Buddhism and Taoism face to face

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William Montgomery Watt

This book explores the myths and misperceptions that have underpinned Muslim-Christian relations throughout history, and which endure to the current day. William Montgomery Watt describes how the myths originated and developed, and argues that both Muslims and Christians need to have a more accurate knowledge and positive appreciation of the other religion. Chapters discuss the Qurʹanic perception of Christianity, attitudes to Greek philosophy and the relationship between Islam and Christianity in medieval Europe. Written by one of the leading authorities on Islam in the West, Muslim-Christian Encounters remains a relevant and vivid study and will be of particular value to students of Islam, religious history and sociology.

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Torbjörn L. Knutsen

"Torbjorn L. Knutsen introduces ideas on international relations expressed by thinkers from the High Middle Ages to the present day, and traces the developments of four ever-present themes: war, wealth, peace and power. The book counters the assumption that international relations has no theoretical tradition and shows that scholars, soldiers and statesmen have been speculating about the subject for the last 700 years." "Beginning with the roots of the state and the concept of sovereignty in the Middle Ages, the author draws upon the insights of outstanding political thinkers. Clearly and succinctly the theories of Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hegel, Rousseau, Bentham, Marx and Lenin amongst others are discussed and analysed. The ideas of these thinkers are placed in context with the societies and intellectual ideas that produced them. The text is fully revised and updated to include the place of international relations after the Cold War and new ways of thinking opened up by developments in information technology."--Jacket.

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Kunal Chakrabarti

"This book traces the evolution of a process of interaction between brahmanism and the indigenous social groups of Bengal during the early medieval period. Following the logic of cultural negotiation implicit in the regional Puranas, the book unravels a pattern that governed this relationship of reciprocity, contestation and domination. Two significant methodological issues have been addressed - the manner in which didactic Sanskritic texts can be read for the reconstruction of early Indian history, and the application of contemporary anthropological concepts to such texts to help elucidate cultural contestations in pre-modern India. Focussing on Bengal, Chakrabarti examines a civilizational process fundamental to the unfolding of Indian history."--BOOK JACKET.

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Sylvia Boorstein

Explores the relationship between Jewish and Buddhist traditions and discusses the reasons why some Jews are drawn to Buddhism and become practicing Buddhists.