How The World Thinks

One of the great unexplained wonders of human history is that written

philosophy flowered entirely separately in China, India and Ancient

Greece at more or less the same time. These early philosophies have had a

profound impact on the development of distinctive cultures in different

parts of the world. What we call 'philosophy' in the West is not even

half the story.

Julian Baggini sets out to expand our horizons in How the World Thinks,

exploring the philosophies of Japan, India, China and the Muslim world,

as well as the lesser-known oral traditions of Africa and Australia's

first peoples. Interviewing thinkers from around the globe, Baggini asks

questions such as: why is the West is more individualistic than the

East? What makes secularism a less powerful force in the Islamic world

than in Europe? And how has China resisted pressures for greater

political freedom?