Nāgārjuna Today: Addressing Philosophical Problems with Buddhist Insights

How An Ancient Buddhist Monk Contributes to Contemporary Philosophy

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The question of whether or not we should regard Buddhism as philosophy has become popular in recent decades. The proliferation of works labelled ‘world philosophy’, a label that follows and replaces ‘comparative philosophy’, contributes greatly to the increase in interest.

Some scholars argue that it would be unfair not to consider Buddhism as a philosophy. They say, for example, that Buddhist thought deals with the same issues discussed in Europe going back to the ancient Greek philosophers. Buddhist thought also uses logical reasoning and includes ethical dimensions; elements that we find across Western philosophy.

Others argue applying the label of ‘philosophy’ to Buddhist thought may not be justified because, for example, the aim of Buddhism is not the pursuit of knowledge or wisdom for its own sake, but to become enlightened and attain nirvāṇa for soteriological purposes.

It is unlikely that this debate will be resolved any time soon. Mainly because it does not seem to address what is truly important:

Are the insights of Buddhist thinkers helpful in approaching…