The Aim of This Chapter Has Been to Make Us

The aim of this chapter has been to make us more aware "of the peculiarities and limitations of our own ways of thinking and, especially, of how that thinking has been shaped and perhaps even distorted by the particular features of our tradition" (p. 346). These peculiarities and limitations are traced back to differences in culture, race, and ethnicity. Write an essay looking at how the nondominant traditions explored in this chapter challenge three or more of these "limited" assumptions made by Western philosophers regarding two or more of the big questions addressed in this text, including the meaning of life, the Good Life, and the nature of God, reality, self, and freedom. Be specific: how do the nondominant traditions explored in this chapter challenge assumptions that philosophers have made regarding these questions? Could the Western philosopher(s)answer any of these challenges, either by defending his assumptions or by revising them in light of the non-Western views developed in this chapter? In other words, is it possible to revise Western philosophy to eliminate its cultural, racial, and ethnic biases? How? Again, be specific.