who is
held above the group in terms of importance .
● Competition and personal achievement are emphasized within these
cultures .
● In collectivist cultures the group is viewed above the individual and
cooperation is accentuated.
● Western cultures highly value the ideas of personal
freedom and autonomy .
● In eastern culture on the other hand such
assertiveness on behalf of the self would not be viewed
as an asset as society seeks to foster interdependence
within the group .
● The japanese story of momotaro (peach boy)gives
excellent example of the cultural importance of the
traits of interdependence .the ability to avoid conflict
and duty to the group .
● The story begins with an elderly couple who have
always wished for a child ,although they are not able to
conceive .
● One day a woman was washing her clothes in a stream,a giant peach
floats to where she was standing .
● Upon reaching the woman the peach splits open to reveal a baby .
● The woman takes momotaro home and she and husband raised him
.momotaro grows into a fine young boy and at the age of 15 tells his
parents that the ogres in the nearby country have tormented the
people of his village long enough to the great pride of his parents he
decides to go to fight the ogres and bring back their treasure to his
village .
● Along the way momotaro befriends many animals one by one ,the
animals want to fight each new animal they meet but at momotaros
urging ,the spotted dog,monkey and the pheasant who usually hated
each other .all became good friends and followed momotaro
faithfully .
● At the end of the story momotaro and his animal
friends defeat the ogres by working together and
bring the treasure back to the village ,where all
who live there share in the reward .
● As the hero portrays the strength valued in
japanese and other asian cultures
● He sets out for good of the group ,although in
doing so risks individual harm .(collectivist )
● Along the way he stops others from fighting on
trivial things .( promoting harmony )
● He works with them to achieve his goals (
interdependence and collaboration )
● He brings back a treasure to share with the group (interdependence
and sharing )
● Thus the cultural orientation determine which characteristics are
transmitted as the valued strength to its members.
Orientation to time
● There is also a difference in orientation to time
● In western cultures we look to the future indeed some of the
strengths we seem to value most i.e -hope,optimism,self efficacy
.Reflects future oriented thinking .
● In eastern cultures there is greater focus on and respect for the past
.this past oriented focus is revealed in the ancient chinese proverb
‘to know the road ahead ask those coming back’.
● Thus certain personality characteristics might be defined as
strength in terms of their compatibility with a particulartime
orientation.
● For example - certain types of problem solving might be viewed as
more advantageous than others .in a well known fable ‘old horse
knows the way’ a group of soldiers travel far from their home in the
mountains and upon trying to find their way home they were lost .
● One of the soldiers comes up with the solution that is ,’we can use
the wisdom of an old horse release the horse and follow them and
thereby reach the right road’.
● Thus eastern cultures value the strength of looking backand
recognizing the wisdom of their elders .
Thought process
● According to Prof .nisbett from university of michigan of social
psychology and cognition there is also a difference in the thought
process of westerners and easterners and this results in markedly
divergent worldviews and perspectives.
● He gave an example of his student from china he says a few years
back he met a brilliant student from china a student said ‘you know
the difference between you anf me is that i think world is a circle and
you think it is a line’.
● The chinese believe in a constant change but things always moving
back to some prior state .
● They pay attention to wide range of events they search for
relationships between things and they think you can’t understand
the part without understanding the whole.
● Westerners live in a simpler more deterministic world .they focus on
salient objects or people instead of the larger picture .
● They think they can control events because they know the rules that
govern the behaviour of objects .
● The circular thinking style of chinese people is best exemplified by
the taoist figure of yin and yang .
● In u.s people give high priority to the right to life of liberty and
happiness
● The goal of easterners might have different focus
● Happiness is a state commonly sought by both westerners and
easterners .the difference in philosophical approaches to life may
make the searches look very different .
● For ex-a westerner whose goal is happiness ,draws a straight line to
his goal .looking carefully for obstacles and finding possible ways
around them .his goal is to achieve this eternal happiness. for the
easterners who follows the yin and yang however this goal of
happiness may not make sense ,if one needs to seek happiness and
then achieve it in the eastern way of thinking ,this would mean that
unhappiness was close on its heels .
● Easterners might have the goal of balance trusting in fact that
although great unhappiness or suffering may occur in ones life it
would be equally balanced by great happiness .
● These two different ways of thinking create very different ways of
forming goals and achieving good life .
● Western oriented thinking focuses on individual goals
● Eastern oriented thinking focuses on groups goal
● In eastern philosophy two things are emphasized
● Compassion and harmony
● Compassion has origin in both western and eastern philosophies.
● In confucian teaching compassion is discussed within humanity
which encapsulate all other virtues
● In taoist belief system humanity also reflects behaviour that must
occur naturally .
● Buddha often is described as perfectly enlightened and boundlessly
compassionate the idea of compassion of karuna is woven
throughout buddhism as a virtue on the path towards transcendence
.
● Finally in hindu tradition compassion is called for in good actions
towards others which will direct followers upon the path that will
not require them to return to earth after death .
● According to eric cassell 2002 .in his recent writings on positive
psychology he proposes three requirements for compassion .
● The difficulties of the recipient must be serious
● The recipients difficulties can not be self inflicted
● And we as observers must be able to identify with the recipient
suffering.
● Harmony - in buddhist techniques when people reach a state of
nirvana they have reached a peacefulness i.e complete
harmony,balance and equilibrium .
● In confucian teaching harmony is viewed as crucial for happiness
● In hindu teachings one can see that all humans are interconnected
by single principle .