End of Comparative Philosophy and the Task of Comparative Thinking

Steven Burik teaches philosophy at Singapore Management University and also at the Center for American Education, Broward College, Singapore.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Heidegger and the Other Commencement Heidegger’s Greek ConnectionanaximanderparmenidesheraclitusHeidegger and the Poetspoetry and thinkingpoetry and languagehölderlin, the foreign, and translationHeidegger and the "East"early heidegger and comparative philosophylater heidegger and comparative philosophyConcluding Heidegger2. Derrida: Otherness, Context, and OpennessDeconstructing the Ideas Behind Metaphysicsmisreading derridabeyond heidegger?Language, Text, and Translation in DerridaDerrida in Comparative Philosophyidentity and opennessderrida’s hints at different cultures"the other is already there, irreducibly."Concluding Derrida3. Rereading Daoism; The Other WayMetaphysical Readings of Daoist Philosophy The Metaphysical Tradition and ComparisonThe Possibility of Differenceinterpretations of classical chinese languageInconstancy of Dao 道: No Transcendence Necessaryinside & outside: the gateway (men 門)Concluding Daoism4. Thinking, Philosophy, and Language: Comparing Heidegger, Derrida, and Classical DaoismMetaphysics, Difference, and Comparisonsdifference and comparisonmetaphysics and comparisonThinking and PhilosophyHeidegger and Daoismderrida and daoismLanguage in Comparison "Beyond" The Inversion of Opposites Ethical and Political Implications Concluding the Comparison ConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

"…Burik's book is an important contribution to contemporary East-West philosophic dialogue." — Philosophy East & West"Steven Burik's The End of Comparative Philosophy and the Task of Comparative Thinking is a daring and imaginative essay in re-reading Daoism, particularly the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi, based on a philosophy of language deriving from Heidegger and Derrida." — International Journal for Philosophy of Religion