Philosophies are often unaware of the cultures that foster them. But the cultures of the philosophies shape their thinking, their logic, the questions that they ask and the answers that they pose. To introduce Eastern thought in a Western setting one must show what common issues Eastern and Western thought share, so students will have a way to approach these philosophies. Yet one should not distort the Eastern philosophies' distinctive ways of working with these issues, confine them to Western categories, if one wishes to capture what is unique and valuable in Eastern thought. Marietta Stepaniants' introductory text allows a distinctively Eastern way of thinking to come forth. Four interpretive essays open the book showing how Indian, Chinese and Islamic traditions responded to these questions: How did philosophy arise? What is the origin of order in the universe? What is human nature? What is truth ? A fifth, unique, essay shows how Eastern thought has dealt with Western contact in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the second half of the book, original writings—ancient and modern—are placed in their cultural context by the author and give access to the thinkers' specific arguments. Unlike any other text, "Introduction to Eastern Thought" includes Islamic philosophies alongside Indian and Chinese traditions. This broader sense of "the East", the combination of interpretive essays and original sources, the sense of Eastern philosophies as alive and ongoing, are unrivalled by any other textbook. Comparisons within and across traditions make"Introduction to Eastern Thought" an excellent text for students familiar with Western philosophy or beginning philosophystudents.

Author Biography: Marietta Stepaniants is the Director of the Center for Oriental Philosophies Studies at the Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences where she has been working since 1959. She is the author of ten books including "Islamic Philosophy and Social Thought: 19th-20th Centuries", "Sufi Wisdom", "Gandhi and the World Today". Among more than 20 volumes edited by her: "Rationalistic Tradition and Modernity. In 3 volumes", "History of of Indian Philosophy: A Russian Viewpoint", "Feminism: East-West-Russia", "Democracy and Justice: A Cross-cultural Perspectives". Her writings have been translated and published in eighteen countries. For 15 years Dr. Stepaniants was a professor of the Diplomatic Academy; in recent years, she has been Chair of Oriental Philosophies at the Russian State University of Humanities (Moscow). Dr.Stepaniants has played a key role in developing comparative studies in Russia. She was the Director for 7th & 8th East-West Philosophers' Conferences in Honolulu and is a corresponding member of the editorial board of a number academic journals, including "Philosophy East and West" , "Social Sciences Research Journal".