The Shape of Ancient Thought  (English, Hardcover, McEvilley Thomas)

This unparalleled comparative study of early Eastern and Western philosophy challenges every existing belief about the philosophical foundations of Western civilization. Spanning thirty years of intense intellectual inquiry and research, the author proves what many scholars before him have sensed but couldn't empirically explain: that the seemingly autonomous and separate metaphysical schemes of Greek and Indian cultures have mutually influenced each other over a long period of time, to the point that today's Western world must be considered the product of both Eastern and Western thought. The author's groundbreaking research systematically unveils striking similarities between the early metaphysical ideas central to Eastern and Western philosophies. Thomas McEvilley explores the key philosophical paradigms of these cultures, such as monism, the doctrine of reincarnation in India and Egypt, and early pluralism in Greece and India, to show how trade, imperialism, and migration currents have allowed these ideas to circulate and intermingle freely throughout India, Greece, and the Near East. This sweeping inter-disciplinary study will captivate students and scholars of philosophy, cultural studies, and classics, who will find that their field has been put on an entirely new footing.