{"product_id":"9789361315305","title":"Ends of Human Life Indian and Chinese Perspectives","description":"\u003ch1\u003eEnds of Human Life\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eIndian and Chinese Perspectives\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eRajeev Bhargava | Roger T. Ames\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePhilosophy \/ Eastern\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis volume brings into dialogue key texts from early and late Vedic, Early Buddhist, Confucian, and Bhakti traditions, each addressing fundamental questions concerning the aims and conditions of human life.\u003c\/b\u003e Through a close engagement with these diverse yet philosophically rich traditions, the essays in this collection examine six interrelated questions central to the human quest for meaning, fulfillment, and ethical orientation.\u003cbr\u003eThe first concerns the ends of human life: from material prosperity, aesthetic delight, and social recognition to moral rectitude, spiritual devotion, and contemplative knowledge. The volume probes how these ends are articulated, ordered, and interpreted within and across traditions. Are these ends discrete or interdependent? Can they coexist harmoniously, or are they marked by tension and hierarchy-perhaps culminating in a single, highest good?\u003cbr\u003eA third area of inquiry relates to the practices and modes of life required to realize these ends-what virtues must be cultivated, and which vices eschewed? Fourth, the volume interrogates whether these ends are universally accessible or specific to particular social groups or stages of life. Fifth, it explores the implications of dependence, freedom, and social structure in the pursuit of these goods. Lastly, the volume considers the institutional and political arrangements best suited to enable or constrain the realization of diverse life ideals.\u003cbr\u003eBy drawing connections between classical sources and contemporary concerns, this interdisciplinary collection offers both a historically grounded and philosophically nuanced contribution to ongoing reflections on the good life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRajeev Bhargava\u003c\/b\u003e is currently an honorary fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (Delhi) and the director of its Parekh Institute of Indian Thought.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoger T. Ames \u003c\/b\u003eis Humanities Chair Professor at Peking University in Beijing, China.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e30 September 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic India\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9789361315305\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e300\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16.48\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51333853839500,"sku":"9789361315305","price":103.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_a723e4cb-30c6-430c-8e94-efc31e35047c.jpg?v=1783616965","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9789361315305","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}