Spiritual Titanism: Indian, Chinese, and Western PerspectivesThis work in comparative philosophy uses the concept of Titanism to critique certain trends in both Eastern and Western philosophy. Titanism is an extreme form of humanism in which human beings take on divine attributes and prerogatives. The author finds the most explicit forms of spiritual Titanism in the Jaina, Samkhya, and Yoga traditions, where yogis claim powers and knowledge that in the West are only attributed to God. These philosophies are also radically dualistic, and liberation involves a complete transcendence of the body, society, and nature. Five types of spiritual Titanism are identified; and, in addition to this typology, a heuristic based on Nietzsche's three metamorphoses of camel, lion, and child is offered. The book determines that answers to spiritual Titanism begin not only with the Hindu Goddess religion, but also are found in Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, especially Zen Buddhism and Confucianism. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
1 Titanismin the West | 23 |
2 The Self andConstructive Postmodernism | 39 |
3 Prometheus EastGreek and Hindu Titans | 59 |
4 Jaina Superhumanismand Gnostic Titanism | 79 |
5 HinduTitanism | 99 |
6 The Yogiand the Goddess | 113 |
7 NeoVedanta andAurobindos Superman | 139 |
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Common terms and phrases
Advaita Vedānta Albany ascetic Asian Asuras Aurobindo become body Brahman Buddha Buddhist called chap chapter child Chinese Christian Chuang Tzu claim completely concept Confucian Confucius constructive postmodern Cosmic Triad Daodejing Daoist Daoist sage deconstructive deity Delhi Devas divine doctrine Doniger O'Flaherty dualism eternal evil Gnostic Gnostic Titanism Goddess gods Graham Greek Heaven and Earth Hindu human humanists Hundun Ibid idea immortality Indian Titanism interpretation Jaina Jaini Jainism Kālī Kalupahana Kripal Kṛṣṇa liberation Machle Mahāvīra Mahāyāna male means Mencius metaphysics modern monism moral Mother myth Mythology Nāgārjuna nature Nietzsche Nietzsche's omniscience Pāli Pārvatī perfect person philosophy prakṛti premodern Prometheus Purāṇa Purușa Ramakrishna reject religion Śākta sakti Samkhya Samkhya-Yoga shen Siddhas Śiva social soul spiritual Titanism SUNY Press Tantric theology things Tian tion tradition trans transcendent Übermensch University Press Upanisad Vedic virtue Viṣṇu Vivekananda worship Xunzi Yoga Yoga Titanism yogi York Zarathustra Zeus Zhuangzi