Joint MA Program in the History of Philosophies, East & West (HPEW)
The Departments of Philosophy and Asian & Asian American Studies
This interdisciplinary joint program brings together expert faculty in the history
of philosophy in two of Stony Brook University’s departments: Asian & Asian American
Studies, and Philosophy. It enables students to broaden their knowledge of philosophy
by treating it as a world-wide, rather than an exclusively Western, undertaking. The
program provides humanities students with philosophically informed and historically
grounded perspectives on what is arguably the principal cultural encounter of our
time.
Curriculum
Coursework focuses on key aspects of the following philosophical traditions: Buddhism,
Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and ancient Greek, Roman thought, medieval Christian,
and modern European thought through the 19th Century. Teaching is based on primary
texts in English translation with selective use of secondary sources. Special emphasis
is placed on terms and concepts in the original languages. The texts will cover ethics,
metaphysics, epistemology, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, philosophical
anthropology, philosophical theology.
Program Requirements
Although this 30-credits MA degree can be earned in one year, it is recommended that full-time students complete the HPEW program as follows:
Year One: 24 credits (four 3-credit courses per semester)
Year Two: 6 credits (two 3-credit courses in the semester of full-time enrollment)
It is also possible to enroll in HPEW on a part-time basis (i.e., by taking fewer than 12 credit-hours per semester).
Areas of Study and Description of Courses
Ancient and Medieval Western Philosophy
Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers would have thought it odd to separate academic
disciplines from one another. Courses in this area imitate their approach by immersing
ourselves in their reflections and discoveries ranging from metaphysics, physics,
and psychology to ethics and politics. Recent seminars have covered Plato’s dialogues;
Aristotle’s natural philosophy, psychology, and metaphysics; Aquinas on Mind and Truth.
The Philosophy Department also runs a long-standing ancient Greek reading and grammar
review group.
Modern Western Philosophy
Recent modern philosophy courses have included Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason; Hegel’s Science of Logic; Kant’s Ethics; and Hegel’s Philosophy of Right. A typical course in modern Western political philosophy surveys the period between
the Reformation and the French Revolution, taking as a guiding theme, say, the emergence
of modern conceptions of distributive justice. After treating some basic accounts
of justice, right, and law in ancient Greek, medieval, and 16th-century political
philosophy, we pay special attention to arguments concerning the nature and varieties
of justice presented by such thinkers as Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, and Kant,
whose arguments may be discussed in connection with selected writings of Marx and
Rawls.
Classical Islamic Philosophy
A typical course introduces major philosophical debates of Islamic civilization in
the Middle Ages, seeking to understand the lively nature of philosophy in this era
and to gain an appreciation for the historical development of philosophical ideas.
We will explore how philosophy from the Islamic Middle Ages relates to Christian and
Jewish thought in the Renaissance, as well as its relation to Islamic thought in the
post-classical period, including Shiʿism, Sufism and theology. Topics may include:
How can we know things? What are the elements of reality? What is the relationship
between God and the world? How may scripture be interpreted philosophically? Major
figures will include: al-Farabi, Avicenna, Ghazali, Averroes, and Maimonides.
Ethical Thought in India
Hindu and Buddhist thought concerns not only other-worldly, metaphysical issues, but
also ethical, social, and political questions of relevance today. Are we responsible
for the greater good of society, or should human beings avoid political affairs? Is
violence ever justified or is it a sign of moral degeneracy, as Gandhi believed? When
evaluating the morality of actions, should we look chiefly to duty or to the effects
of our actions? We will explore such ethical issues by analyzing such texts as the
Mahābhārata, Śāntideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva, Gandhi’s commentary on the Gītā, or Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste. We will conclude by applying these classical Buddhist and Hindu principles to contemporary
ethical issues (e.g., cloning, abortion, animal rights, and just war theory).
Buddhism and Early Vedanta
Between the 5th century BCE and 8th century CE, Hindu and Buddhist philosophers in
India debated questions that many continue to ponder today: Who are we? Is there an
eternal self, or is existence fleeting? How should we live? Is the world real or illusory?
Scholars have observed a historical connection between Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy
in India and the philosophy of Advaita Vedānta, the most famous of all the Hindu philosophical
schools. By carefully analyzing the arguments of these Buddhist and Vedānta thinkers
we will examine the complex interrelations between the two schools, and ask how their
insights can help us find meaning in our lives today.
Ancient Philosophy in the Islamic World
The transfer of ancient Greek philosophy into the Islamic world is one of the great
achievements of civilization. We will study the key texts and doctrines in ancient
philosophy–including logic, metaphysics, cosmology and psychology–and their transmission
into the Islamic world, focusing on how ideas develop and schools of thought form,
and philosophy responds to broader issues. After reviewing ancient philosophy and
early Christianity’s relationship to pagan Greek schools, we explore Islamic-era themes:
Neo-Platonizing Kindī School; the “Baghdad Aristotelians”; the intersection of theology
and Aristotelian metaphysics; theories of providence in the supra- and sub-lunar worlds;
and the “harmony of Plato and Aristotle”.
Core Faculty
Rosabel Ansari, Ph.D. (Georgetown)
Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Classical and post-classical Islamic philosophy, Graeco-Arabic Studies
Alan Kim, Ph.D. (McGill)
Associate Professor, Dept. of Philosophy
Ancient Greek Philosophy, German Philosophy
Andrew Nicholson, Ph.D. (Chicago)
Director of HPEW
Associate Professor, Asian and Asian American Studies
Indian Philosophy and Intellectual History
Maximilian Tegtmeyer, Ph.D. (Pittsburgh)
Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Kant and German Idealism, Early Modern Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Sthaneshwar Timalsina, Ph.D. (Halle)
Nirmal K. and Augustina Mattoo Endowed Chair in Classical Indic Humanities
Hindu Studies, Comparative Philosophies and Religions