Comparative History Of Ideas

Part 1 Myths, Gods and Sacrifice - Thought in Early Agricultural Communities: including the complilation of the holy scriptures of each tradition, principles and efficacy of rituals, the tendency towards monotheism, time and food as fundamental principles. Part 2 The Twilight of the Gods - The Rise of Philosophy and the Development of Heterodoxies: including the concept of the absolute, the absolute and the self, individual responsibility, transmigration and retribution, the basis of ethics, materialism, the pursuit of pleasure, determinism, scepticism, asceticism. Part 3 Early Universal Religions: including the significance of faith, attitude toward thinkers and their systems, attitude toward philosphy in general, tolerance, suffering, impermanence of phenomena, the aim of human existence and the path toward the aim; general principles of ethics; the use of philosophy as a path; meditation; the ideal of the universal state. Part 4 Features of Medieval Thought: including supremacy of religion, the theme of compassion and love, sin and grace, mystical schools, theology and its counterparts, proofs of God's existence. Part 5 Common Features of Modern Thought: including modern philosophical attitudes, revival of scepticism, liberty, post-modern movement toward dialectics, modern religious attitudes, denunciation of religious formalism and stress on inner devotion, a return to this-worldliness, rise in popularity of worldly activity and vocational ethics; changes in the evaluation of man.